HOW TO HANDLE OPPOSITION TO GOD’S WORK

April 14, 2021

Saul also went to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. But certain worthless men said, “How can this one deliver us?” And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent. (1 Samuel 10:26-27)

In this current world, there are forces of good and evil. Those who are in line with God’s will and plan and those who are not. This explains almost everything. It is why we can almost certainly expect opposition even when we are doing the right thing.

GOD’S CHOICE AND MAN’S RESISTANCE

God had chosen and anointed Saul to become the first King of Israel. There were a group of men who immediately aligned themselves in support of Saul. Scriptures call these “valiant men whose hearts God had touched.” These are the kind of faithful men that can advance God’s kingdom and are a leader’s greatest asset.

But there were also (as there almost always are) a group of “worthless men.” The term is actually “sons of Belial,” which means that they were sons of the Devil. Paul used the same term in 2 Corinthians 6:15, which references those in direct opposition to God and His ways. Those who are sons of God’s greatest enemy, the Devil.

OUR RESPONSE

There are times when such men must be directly responded to, but in 1 Samuel 10, Saul took a wise, first approach as these men are mentioned. “But he (Saul) kept silent.” In other words, Saul realized this was not his battle to fight yet.

Some men believe that every bit of opposition is a call to direct, immediate battle. Every minor issue becomes major. These men often spend their whole lives fighting others, often over inconsequential issues.

When godless men and forces oppose us, our approach should be to pray and move forward with God’s agenda. Let the advance of God and His purposes grow in such ways that it overcomes the enemy without a battle. There are times when godless men will not be quiet and are directly hindering God’s work and must be addressed. But until then, let the power of God’s work fill up the available space and silence the objectors. Let good overcome evil naturally. God will always win the day.

Father, give me the wisdom to understand those who oppose You. Let me not take it personally or strike out to defend myself. Let me courageously and faithfully follow You and let You take care of the enemies that may come. Thank you that “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.”

 

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