Remember the word that I said unto you. The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me. They will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also (John 15:20 KJV)

If you have read any of my previous blogs. You know that I truly believe that we are living in the last days. The bible warns us that in the last days that perilous times would come. The bible also warns us that wrong will appear to be right and that right will appear to be wrong. Today, we have to look no further than the LGBTQ community. Today, we live in what society likes to call cancel cultural. Which basically means if you don’t support/stand for what I/we believe in then we will cancel you. The LGBTQ seems to the biggest factor in this cancel cultural epidemic. If you don’t bow down to their beliefs that there is nothing wrong with romantic feelings for the same sex. Or if you don’t accept that I was born a man but I am really a woman or vice versa (transgender). Then persecution is sure to come. A few years ago. There was a christian baker who was taken to court over the refusal to bake a wedding cake for a same sex wedding. In fact I believe that it went all the way to the Supreme Courts. Last I read the baker was told that he couldn’t do any wedding cakes at all. Today, I heard about 3000 healthcare workers and an individual doctor suing the Biden administration. Over a forced mandate forcing them to perform sex change operations. Meaning that if they don’t do it. Then they are in danger of losing their jobs. Christians are being forced to either conform to do things that the world is doing it. Go along with it or face persecution whether that’s being taking to court for refusing to perform a service for standing on our beliefs. Or face losing your job for again refusing to go against our beliefs. A well known christian youtuber says all of the time that persecution will come through the government. I am starting to believe that that is true. Jesus warns us in the above scripture that. The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Jesus our saviour of the world. The one who had no sin in him. Faced persecution simply because he convicted. Get this Jesus did not condemn, but he convicted the world of their sins. Remember Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it but rather to save it. (John 3:17). The thing about that is that some people do not want to be convicted of their sins. Conviction brings about a change. Jesus was persecuted especially by the Pharisees and Sadducees because he convicted them of the sin that was in their lives. It’s the same today. Christians are being persecuted for standing on the word of God. It’s convicting to those that are living in darkness. More so to those who want to stay in darkness. No one wants to be told that what they are doing is wrong. Or how they are living is sinful. So its considered judgement when we say what the word of God says.

(10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (12) Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)

Something that I hear all of the time. Is that God’s ways is the complete opposite of that of the world. The above scripture reminds me of that. Scripture tells us that we are blessed when we are persecuted for righteousness sake. Meaning when we stand on the word of God. Or I can put it like this when we stand against what God is against. Jesus tells us that you are blessed when we are persecuted for believing and standing on his word. It’s not an easy thing to go against the multitude. It’s part of our human nature to want to fit in and not go against the grain. No one wants to be persecuted for standing on their beliefs, but Jesus tells us that we are blessed for it. Here is the thing. When we are going through persecution. It feels like anything but being blessed, but Jesus reminds us that theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I take that to mean on this earth we will suffer for our beliefs, but when we get to heaven our rewards will be great. It’s a reminder that during these trying times that we are to keep our eyes on heaven. Jesus tells us in John 16: 33 that in this life we shall have tribulation but to be of good cheer for he has overcome the world. Meaning that because Jesus has already overcome the world. That we already have the victory. Right now it may seem like the world is winning, but we must remember that we serve a God who has not stepped off the throne. We serve a God that is in control. There is coming a day where God will deal with the sins that is running rampant in this world. Jesus also tells us in verse 11 that we are blessed when men revile which means to criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner. Or when men shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for his name sake. We don’t have to look very far for us to see that is true. We are called everything from bigoted and hateful to homophobic simply for not bowing down to the belief that its okay to love someone of the same sex in a way that God never intended. We are none of the things that they call us. Love calls out sin (in a loving manner). Love doesn’t coddle a wrong and says that its right, but it’s like I mentioned earlier we don’t like to be convicted of our sins. To be convicted means to admit that their is wrong in our lives. My prayer is that we as the church stand for what is right. Which is the word of God. My prayer is that we model ourselves after Jesus in how we deal with those who cross our path. This is my personal belief that most of the LGBTQ community reject Jesus and the Bible, because they belief that Jesus has already rejected them. I am hear to say that is not true. Jesus never rejects the person, but he does reject the sin and yes homosexuality is a sin which God can deliver you from.

God’s blessings,

Aqua.