“…then say to Pharaoh, ‘this is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.” Exodus 4:23 (NIV)
When persecution comes, especially from non-believers, one of the first things on the minds of most Christians is, “Do something Lord; don’t let them go scot-free.” And if nothing happens immediately, it’s as though God is slow to act or is asleep. But that isn’t the case. In the opening scripture, we see that God is able to act if and when He wants to. But when He decides not to, it is not because He is incapable. At every point in time, God tries to be patient with our persecutors hoping that they would change. But a lot of people seem to be taking God’s patience as an inability to respond or defend Himself, or even defend His children. But this is a wrong notion. The God we serve is more than able to stand for His church; He is able to respond to the outcry of His children. “But why do Christians have to suffer so many things at the hands of non-believers? Why does God exercise a lot of patience and allow His children to suffer while He waits?” you might ask.
Most times, God doesn’t act too quickly, in order to give the offender a chance to repent. We have also been told in the scriptures that we will suffer persecution for the Name of Christ. An example was Paul who persecuted the church of Jesus Christ; He derived pleasure from killing Christians. But one day, he encountered Jesus Christ, and was reborn. In this case, if God had acted immediately while Paul was persecuting the church, he would never have been won into the kingdom and neither would he have written most of the books that make up the New Testament. It is God’s love for man that restrains Him from acting immediately; not a weakness or inability to perform. This is the reason you see that Christians are being oppressed all around the world. But rest in His love and patience. God bless you!
TODAY’S RHEMA
God is not slow to act, He is just too loving and wants everyone to repent.
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY
Father, I thank you for your loving kindness. I thank you for this love that you show to every one of us. Even when we make mistakes, you love us. Father, make me to be more like you, so that I will be able to stay patient and not act quickly when offended.
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