Jesus Said: Be Wise and Harmless
12.26.07
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." (Matthew 10:16-20)
It is no surprise that when a person accepts Jesus into their lives that they will face opposition in some way, shape, or form, in fact the closer we get to Him the worse things seem to get. Have you ever noticed the expressions or reactions of the wolves who try to tear us apart? In reality, they know we speak the truth and see Jesus' reflection in us. They live in denial, fear, and are miserable and lost so the only way they know how to act is the way they feel.
In the above verses Jesus tells us that we are to be wise and harmless, yet cautious toward those who punish us. Yes, they will try to bring us down to their level of hate, bitterness, and strife towards one another, but no matter what oppostion we face we have a great and mighty God that can get us through it. One that will help us endure all the pain and suffering from those who are lost.
The greatest thing of all is that He is with you through it all, God will comfort you and even tell you what needs to be said and done. Have no fear for He is near. I will tell you that when I accepted Jesus into my life I faced this same opposition, I had people criticizing me and gossiping about me, even my own father believed the rumors. I was losing everything I owned, not to mention the people in my life. I just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide from life all together. Then God pulled me up out of that ditch and said "Wake Up! This is not who I made you to be!" At that moment He led me to the book of Job and the second I began reading I knew that God was speaking to me and that He was real.
Everything that I was going through related to what I was reading. I read that entire book and asked God to forgive me and them and vowed that I would not be controlled by those who hurt me. Of course some days are not easy, I still face lots of opposition, but I tell you what knowing that Jesus is always with me gives me the peace and comfort I need to endure anything that comes my way. I am blessed because I have the power and grace of our Lord leading me to great things. And yes, Jesus will do the same for you as well, all you have to do is hand all your struggles over to Him. I also reccommend that you to read Job, it will help you understand and teach you how to endure those who oppose you.
God Bless
