The Lord is on my side; I will not
fear: what can man do to me?
Psalm 118:6
Recently, during a time of quiet prayer, the Lord revealed to me that there are many who hate me...
fear: what can man do to me?
Psalm 118:6
Recently, during a time of quiet prayer, the Lord revealed to me that there are many who hate me...
It's not so much that they hate me because of my past criminal acts. There will always be those who despise me because of this. But there is another group whom the Lord has allowed me to see - not actually seeing them with my physical eyes - but it is more like an inner "knowing" that they're in many different places. And they have set it in their hearts to seek ways to bring me down, to crush my spirit, ruin my testimony and make me into an amusement to be scorned by the world.
I know this sounds like paranoia, but it is not. As a Christian who desires to please the Lord and be used by Him, and who loves to share my story of hope and the simple gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, it is expected that those who oppose the Lord, who are hostile toward Him, would likewise despise me. After all, Jesus was rejected by the world, and so shall it be for the sincere Christian. In fact, there may also be those who'd insist that they have nothing against Jesus, and will claim to actually "like" Him. Yet because they have not repented of their sins and placed their faith in Him, are by nature hostile to Christ's ways.
In any event, as I was pondering the many Scriptures which tell of God's ability to deliver His children, it occurred to me that He has most assuredly kept my personal enemies from ruining me more times than I could ever know.
As the Bible says in Psalm 18:30, the Lord is a "buckler" to those who trust in Him. A buckler is a shield of protection. And then it says in Psalm 21:11, "For they intended evil against me: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform."
How I thank the Lord for His divine hands of safety. He has hid me from those who mean to cause me grief and harm. Yes, if the Lord had not been on my side, what would've become of my life? The haters of David Berkowitz would've eaten me alive. But with the Lord there is forgiveness, mercy and hope. And I am learning to pray for my enemies. I am asking the Lord to help me to love them even though, with most of them, I do not even know their names.
D.B.
I know this sounds like paranoia, but it is not. As a Christian who desires to please the Lord and be used by Him, and who loves to share my story of hope and the simple gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, it is expected that those who oppose the Lord, who are hostile toward Him, would likewise despise me. After all, Jesus was rejected by the world, and so shall it be for the sincere Christian. In fact, there may also be those who'd insist that they have nothing against Jesus, and will claim to actually "like" Him. Yet because they have not repented of their sins and placed their faith in Him, are by nature hostile to Christ's ways.
In any event, as I was pondering the many Scriptures which tell of God's ability to deliver His children, it occurred to me that He has most assuredly kept my personal enemies from ruining me more times than I could ever know.
As the Bible says in Psalm 18:30, the Lord is a "buckler" to those who trust in Him. A buckler is a shield of protection. And then it says in Psalm 21:11, "For they intended evil against me: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform."
How I thank the Lord for His divine hands of safety. He has hid me from those who mean to cause me grief and harm. Yes, if the Lord had not been on my side, what would've become of my life? The haters of David Berkowitz would've eaten me alive. But with the Lord there is forgiveness, mercy and hope. And I am learning to pray for my enemies. I am asking the Lord to help me to love them even though, with most of them, I do not even know their names.
D.B.
