February 22

To be a believer in Christ is almost to assure that one has enemies. Yes, enemies. We would like to believe that because we have His grace and His love and His truth and His Holy Spirit that our lives would be a sweet fragrance to those around us, that they would be drawn to us and hold us in esteem.

The reality is sometimes far from that. Those of us who are blessed to live in ‘the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave’ may not endure the full burnt of the negative attitude of unbelievers as do people in Moslem lands, for example, but there are subtle forms of persecution here, too.

Being considered of lesser intelligence, being mocked for ‘clinging to guns and religion’ instead of embracing the program—to mention just a couple well-known accusations against people of faith in Christ—may make those who call His name wary of the future, unsure of when to speak and when to be silent in order to avert mockery or even overt persecution.

But, we are heartened when we read Psalm 18:3 which says, “I will call upon the Lord who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” This short passage at once affirms that He is worthy to be praised no matter our circumstances and that He will save us from anyone who would harm us because we love and praise Him! We are assured that we ‘have it all!’