Persecution
Is the Badge of God's Acceptance of You
Luke
6:22-23
22
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate
you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your
name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that
day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven:
for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Luke
6:26-28
26
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did
their fathers to the false prophets. 27 But I say unto you which
hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless
them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you.
Genesis
37: 5 - 8
5
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they
hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray
you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding
sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood
upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made
obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou
indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over
us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his
words.
These
words entered into my hearing,
You
are blessed, for men hate you, reproach you, separate you from
their company, and cast out your name as evil for my sake. Your
reward is great in heaven; therefore, rejoice, and leap for joy.
I have consecrated you, and now you have praise in heaven. You
are spoken of in heavenly places, and divine favor has been given
to you. Honor has been bestowed upon you. The persecution against
you is a testimony that you have won approval from above. Man's
disapproval of you and their negative expressions concerning you
are my actions of heavenly ratifications of favor. Many seek the
praises of men. Because you did not bow at the feet of men and
spoke the true word of God given to you, my approval has been
applied to your life. Man's negative expression concerning you
is my endorsement of support on your behalf. Rejoice greatly,
for I have declared, through the lips of your enemies, the endorsement
of a true prophet. If you were a false prophet, then all men would
speak well of you.
You
do not need man's approval to be called by me. Certification in
heaven is not founded on man's opinion of you. The truth of your
calling will be made known in due time, but for now, I do place
the badge of my acceptance upon you, which is rejection by man.
Rise up, and establish your acceptance of your calling with confidence
and rejoicing. Show your respect for my ordination by worthy praises
during this time of denunciation by brethren. The coat of my approval
has been given to you, and you are hated. His brethren hated Joseph
for his dreams and his words. You are also hated for your words.
You are not greater than Joseph. Your master was hated. Leap and
rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer shame for my name.
Man
shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God. You are living the word of God, and I
am living my life out through you. This is a personal relationship
with me. Continue to record the testimonies of your life with
me. You have laid up my word in your heart; therefore, it is speaking
to you and in you. Despise not this time of rejection and alienation.
It is a glorious time. Hear the voice of my words, and fall to
the floor in my presence.
(I
fell unto the floor in the presence of the Lord, and he laid his
hand upon me, and he ministered unto me.)
The
voice of the enemy has spoken against you. I do comfort you with
my word and my promises. I am ministering to you by my Spirit
as I lay my hand upon you. You are greatly beloved. Now understand
the words that I speak unto you. Look into the direction that
I am pointing. Behold the line of men before you. Go and stand
in the line with the men, for it is the line of prophets of the
past, present, and the future. You are called to be in the line.
Go, for I have sent you. Open your mouth, and I will touch your
tongue again with my finger. Your tongue shall now speak my word
boldly. The finger of God shall cast out devils as you speak the
words that I shall give unto you. Stand fast in the liberty that
has been granted to you. You are blessed and persecuted for righteousness'
sake; therefore, yours is the kingdom of heaven. Do not despise
the fact that men revile you, persecute you, and say all manner
of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding
glad, for great is your reward in heaven. Everyone in the line
of prophets before you has suffered like persecution and so shall
you and all those in the line after you.
By
Don Grigsby
When
we speak his Word, persecution shall always come because of the
Word. We are not the vortex of the storm of resistance. Believers
should never take trials or persecution as some personal attack.
God is the source of the Word and the center of the conflict.
Satan hates the Word, so he will use every one available to him
to argue, debate, and contradict the directives of the Spirit.
We are blessed when we are persecuted because it gives us a window
into our soul. It has been said that only when we have been lied
on and spoken evil of that the real person steps to the front
of our lives. God has placed his approval on us when he allows
persecution to come our way because he trusts us to stand and
maintain a good spirit in the midst of confrontation and even
abandonment. At the last, the great Apostle Paul stated that all
men had forsaken him. He knew if the Lord stood with him it didn't
matter who left him.
Prophets
were rejected, hunted like animals, put in prison, laughed at,
and mocked. We should consider ourselves in good company. God
has always made his words to stand on the pages of history as
burning light of truth. Darkness will always try to extinguish
that light but will never succeed. God recently spoke to me and
said, Howling winds of resistance will sting your face and try
to dry your mouth of the living Word I have placed there. Shafts
of pain will try to pierce your heart with sorrow so that rivers
of tears will run down your faith. I will turn your tears into
living streams of compassion. It will flood the citadels of misunderstanding
with the power of deliverance. I will lift you above the stubborn
negativity that is the place my power would be revealed. You will
see the fulfillment of my precious words that will reveal the
destruction of the walls built against the progress of my grace
and power.
1
Timothy 1:18
This
charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies
which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good
warfare;
