Christian persecution – Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions

Jesus’ Spiritual Encouragement and Comfort For His Followers Facing The Fiery Trials of Persecution and Hatred

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18).

When Joshua and the nation of Israel were facing their enemies in Jericho: Yeshua, The Commander of Angel Armies, said these words to Joshua: “Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.'” (Joshua 6:2, NIV).

“Who then is able to stand against ME? Everything under Heaven is Mine. (Job 41:10-11).

For those of us who are experiencing persecution, be encouraged! Jesus tells us that He has already given us the victory.

Jesus sees time as Eternal, so He already knows the final outcome of every fiery trial that we face. Remain courageous!

“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the LORD! (Psalm 27:14).

Our responsibility is to use our faith to wait, trusting His Sovereign Authority and Power, by totally depending on Jesus to Fight All of Our Battles.

“There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:30).

jesus, Our Mighty Warrior has already won our battle for us and that is the mindset that we must possess as we endure and persevere through the fiery trials of persecution.

Personal Testimony: Recently a very interesting video appeared in my YouTube feed: Nigerian Christians are enduring active persecution that involved the burning and destruction of their homes along with the loss of all their personal possessions.

Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ and their children are currently in a displaced community living in small tents.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7).

Despite their overwhelming circumstances, they appeared peaceful, happy, and were singing and praising God.

The reason that God allowed me to watch this video: Because of my Christian beliefs, I am facing open hatred from my property manager in the complex where I live.

And yes, I did report her verbal offenses to the corporate office, who have reiterated professional boundaries; yet, for believers who have endured open dislike and hatred, we know that people can communicate hatred in the tone of their voice and demeanor.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Dealing with persecution and open hatred is one of the toughest trials that we will ever experience in our Christian Journey with Jesus; yet, Jesus gives us peace, comfort, and strength when we consistently ask for His Help.

The Love of Christ Constrains Our Responses

“For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake.” (2 Corinthians:14- 15, Amplified Bible).

“The Spiritual death of dying to self means the total surrender of our human will, pride, and selfish inclinations to God so that Christ can live and work through us.”

“We can come to Jesus just as we are, but we cannot stay that way.”

Spiritual Transformation is accomplished through fiery trials resulting in the Holy Spirit purging [spiritual cleansing] us from the sinful dross of unrighteous thoughts, spoken words, habits, and lifestyles.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12, NIV).

The Fruit of the Spirit represents Jesus’ Righteous Character Attributes: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV).

The Righteous Character of Christ is our Righteous Standard. Through the Power of the Holy Spirit, daily, our mind, character, and personality are Sanctified and Spiritually Transformed, which requires total surrender, humility, faithful obedience, and self-control.

There are requisites to receive Spiritual Transformation: The Holy Spirit cannot change us without our cooperation and active participation:

“Jesus said to him, ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”” (Matthew 22:37-39).

1. We must possess a heart overflowing with love for God and humanity.

“Pray continuously.” (1Thessalonians 5:17).

2. We pray, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal our unrighteous character traits.

“If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness” [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]. (1 John 1:9 Amplified Bible).

3. We acknowledge and verbalize our unholy traits with a prayer of confession and repentance.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10, ESV).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7, ESV).

4. Every day, we pray a Prayer of Surrender asking for God’s Divine Strength to overcome, and use our spiritual gift of “self-control” to fight against hereditary tendencies and learned behaviors.

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV).

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV).

5. When experiencing open hatred, we must pray throughout our waking hours, asking Jesus to give us the strength to endure.

Jesus’ Promise: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, ESV).

Pray every hour! The Holy Spirit responds by empowering us with Jesus’ Supernatural Strength, giving us His Divine Joy and Peace while we are enduring our hardships.

12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [c]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Core Christian Principles for Responding to Hatred

“Recognize the Spiritual Source: Hatred and revenge originate from Satan, who uses slights, gestures, or harsh intonations to provoke bitterness in the human heart; recognizing this helps prevent you from taking the bait.”

“Handling open hatred and hostility from another person requires rejecting retaliation, holding fast to Christ by faith, and responding with quiet self-control rather than bitterness.”

Refuse Retaliation: Jesus did not threaten or retaliate when reviled and abused; believers are instructed to follow His pattern and prefer to suffer wrongfully rather than vent wrath or seek self-defense.

Exercise the Power of Silence: Meeting angry or hateful words with a sharp reply acts like a whip that stirs up greater fury, whereas remaining silent and silencing the tongue allows anger to quickly die away.

Purge Bitterness from the Soul: Clinging to resentment, malice, or a desire for revenge opens the heart to Satan and destroys harmony with God. True Christian character replaces hatred with kindness through Divine Grace.

Maintain Love and Forbearance: Even when facing false reports, jealousy, or mistreatment, Christians are called to avoid fault finding, remembering that God exercises tenderness and forbearance toward human defects.

Hold to Christ by Faith: Human strength alone cannot withstand open hostility; you must unite human weakness with divine strength through prayer and faith in Jesus Christ.

Check Your Own Spirit: Guard against embracing wrath or magnifying grievances, and resist the temptation to gloat or rejoice if an enemy stumbles or falls.

The New Living Translation: “Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” (2 Corinthians: 14-15, NLT).

Lord Jesus, we know that Your earthly life was filled with religious enemies, who hated You because You were Righteous, revealing God’s Love for all humanity, whether poor or wealthy.

You gave hope through your Sermons and Parables, giving spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical healing to the multitudes. You explained that You were the Way, the Truth, and the Life to Heaven.

Jesus, you exposed the evil traits of self-righteousness, pride, prejudice, oppression, and greed residing in the hearts of the religious leaders: And you were hated and repaid with suffering a criminal’s death of crucifixion on Calvary’s Cross. Yet, we thank You for the Cross and for giving Your Life to save our souls.

LORD, we also pray an Intercessory prayer for all Christian believers, globally, who are experiencing persecution, including myself. Jesus, it is a privilege to suffer for You. We ask for the Blessings of Strength, Guidance, Wisdom, and Your presence in our lives.

Thank You for Your Promises of never leaving or abandoning us. Thank You for providing our necessities, and giving us Your Divine Peace that comforts our hearts, and redirects our faith and focus to You instead of our circumstances.

Jesus, we love You! Thank You for Your never-failing Faithfulness, and in faith, we ask this prayer for continuous Mercies in Your Loving and Righteous Name, Amen.

Pavel Goia: Communism Couldn’t Stop Me From Keeping the Sabbath

Praying For Others Also Blesses Us

“Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].” (Galatians 6:2, Amplified Bible).

This morning I watched a video short of a sermon regarding believers who are discouraged and overwhelmed from life’s neverending challenges.

The pastor asked several questions and I responded, Yes, to all of the questions. But as I meditated on my current life, I could not identify the reason for my fluctuating emotions.

“He reveals deep and hidden things…” (Daniel 2:22). I prayed for an answer and within a couple of minutes, I had my answer.

From having daily worship, I recognize how the Holy Spirit usually speaks to me, through my thoughts. Jesus always meets us where we are in our spiritual walk with Him by giving us answers that we can understand.

I was reminded of a young man on Instagram who has been blessed with a powerful spiritual gift of Prayer. Yes, if you hear his genuine prayers of love, praise, and appreciation for God, it makes you question your love and loyalty to God.

But after praising God for His goodness, the Prayer Warrior changes his focus from God to himself; the rest of his prayers are always self-directed; Not once in his countless reels does he pray for his family and friends, or other believers.

The Holy Spirit revealed to me that my prayers are also Me-Focused. As I reflected on the content of my prayers, I realized 95% of my prayers are about me.

Although I pray for my family and other believers, my words are too generic. For example, “Lord, I ask you to bless my family and the global family of believers with Your peace, and keep them safe.”

Reflection: Is it possible that you are also praying “Me-focused” prayers?

We face a daily battle against the desires of our innately selfish hearts. And we live in an atmosphere that is overwhelmed by worldviews always promoting self-gratification.

Our prayers reflect the true condition of our hearts. If we are praying for material possessions, the acquisition of wealth, or relationships, although our prayers are genuine, we are not praying according to God’s Will.

Jesus told us to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT).

Our spiritual needs are a priority: We should ask for a pure heart, a closer relationship with Christ, and for our character to reflect the Fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5:22-24].

My favorite Christian writer states:

“Praying only for oneself leads to spiritual stagnation and misses the purpose of prayer, which is to bring us into harmony with God, not just to change circumstances. True prayer should include intercession for others; when we pray only for ourselves, we are likely to…find our prayers unanswered.”

The Apostle Paul gives us examples of how we should pray Intercessory Prayers for other believers: Colossians 1:9-12, NIV:

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way…”

“bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” [Amen].

The apostle Paul’s prayer is a spiritual template, which teaches us how to pray with genuine concern, addressing the specific needs of other believers. When we accept Christ, we become part of the Family of God.

Religious Liberty Is one of our greatest blessings that many believers do not have.

“According to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, over 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination in the top 50 countries alone.”

“Most Dangerous Nations (2026): Top countries include North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Nigeria, and Pakistan.” Open Doors 2026 World Watch List

“When God’s people are struck down, attacked and even killed…what responsibility do we have as their brothers and sisters?” Open Doors 2026 World Watch List

Yes, we have the freedom to ask God to supply our needs, yet, we are to esteem others above ourselves, especially those who are suffering for Christ.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV): “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

To remain anchored in our relationship with Jesus Christ, our hearts must overflow with Jesus’ Love and Compassion, especially for our brothers and sisters in the Family of God.

Praying for others touches God’s heart. It is the Holy Spirit who gives comfort and courage to those who are suffering. Every day, we should pray asking for all believers to be strengthened by the power of Jesus Christ.

To remain courageous when you are being persecuted requires a level of faith that many of us know nothing about.

According to statistics there are approximately 2.6 billion Christians, can you imagine if all of us started praying for the power of God to intervene for our persecuted brothers and sisters?

In Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost proves the prayers of the righteous moves God to act and perform miracles that we cannot imagine.

Certainly, we should also pray for unbelievers, our country’s leaders, those who are oppressed, unhoused, impoverished, and even Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies.

What can we expect from praying for others?

“Consistent Intercessory Prayer: Strengthens Our Own Faith; Encourages Perseverance; Cultivates Empathy; and Strengthens Our Own Faith:”

“Intercessory prayer connects humanity to God’s throne, aligns us with Christ’s work of Intercession, and ensures our own hearts become more fervent, earnest, and aligned with Divine Grace.”

Our willingness to intercede for others invites Christ to empower us with His Righteous attributes of unconditional love, humility, and compassion.

Praying for others also enables us to develop kindness and the willingness to extend mercy to others even when they are wrong.

Who would think that praying Intercessory prayers would have such a profound impact on our spiritual awareness, growth, and transformation?

In John Chapter 17, Jesus Prayed for All Future Believers: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see my glory that you have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

“O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that you have sent Me. I made known to them Your Name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:20-21, 24-26, ESV). [Amen].

Lord God, we thank You for teaching us that our love and prayers must extend beyond our family and friends. We ask forgiveness for praying too many self-directed prayers. Lord, help us to see others through spiritual eyes. We pray for our unbelieving family and friends that they will accept your free gift of Salvation. We know that we are living in the Last Days and many Christians are suffering persecution and losing their lives because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Lord, in faith, we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen our brothers and sisters, who are boldly proclaiming their love for You, despite the outcome. At this time, we intercede for all of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, praying for their hearts to be filled with love and compassion for one another. In Ezekiel 36, you promised to change our stony hearts into hearts of flesh filled with Your Agape Love. God, we ask You to give us pure hearts filled with faith, abundant love, and compassion. In faith and with humility, we ask and thank You for answering our Intercessory prayer that we ask in Jesus’ Loving and Righteous Name, Amen.