"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me"
How do you know when your faith is strong enough -- when you are willing to put God and His reputation ahead of your own?
There is a powerful transformation that takes place when you are persecuted not just for righteousness but for God. When you identify with God in Christ and are insulted for this action, then a powerful identification and connection with God is made. When God's name and God's honor are more important to you than your own personal peace, comfort, or reputation, then your faith has become the proper dominant force in your life.
On the other hand, when you keep your own honor -- your own comfort -- first and foremost in your life, you are really saying something about who is the god of your life. Especially as we live in a pluralistic society there will be people who are offended at those who have a strong belief in Christ and in God. In order for their morally disordered world to exist, there must be no God who could hold them accountable for their actions. When we identify with the Living God to the degree that we become the embodiment of His morality and His identity in the world, people who don't want Him to exist will insult you and persecute you and falsely accuse you of evil. You are blocking them from the life they want to lead.
One of the interesting things about developing a mature faith that is willing to be persecuted and insulted is that you must just make a decision that you will uphold God's honor whether your faith is strong enough to handle the insults yet or not. You get stronger by enduring the insults of identifying with God when you are not strong. In other words, don't wait until you have all the answers or you feel that you are strong enough to handle the persecution. Stand with God and you will get stronger. You will also get a blessing that this level of identification brings.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz