"This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous."
1John 3:11-12

Have you ever felt that someone has attacked you for no good reason? That they have decided that you have committed some imagined evil against them and you find yourself apologizing for whatever you did that has made them feel bad. Then, later, you find that you resent the fact that you‘ve apologized at all.

Seems kind of unfair doesn’t it? It IS unfair. But, relax because it’s very normal in the life of a Christian who loves Christ. When you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, you enter into a spiritual warfare. You become a target for those who are not saved, or are pretending to play the “saved” game to attack and to “prove” to others that you are not what you seem.

"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death."
1John 3:13-14

In Jesus’ own words He confirms that being Christian is no bed of roses. Anyone who says it will be is deceiving you. They are posers and scoffers. They decide what parts of Jesus’ teaching they are going to live and which they are not. It’s like they have written their own gospel and preach and live according to their own teachings. They tend to look down on others who don’t accept them or their false doctrine.

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who are the children of God and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
1John 3:8-10

What kind of love should we practice then? This kind of love is not the “oh-it’s-ok-I-will-forget-that-you-did-that-and-we-can-pretend-that-we-are-still-both-good-Christians.” No, the kind of love that John is talking about is the kind that recognizes that God desires that none should perish but that all would come to him. He created us all and many have wandered far away, wanting to live in the lies of the world instead of in the light of the Lord. These kind of people sit next to you in church, they teach your children, they are the principal of the school and the butcher behind the counter at your neighborhood store. They only posses a “Church-face” that they put on for the community, they are not receivers of the free gift of salvation from Christ.

The weapons we have to use against attacks and false accusations from these people is prayer. We can demonstrate our love for them by praying that the scales would fall from their eyes. My greatest hope is that I would see the people who have treated me mean in heaven. Don’t go looking for a fight, but don’t back down either. We are called to be soldiers in Christ’s Army fighting the good fight for His cause at all times.
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
2Timothy 3:1-5

Notice that Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to "just let it go they’ll come around, the most important thing is that they like you, after all they have a lot of money and can contribute to your ministry and then you‘ll be popular…" No, Paul says "Have nothing to do with them." In fact, Paul goes on:

"For the time will come when men ( and women) will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2Timothy 4:3-7

Paul reminds Timothy that these people exist and that God will deal with them. He describes exactly the kind of thing we find in most of our churches today. That luke-warm approach to the salvation we have received. Our salvation has released us from the bondage of darkness and set us free to live in the light. We are free and there’s nothing anyone can do to reverse it. Those scoffers and pretenders will do their best to convince us that it’s ok to lie and it’s ok to look at porn and that no one will know because everyone does it. Don’t think of it as sinning, even the pastor does it, so go ahead and swear up a storm, I won’t tell anyone.

Beware of these people who think that sin is ok, they are the deceivers and they are deceived. Stay close to the Lord and the Word of God. Cultivate the relationship with Jesus. Make it so there’s no room in your heart for the things of the world. Fill your life and your heart with God’s will. It’s revolutionary thinking, I know, but it’s life changing and heart renewing. There’s nothing else that compares to being on fire for God and giving your life up for His sake, after all, He already did it for you. Remember the words of Paul to Timothy, his life was being "poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Being righteous is offensive to those who are not, don’t compromise your salvation for the acceptance of false Christians, continue to stand up for what you know is right.
"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day - and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
2Timothy 4:8

God will reward those who are not led away from righteousness by the deception of the evil one or it’s followers. Strength comes from the Lord, when in doubt or feeling weak and ineffectual, lean on Him and ask Him to intervene. Then sit back and watch the enemy flee.


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