Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. (Psalm 119:157)

No Excuse

The righteous will always suffer at the hands of the unrighteous. Evil and goodness cannot dwell together without conflict because they are opposed in every respect. God’s faithful have always suffered from slights, prejudice, misunderstanding, and falsehood. Persecution is a common trait. People of God stand alone in a dark world seeking the glory of God against those who seek carnal glory. Conflict is inevitable. Trials and troubles are the common lot of those who desire to live godly in a corrupt world. Satan successfully tempts some to abandon their trust in God when faced with persecution. They fall to the wiles of the devil to deny the Lord. Only the strong in faith will stand against the pattern of abuse and persecution leveled against the righteous because they are rooted in the word of God.

There are many reasons given why some abandon their faith. They blame the church, the preacher, unkind brethren, society, and even God. Faced with trials for their faith, some cower down to turn away from God’s love. The trials of life become too severe, and they quit. Their lives become stories of eternal tragedy as they blame the hardship of serving Christ for their lack of faith. An unknown psalmist clarified the reaction of the faithful when faced with persecution when he boldly declared that he had many persecutors and enemies, but he refused to turn away from the word of God. His heart was firmly planted in the will of God. The number of persecutors was many. He had numerous enemies. This would seem to be a daunting task to maintain faith in the face of such odds. His resolve was firm. He would not deny God.

Faith grows from the seeds of God’s word. The more the heart pours into the testimonies of the Lord, the greater the firmness to remain rooted and grounded in truth. Even when enemies abound, faith remains secure. Faced with persecution, faith continues to be resolved with the trust in God’s word. This all comes from dwelling in the testimonies of the Lord. God’s word is the foundation that protects against the devil’s attacks. There is no excuse to allow the trials of life to destroy faith. If a man remains constant in the world of God, he will not abandon God. Even if there are many persecutors and many enemies, no one has an excuse to turn away from God. How many enemies did Jesus have when they killed Him, but He remained faithful?

There will be no excuses on the final day. No one can stand before the Lord and blame people who persecuted them for why they gave up their faith. There will be no excuses for the things enemies did to the Christian, explaining why they turned away from God. Yes, there will be those who oppose the faithful, but the faithful will remain true to the word of God. The testimony of the Lord is the foundation of faith. Stand firm in the word of God. No excuses.