- 1 Cor. 16:14
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
People you know will turn against you.
Your friends will turn against you:
She weeps bitterly in the night, Her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.
People you go to church with, who should know better, will turn against you:
For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.
And Why? Mostly because of Jealousy, as in Saul’s jealousy of King David’s anointing and position:
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me, Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me, and behold!
But do not get upset because:
. . . we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
And remember that:
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Cross Creek Bridge Ministries
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Tel: (818) 577-3970
Cross Creek Bridge Ministries is a qualified IRS Section 501(c)(3) Organization