There was a plot to kill Jeremiah, the great prophet of God! I’m not kidding! I never noticed this before. Some men were making plans against him. Jeremiah knew nothing of it until the LORD showed him their plan [Jeremiah 11:18 – All quotes from the NCV].
Ultimately, these men threatened Jeremiah: “Don’t prophesy in the name of the LORD, or we will kill you!” [v.21]
After informing Jeremiah of this secret plan, God spoke directly about the evil men who were planning to kill Jeremiah, promising to punish them and their city – Anathoth.
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Being an Old Testament prophet was not an easy or pleasant role. Jesus’ anger was ignited when he publicly acknowledged that the Pharisees were the “…children of those who murdered the prophets.” [Matthew 23:31] These prophets were instructed by God to do hard, inconvenient, and embarrassing things:
·
Hosea
was instructed to marry a prostitute who would commit adultery. Then he was
told to get her back from the man she had gone with. [Hosea 1:2; 3:1-5]
·
Ezekiel
was told not to mourn upon the death of his wife! [Ezekiel 24:14-18]
·
Isaiah was told to walk
naked for three years. [Isaiah 20:3]
·
Jeremiah
was forbidden to marry. He was also beaten and imprisoned. [Jeremiah 16:2; 37:15-16]
·
Jonah was cast into a
raging sea, swallowed by a great fish, and forced to live inside of the fish
for 3 days and nights for failing to obey God. [Jonah 1-2]
·
Elijah - Queen Jezebel
sought to kill him. He became so upset, he asked God to take his life. [I Kings 19:1-14]
·
Daniel was thrown into
a den of lions for failing to pray to the king only. [Daniel 6]
You get the
picture!
Read the words of the writer of Hebrews: [11:32-38]
Do I need to give more examples? I do not have time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, received God’s promises, and shut the mouths of lions. They stopped great fires and were saved from being killed with swords. They were weak, and yet were made strong. They were powerful in battle and defeated other armies. Women received their dead relatives raised back to life. Others were tortured and refused to accept their freedom so they could be raised from the dead to a better life. Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were put in chains and thrown into prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in half, and they were killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor, abused, and treated badly. The world was not good enough for them! They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the earth.
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The persecution we face in the United States is mild and minimal. However, there are many in other nations who are suffering greatly because of their faith in Christ. A great way to learn about this is by following THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS at https://www.persecution.com/.
Living and standing for Christ and Christian principles will always be opposed – sometimes harshly. We must be prepared for this opposition by:
- Staying close to Jesus on a daily basis.
- Reading His Word faithfully to keep informed and encouraged.
- Being part of a fellowship of believers where you will be strengthened and supported.
- Listening to God constantly and obeying His leadings!
Jesus spoke clearly and bluntly about this in Mark 10:29-31.
Jesus said, “I tell you the
truth, all those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, mother, father,
children, or farms for me and for the Good News will get more than they left. Here in this world they will
have a hundred times more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and
fields. And with those things, they will also suffer for their belief. But
in this age they will have life forever. Many who are first now will be last in the
future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.”
My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.
WOW! You might want to read that again!
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Lord,
Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world has softened us and weakened us. We think we know what hard times are, but – compared to the world – we live on ‘easy street’!
Help us to be counter-cultural! Help us to avoid the inclination to satisfy all of our wants – simply because we can. Constantly remind us of Your admonitions to care for those who are truly suffering. Help us to open our hearts and our hands to those who are experiencing real persecution!
Be a continuing source of strength and help to those who are losing their hope and running low on inspiration! These are the ones who truly need Your miraculous interventions, O Lord! Deliver them! Rescue them! Heal them! Provide for them! Reward them for their faithfulness!
Encourage genuine, American Christians to be a resource to these suffering servants. Remind us to pray and give and unite our hands to strengthen those with weak hands and feeble knees! Challenge us to use our vast resources to supply their needs!
Awaken us to the reality that You are watching and You know the extent to which we really care! You know our works as well as our hearts. We want to honor and please You, Lord! Awaken us from our sleep and rouse us to be a mighty force for You in our broken world!
For the Kingdom’s sake! Amen.
