Those who don't know the love of God often interpret His love and our love as hate because of their willfulness.
When a person's way of thinking causes them to be offended when truth meets their lie, they have disordered thinking that is influenced by the devil.
The devil wants everyone to think God did them wrong. That God only has evil in mind for them. This was what the devil did with Eve in the garden of Eden. He argued that God was mean for withholding the truth from her so that she would disobey Him.
It worked and not only did Eve listen to the devil she influenced her husband to do the same.
We live in a world right now that is controlled by the devil. He is busy causing unbelievers to hate believers for telling the truth with the intention of saving their souls.
We want the best for the unsaved, the beauty of what we found in Christ so that they can spend eternity with Him and with us. Our desire is like that of Christ, "that all would come to a saving knowledge of Christ."
Those who have willful stubborn hearts will deliberately interpret our efforts to lead them to Christ as evil.
Isaiah 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that count darkness as light, and light as darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
"Woe" in this passage is a very strong word of condemnation. It is not merely an expression of dismay as so many might think.
Christ did only perfect good for His 33 years on earth and yet mankind murdered Him claiming He was doing His deeds by the power of the devil. It was the religious leaders who were the worst. They feared their loss of power over the people.
We are seeing the same thing in our day. Many people want power over others and are angry when they cannot influence the born-again believer to come along with them.
HOWEVER, mankind meant what they did for evil but God meant what they did for good. They murdered Christ He became the sacrifice for our sins, paying for every last one so that we could be counted righteous because of Him.
Only those who believe Him and trust Him will receive this amazing salvation and the inheritance He provided for all who will believe in Him.
Never be intimidated by rejection for acting in the power of the Holy Spirit. The reaction to us is God's business, we are His messengers, our job is to obey Him and leave all the consequences to Him.
If the consequences of speaking the truth and showing our love are ugly that has nothing to do with us, God sees it and will take care of it.
All but one of the apostles was martyred for their faith, why would we think there wouldn't be the same hatred for us.
Matthew 10:22-24
"22 And you will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved."
23 “But whenever they persecute you in [a]one city, flee to the [b]next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes."
All those who have been changed into a new creation by Christ will endure to the end. Those who do not endure do not because they were never born-again.
1 John 2:18-20
"18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know."
Our job is to love Christ and to love our neighbor, everything else is left to Christ.
Keep looking up!!!!!
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