By M. Fontaine
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.—2 Timothy 2:24–251
Relations with people, even with those who are opposing you or challenging your beliefs in some way, are all about love. God’s way is love—love for the lost, love for one another, love for those the Lord places in our path, and even love for those who oppose us, whether knowingly or unknowingly. We can look at each encounter with another person, whether that person is receptive or not, or even adversarial in some way, as an opportunity to show the Lord’s love to someone who desperately needs Him, even if they seem to be turning away from Him and His love.
There are countless testimonies throughout the Bible and from great missionaries of the past of people witnessed to in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Souls have been led to Jesus and people’s lives have been changed forever by the testimony of love given in the midst of adversity or rejection. The Lord specializes in using those moments when you are compelled to stand up for your faith to reach and convict others.
Only Jesus can see deep into the heart of man; only He knows the internal struggle and turmoil that person you’ve come into contact with is facing, the difficulties they are having, the fears that overwhelm them, the sense of loneliness and loss they experience. If you ask Him, He can reveal to you the thoughts and innermost feelings and concerns of that person, and He can tell you how to best reach them, or how to do your part to be a faithful messenger of His truth and love, even if they don’t appear to receive it immediately.
Let’s seize the opportunity, even if it comes in the form of rejection or a challenge, to show the Lord’s love to someone who may never have another chance in this life to experience the Lord’s love. Instead of looking at the difficult situation as a potential negative, why not try to see it as a special setup orchestrated by the Lord to be a witness and to reach people that you would never have reached otherwise?
We will never fully know until heaven how great our impact has been on the lives of those we touch with our witness. It will be so wonderful in that day to see the fruit that was borne through our willingness to “contend for the faith” and to be a witness during times of opposition.2
One of the most important things to do in such cases is to make prayer your first line of defense. Acknowledging the Lord and interceding desperately in prayer makes it possible for Him to work in the situation and bring about His perfect plan, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Even if you’re in the middle of a difficult situation and you can’t stop everything for a prayer meeting, you can always be praying on your feet and committing every detail to the Lord.
Of course, the best way to be prepared for opposition and challenges to our faith is through studying the Word and doing your best to live it. If your faith is firmly grounded in His Word, and you are prepared to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you with gentleness and respect,”3 you will have the answers you need for any situation. The Lord will speak to your heart and give you the answers, even when you feel unprepared or unsure of what to say. “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.”4
Let’s be willing to reason and present our beliefs to people with patience and love, while respecting the fact that it may take them time to understand these beliefs, assimilate them, and accept them. Often, people are just waiting to be convinced of the truth, or to reach a point of understanding. We also need to accept that there may be certain aspects of our beliefs that some people may never reach a point of understanding or adopting in this life.
An opportunity to contend for our faith can result in an opportunity to win souls with the truth. If someone challenges your faith, you can ask the Lord to help you to rise to the occasion—to help the person to understand and receive the truth, or to at least take on a more balanced view or favorable impression of what you stand for. There are no impossibilities for the Lord, and He’s willing to perform the miracle of turning people’s hearts around and bringing them to Him. So don’t miss that golden opportunity to be an instrument of His love in the life of someone who has not had the chance to hear or believe.
But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? … That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.—Romans 10:14–175
*
There is no one-size-fits-all formula for managing opposition and challenges to your faith. If you study the Gospels and the times when I received opposition, you will see that I didn’t handle all situations in the same way.
Sometimes I spoke a parable in addressing those who were opposing My mission. At other times, I would give them a question to ponder, in the hope that they would come to an understanding and the right conclusion on the matter. At yet other times, I would contend for the faith directly and state My position in a straightforward manner. Sometimes I even answered with My actions and without words.
My eyes were upon My Father, and I knew that He would not fail to give Me the answers when I called upon Him. So it will be for you. Having a calm and trusting spirit—which comes from your faith—will help you to maintain your perspective and help you to see the situation for what it is. Keep your eyes on Me and don’t allow the waves of the situation to rock your boat. I’m in charge of the winds and the waves in every situation that you face, and keeping that knowledge ever before you will maintain your perspective and equilibrium, to see the situation for what it is.
Your faith in Me and My ability to not only bring you through adversity and opposition, but to cause it to work together for your good, is vital to walking by faith, and not by sight. Any time challenges and difficulty come your way, you can plant your feet upon the Rock and your faith will not fail you, nor will your feet be moved, because you will be trusting in Me and My perfect power to work every situation to your good.
—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach.—2 Timothy 4:26
Originally published June 2009. Adapted and republished January 2014.
Read by Debra Lee.
1 NLT.
2 Jude 3.
3 1 Peter 3:15 ESV.
4 Matthew 10:20.
5 NLT.
6 GW.
Relations with people, even with those who are opposing you or challenging your beliefs in some way, are all about love. God’s way is love—love for the lost, love for one another, love for those the Lord places in our path, and even love for those who oppose us, whether knowingly or unknowingly. We can look at each encounter with another person, whether that person is receptive or not, or even adversarial in some way, as an opportunity to show the Lord’s love to someone who desperately needs Him, even if they seem to be turning away from Him and His love.
There are countless testimonies throughout the Bible and from great missionaries of the past of people witnessed to in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Souls have been led to Jesus and people’s lives have been changed forever by the testimony of love given in the midst of adversity or rejection. The Lord specializes in using those moments when you are compelled to stand up for your faith to reach and convict others.
Only Jesus can see deep into the heart of man; only He knows the internal struggle and turmoil that person you’ve come into contact with is facing, the difficulties they are having, the fears that overwhelm them, the sense of loneliness and loss they experience. If you ask Him, He can reveal to you the thoughts and innermost feelings and concerns of that person, and He can tell you how to best reach them, or how to do your part to be a faithful messenger of His truth and love, even if they don’t appear to receive it immediately.
Let’s seize the opportunity, even if it comes in the form of rejection or a challenge, to show the Lord’s love to someone who may never have another chance in this life to experience the Lord’s love. Instead of looking at the difficult situation as a potential negative, why not try to see it as a special setup orchestrated by the Lord to be a witness and to reach people that you would never have reached otherwise?
We will never fully know until heaven how great our impact has been on the lives of those we touch with our witness. It will be so wonderful in that day to see the fruit that was borne through our willingness to “contend for the faith” and to be a witness during times of opposition.2
One of the most important things to do in such cases is to make prayer your first line of defense. Acknowledging the Lord and interceding desperately in prayer makes it possible for Him to work in the situation and bring about His perfect plan, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Even if you’re in the middle of a difficult situation and you can’t stop everything for a prayer meeting, you can always be praying on your feet and committing every detail to the Lord.
Of course, the best way to be prepared for opposition and challenges to our faith is through studying the Word and doing your best to live it. If your faith is firmly grounded in His Word, and you are prepared to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you with gentleness and respect,”3 you will have the answers you need for any situation. The Lord will speak to your heart and give you the answers, even when you feel unprepared or unsure of what to say. “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.”4
Let’s be willing to reason and present our beliefs to people with patience and love, while respecting the fact that it may take them time to understand these beliefs, assimilate them, and accept them. Often, people are just waiting to be convinced of the truth, or to reach a point of understanding. We also need to accept that there may be certain aspects of our beliefs that some people may never reach a point of understanding or adopting in this life.
An opportunity to contend for our faith can result in an opportunity to win souls with the truth. If someone challenges your faith, you can ask the Lord to help you to rise to the occasion—to help the person to understand and receive the truth, or to at least take on a more balanced view or favorable impression of what you stand for. There are no impossibilities for the Lord, and He’s willing to perform the miracle of turning people’s hearts around and bringing them to Him. So don’t miss that golden opportunity to be an instrument of His love in the life of someone who has not had the chance to hear or believe.
But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? … That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.—Romans 10:14–175
*
There is no one-size-fits-all formula for managing opposition and challenges to your faith. If you study the Gospels and the times when I received opposition, you will see that I didn’t handle all situations in the same way.
Sometimes I spoke a parable in addressing those who were opposing My mission. At other times, I would give them a question to ponder, in the hope that they would come to an understanding and the right conclusion on the matter. At yet other times, I would contend for the faith directly and state My position in a straightforward manner. Sometimes I even answered with My actions and without words.
My eyes were upon My Father, and I knew that He would not fail to give Me the answers when I called upon Him. So it will be for you. Having a calm and trusting spirit—which comes from your faith—will help you to maintain your perspective and help you to see the situation for what it is. Keep your eyes on Me and don’t allow the waves of the situation to rock your boat. I’m in charge of the winds and the waves in every situation that you face, and keeping that knowledge ever before you will maintain your perspective and equilibrium, to see the situation for what it is.
Your faith in Me and My ability to not only bring you through adversity and opposition, but to cause it to work together for your good, is vital to walking by faith, and not by sight. Any time challenges and difficulty come your way, you can plant your feet upon the Rock and your faith will not fail you, nor will your feet be moved, because you will be trusting in Me and My perfect power to work every situation to your good.
—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach.—2 Timothy 4:26
Originally published June 2009. Adapted and republished January 2014.
Read by Debra Lee.
1 NLT.
2 Jude 3.
3 1 Peter 3:15 ESV.
4 Matthew 10:20.
5 NLT.
6 GW.
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