I have experienced a lot of hatred and animosity for my faith in Jesus Christ, and some people become irritated because of my love for Him.
As I write this devotion, I have dealt with some rather impatient and not-so-friendly people inside and outside the church who didn’t particularly like me engaging with the church or talking about Jesus. I encountered people who passive-aggressively hinted that they didn’t want me there and didn’t like me talking about Jesus. I felt discouragement, animosity, and even competition when I tried to talk about theological topics.
However, as I considered how to deal with this opposition and the cost of following Jesus, I remembered that Jesus warned how the world would hate us because it hated Him long before it hated us. People will hate those who preach the truth because they prefer the comfort of a lie over the truth.
The world—in its sinful rebellion, pride, and selfish ambition—hates Christ and anyone who exposes its sin and proclaims Christ is the only way to heaven. As such, we should expect persecution, animosity, and hatred from those outside the church, carnal Christians, and wolves in sheep’s clothing who only want to use the gospel for their selfish and covetous purposes.
If you are under attack because of your love for Jesus or your passion for bringing the gospel in a sound and biblical way, don’t be surprised. You are facing spiritual warfare. Christ foretold these persecutions and sorrows, but be encouraged. Christ has already overcome the world.
Jordan Zuniga is an emerging Christian poet, devotional writer, and fiction writer. He has multiple pieces published by Christian Devotions, Calla Press, Agape Review, and other publications. He is actively seeking representation from a literary agent. If you enjoy his work on Christian Devotions and would like to support his efforts, please follow him on Instagram @cccreativewriter.