What if you speak God’s word, but you still feel like you are battling the masses –what do you do? There is nowhere in the Bible which says following God will always be easy. Actually, if you study the Bible, many of the people (ex. Paul) who followed God were persecuted. So why follow God if you are attacked, mistrusted, beaten down, made fun of, etc.?
The first reason is God wants your heart. Although, he wants all of our hearts, and he’s not happy when people attack us, he cares about what you say and think. Next, we should speak God’s word because we know the truth. If you’ve experienced God, you know there is no hope without God’s grace. You have seen his grace through miracles in your own life, you have begged for God in the darkest of times, and you have experienced him answering prayers. In my experience, those who fight the presence of God are those who need God the most. Those who fight your words or fight believing could be fighting for several reasons. Perhaps, they don’t know how to have a relationship with God. Maybe nobody ever shared the message with them. Perhaps, they did pray and felt God didn’t answer their prayers. Maybe they see all of the travesties in life and say how can there be a God. If there is a God, why is there religious wars, death of children, abuse to animals, etc. Perhaps, God feels like a mythical character. They claim there has been thousands of Gods over time, so, what makes your God the only God? Maybe they have been astray from God for a while so don’t know how to get back on track. Perhaps, they don’t see any difference from believing or not believing. Maybe it is easier to not believe because if you believe there will be life choices which need to change.
No matter what is the reason – I loved what AC Green from the NBA said about getting others to follow God. He made two poignant points – sometimes silence is the best medicine and don’t just offer good options offer the best option. When he said silence can be the best medicine, he meant show people your beliefs through your actions and not solely your words since words to those who aren’t listening can sound like chatter. Being a good role model can be difficult at times, but the reward of good character outweighs the challenges. You may be the only light the persecutor has seen in their life. Next, it doesn’t make sense to offer suggestions if you know what is the right answer.
So how do you share your beliefs if others don’t want to listen? The easiest way is to tell stories and tell your story. People are talking to you because they relate to you. Next, ask the other person questions. Don’t lecture, but try to find out what made the person choose the path they are on. In many cases, it won’t be overnight to get someone to listen, but nothing worth anything ever is easy. The hardest lessons to learn is everything happens in God’s perfect timing, free will is a blessing but also brings separation, and there is not always a good answer to “why”. I tell people not to only trust in my words because my words are human, but to trust in God’s words. The best way to trust if there’s a God is to pray and to experience God’s love. He knows your heart and what makes you bleed. It’s also ok to have emotion when talking with God. If what is separating someone from God is anger, then tell them it is better to yell, scream, jump up and down, and have a tantrum, then to walk another path.
Remember many people will persecute you because they want the joy they see inside of you, are jealous of you and what you can accomplish when you are following your purpose, want to be part of the popular crowd, or are hurting and have shut themselves down. The goal is to look at not the persecution itself, but the reason behind the persecution. It is not a reflection of you as much as it is a reflection of the persecutor and whatever they are chasing at the time. On a good note, you are chasing what is true and what brings true happiness. If you have God at the core, nothing can take God away. Being persecuted is never fun, but again no one said life is easy. What is easy is holding onto what is true.
