When We Are Persecuted

Our Response Makes All the Difference

By Chares F. Stanley

We all want to be respected, accepted, and loved. No one really enjoys conflict, especially when it involves being personally and unfairly attacked. But our reality is that we live in a world with two opposing forces—good and evil—so conflict shouldn’t come as a surprise to us. The apostle Paul was speaking from experience when he wrote to Timothy, a younger pastor he was mentoring, that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus plainly told His disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

Often, it’s when we’re trying to obey God’s leading that we face persecution at work or school—from bosses, teachers, neighbors, peers, or even fellow church members. At times the source of the attack can catch us off guard: someone we thought was our dear friend may suddenly turn around and become our enemy. How would God have us respond to something so painful?

I’ve met people who have truly been persecuted for righteousness’ sake in a way that awes and inspires me. Over the years, God has taught me how to deal with this kind of thing. Every pastor has to at some point.

A year after I came to Atlanta as an associate pastor for First Baptist, the head pastor resigned under enormous pressure from a group that wanted him to leave. I watched this happen and soon realized they wanted to do the same thing to me. They claimed I didn’t have the experience or skill to administrate this fellowship—and my preaching was getting under their skin. They wanted a social club, not a church.

The group wanted me gone, so they accused me of everything imaginable and tried to win anyone they could to their side. They would take people on the committee to dinner and lobby against me—they convinced 21 of the 40 to vote me out. People who once had told me they loved me stopped speaking to me. My heart broke.

Day after day, I’d get on my knees in my prayer room and tell the Lord how desperately I needed Him. I knew He had called me to be at this church, but I felt as if I was in a losing battle. I would say, “God, from what I see, there’s just no way for me to be the pastor of this church.” But in the midst of the conflict—through my hurt and confusion—He showed me how He wanted me to respond to the persecution. I learned five things that changed everything.

1. View whatever comes your way as something God is going to use for His greater purposes (Rom. 8:28). This keeps you from becoming bitter, hostile, or vengeful. When the Lord allows people to touch your life, see them as an instrument—even if they cause you great pain—because He has something bigger in mind that’s completely different from their intent toward you. They are not in control; God is in control. I remember Him saying clearly, “I am engineering all your circumstances for My glory and your good. You’re going to have to trust Me. Don’t try to figure it out. Don’t fight. Don’t defend yourself. Just trust Me.” Those words mean so much to me even now, because no matter what I’ve faced since then, He has always been the same trustworthy, loving Father.

Things got very difficult during that time of conflict. At one point, during a church-business meeting, a man who was part of the core opposition group came up to give a speech about the “damage” I was doing to First Baptist Atlanta. When he was through, he hauled off and backhanded me in the jaw. A dear lady sitting there bolted from her seat and said, “How dare you hit my pastor!” Amazingly, it didn’t even faze me because I had just read Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper.” It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened, because it revealed how out of control the people who hated me were. While there was more opposition to deal with later, that particular group was gone just ten days later.

2. Keep your focus on the Lord, no matter what. If you don’t, you’re going to react. When you stay focused on God, the things Satan uses to paralyze you will lose their power to distract. You will no longer listen to the accusing or false voices around you. In Isaiah 41:10, God reassures us: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you.” Satan amplifies everything that looks like opposition. He wants you to think the situation is worse than it is. That’s why God wants you to focus your mind and heart on Him.

Every Sunday when I’d come to church, I knew there were about 300 people who wanted to get rid of me. One morning, someone filled the entire sanctuary with leaflets speaking against me. So I’d go straight into the prayer room, get on my face, cry out to God, and set my focus on Him. As strange as it sounds, when I would walk back out into the sanctuary, I felt as if everybody just loved me. All the animosity was blotted out by the Father’s love; no matter what my attackers in that group said or did, I felt no resentment or fear. The Lord completely covered me.

One Sunday, I came to the morning service with no sermon. I’d planned out the message for the evening service, but when I began an outline for this one, I sensed God telling me to throw it in the trash and just focus on Him. So there I was with absolutely nothing prepared, and all my “enemies” were sitting there waiting for me to trip up. I opened my Bible and it fell open to Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” I stepped back and for 40 minutes the words poured out of me like a torrential stream. It was as if the Holy Spirit just took over. When I gave the invitation at the end, there were people leaving and others coming down the aisle to get saved or join the church. Later, my opposition accused me of “dropping an atomic bomb” with my sermon. All I could think was, Blame God! That sermon He gave me galvanized the people who supported me. If I hadn’t set my mind on the Lord week after week back in the prayer room, that would not have happened. I could not have done it; I would have been scared to death to walk out there with no sermon.

3. Completely rely upon God’s strength. Conflict, persecution, and spiritual warfare can drain your physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. You wake up thinking about the situation. You go to bed thinking about it. Your “enemies” know you have weaknesses, so they’re looking for the first little sign of fear. And when they see it, they’ll come after you like a herd of stampeding cattle. You may be perfectly right in what you’re standing for. But extreme pressure can cause you to doubt the Lord’s strength in your life. That’s when the Enemy starts to harass you by saying, “He’s not going to protect you. You’re on your own!” You have to resist that kind of thinking and throw yourself on the strength of God.

At this point in my life, I felt I didn’t have anybody but the Lord. I didn’t know who my friends were because they seemed to change every week. But God taught me that I was absolutely, helplessly dependent upon Him, and there wasn’t anything I could do but rely on His strength.

In Psalm 28:7, King David acknowledges the Lord as the only source of his strength and the only defense needed in the face of vicious attack. Again, in Psalm 61:2-4, this battle-hardened warrior eloquently expresses complete dependence: “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.”

4. Recognize that you’re fighting a spiritual battle. It’s important for you to understand the nature of the battle you’re in. Take inventory and ask yourself these questions:

Does this battle have any effect upon the work of God?

Am I in the place where the Lord wants me, doing the job He wants me to do?

Is my stand scriptural, and am I actually doing something God has called me to? Or is my main objective based more on my personal opinion or preference?

What’s at stake if I leave the fight or stay in it—if I win or lose?

How will others be affected by my response to this persecution? . . . by its ultimate outcome?

Am I going to be glorified in this—or will all glory go to God?

Sometimes “winning” doesn’t mean running somebody else out. Rather, it’s being able to endure and keep moving without defending yourself, blasting someone else, or seeking vengeance. Oftentimes, winning is just standing firm (even silently when necessary) so that God’s witness is strengthened. Paul told fellow believers, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:10-12). He didn’t say, “Launch an attack on your enemies!”; he said “Stand firm.” The Lord is the One who fights the battle; your job is to stand firm. Of course, you should be careful not to manipulate circumstances. But if you’re truly in the place where God has called you, then don’t give up—no matter what.

Before we had radar and other communications technology, sailors had little or no warning as to when a storm was coming. But when severe weather came upon them, they would tie themselves to the mast of the ship so the waves that engulfed the deck wouldn’t wash them overboard. This is a perfect example of what God wants us to do in the midst of a spiritual battle. When we’re attached firmly to Him, determined to be unmoved until the storm subsides, we develop such oneness with Him that He has complete freedom to act as He pleases. We don’t have to be afraid. Instead, we rely on the Lord, believing that He’s actually up to something fantastic. And remember, we don’t have to fight by ourselves. God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5 nkjv).

5. Expect to be victorious. We can expect to win every battle God allows in our lives—because of His ultimate sovereignty, not because of our strength, our wisdom, or our experience. Since our heavenly Father is sovereign, He has everything in perfect control. If you choose to believe that you’re a victim of people and circumstances, you are really saying that they have more control over your life than God does. But if you’re walking obediently with the Lord, whatever He allows will eventually be for your good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).

When Paul wrote, “We are more than conquerors,” he was implying that when we come out of the battle, we have more than we did going in (Rom. 8:37). We now have a greater understanding of God, His grace, and His ways, knowing that nothing can change His omnipotence, His absolute wisdom, or His love (vv. 26-39). When you reach that conclusion and truly believe it, you become fully free. If you believe He’s sovereign and have committed yourself to Him, what is there to worry about? Nothing can touch us except what He allows.

That’s why we can expect to “win,” even if a worldly perspective assumes we’re defeated. The world says to manipulate circumstances or run away. But our responsibility is simply to obey and trust our wonderful, loving, sovereign Father to take care of us.

In this four-part series, Dr. Stanley explains how a deep relationship with Christ helps us see the big picture and our place in it.

In Step with God

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