Pretty good admonishment.......
 
 
                             "Persecution:  Don't Let The Devil Win!"
                                         by Rick Joyner
                                        Mpiservice@aol.com
                              http://www.morningstarministries.org/
 
 
 

Previously we  discussed how persecution and trials are not only to be
expected, but  are to be embraced as opportunities to enter more fully into
the kingdom  of God. These are allowed as tests of our faith and to purify
our faith.  The fear of God and the fear of man cannot coexist. One or the
other  will rule our lives. Persecutions, slander, and other attacks help
to  deliver us from and sift out of our lives the things that would cause
us to compromise our most valuable treasure - our devotion to God. Consider
again what Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10:

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving  to
please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be  a
bond-servant of Christ.

Persecution From Your Friends,  Not Your Enemies

To the degree  that man pleasing controls our lives, we have forsaken our
bond-service  to Christ. As Paul also wrote in II Timothy 3:12:

And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will  be
persecuted.

As Christians we should be much more concerned if we are not being
persecuted  than if we are. If we are not being persecuted, it is likely
because  we have so compromised the ways of the Lord that we are no longer
an  offense or a threat to the enemies of God.

Where is this persecution going to come from? Just as Jesus Himself  was
not persecuted by the more overt sinners, but by the religious community,
who were His own brethren, the same has been the case for all who have
sought to follow Him. A reason why one of the devil's main titles is  "the
accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10) is because one of his  main
strategies has always been to get brethren accusing one another.

Unity  Increases Spiritual Authority

The devil seems  to know even better than the church,  that unity increases
spiritual authority.  One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten
thousand to flight  (see Deuteronomy 32:30). Therefore, the highest
priority of the devil  is to create division in the church. If a church in
a city ever came  into true unity, the devil and his evil devices would all
be quickly  driven out of that city. If there is unity in a family, the
devil will  not find a place there. Therefore, it is in our best interest
to not  let things divide us from one another. Before we get into how we
deal  with persecution, let us first determine not to persecute our
brethren,  but always work toward their edification.

As we read in Ephesians 4:29-32 previously, what grieves the Holy Spirit
is "bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice." Now let  us
read those verses with the one that proceeds it.

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such  a word as
is good for edification according to the need of the moment,  that it may
give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for  the
day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put  away
from you, along with all malice.

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just  as
God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:28-32).

If we do not do anything else this week but determine to control our
words, by not letting anything come out of our mouths except that which  is
good for the edification of those who hear, we will likely be much  closer
to the kingdom and to the King, than we have been before. Let  us resolve
to do this one thing. The results will be extraordinary.

by Rick Joyner
EMAIL: Mpiservice@aol.com
WEB SITE: http://www.morningstarministries.org/