“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.
© 2026 STEPS 2 Success With Spiritual Solutions Ministry
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