The Promise of Persecution
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjmbyv-hCFFrYkJablC_-Er9d5pbMho9cBzN6B_Km_qC81jjCEaM_UarSTMtQLdBvrwc_gpcvIrBWZOnaT3aWAng8IcVMsqTZ43cAwMsKpZtlUiruge5-H1HJf_dw7jRZ40dEKWEo74FQwGj52ygfwXd_CgFOdAZZ6tbjzaphHTwnm52hrUXowrS4C2w/w288-h400/NewsweekChristianPersecution.jpg)
Leonard Ravenhill said, “You can’t develop character by reading books. You develop it from conflict.” God doesn’t bring calamity into our lives. However, He sometimes allows challenging situations to manifest so we develop a greater trust in Him and become more Christ-like. 2 Timothy 3:12 promises, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” If you are living for the Lord, then you should expect people to occasionally call you names like “religious fanatic”, “Bible thumper”, and “Jesus freak.” (My brother-in-law thanks people who call him the latter). Unfortunately, some believers who are not grounded in the word of God will draw back when persecuted. Jesus said in Mark 4:17, “And they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” How should a Christian respond to persecution? Our natural human tendency is to answer likewise when people