Who’s the Real Source of Opposition?

[Who’s the Real Source of Opposition?]( Current Teaching Series [The Keys to a Blessed Life]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Who’s the Real Source of Opposition?]( By Rick Warren — 05/30/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “Be humble when you correct people who oppose you . . . They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26 (CEV) When you face opposition because of your faith, you need to recognize its source. It’s not other people. It’s not your coworkers. It’s not a political party. It’s not a competitor. The pressure you feel to cave in or be quiet or sit down when you should stand up—that pressure is not coming from other people. It’s really coming from Satan. In Revelation 12:10 Satan is called “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (NIV). In other words, he’s the accuser of the Christians. His number one job is to put you down. There is an unseen spiritual battle going on all around you. This pressure to keep you from doing the right thing is not really coming from other people. They’re just weapons. Most of the time they don’t even know they’re being used. The real issue is spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world” (GNT). Satan knows it’s ineffective to attack Jesus Christ directly, so instead he attacks Jesus’ followers. He uses the media, music, popular culture, and anything he can to ridicule those who belong to Jesus. He’s behind the voices saying, “Those Christians are out of date. They don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re bigots.” Here’s what the Bible says you should do: “Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble, and God’s servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient. Be humble when you correct people who oppose you . . . They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape” (2 Timothy 2:23-26 CEV). If you don’t have the Holy Spirit in your life, then you have no defense against Satan. He can master your moods. He can cause you to be jealous. He can push you toward depression. He can make you angry. You may think you’re strong, but you’re not strong enough to fight Satan’s attacks on your own. What you need to do is recognize the source—the Devil, not the person—and treat the opposition the way Jesus did. How did Jesus treat those who opposed him? Even on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34 GW). The people who attack you don’t know what they’re doing. The people who put down Jesus and church and Christianity don’t know what they’re doing. Just like Jesus, you need to pray, “Father, forgive them” so that you can show love even under attack. Then you’ll have more energy to fight the real enemy. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - If Satan is behind people’s wrong actions, why are they still held accountable by God for what they do? - What is the effect on you physically, emotionally, and spiritually when you are able to forgive your enemies? - What are your areas of weakness that Satan attacks most easily? Ask God to grow your faith in those areas and give you strength to stand firm. The post [Who’s the Real Source of Opposition?]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get The Keys to a Blessed Life Scripture Cards when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Keep God’s Word close at hand—especially when you need it most—with Pastor Rick’s The Keys to a Blessed Life Scripture cards. This set of 52 artfully designed Scripture cards contains key verses from Pastor Rick’s The Keys to a Blessed Life teaching series and points you toward the hopeful and purpose-filled life God has planned for you. Featuring bright and refreshing artwork with gold foil designs, The Keys to a Blessed Life Scripture cards are designed to help you build a life filled with God’s blessings—and they’re our thanks for your gift below to help share the hope of Jesus Christ with people around the world through Daily Hope. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Keys to a Blessed Life. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: It Depends on Who You Depend On Message 2: How God Blesses Broken Hearts Message 3: The Strength of Gentleness Message 4: Why You Need to Stay Hungry Message 5: Your Ministry of Mercy Message 6: God Blesses a Heart of Integrity Message 7: How to Reconcile a Relationship Message 8: Handling Opposition to Your Faith [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States