“my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ” (2 Timothy 3:11-15 ESV)

Today’s devotional is about persecution.  Paul talks about the persecutions and sufferings at the hands of his enemies in particular cities.  What we know about Paul, we know he endured much persecution for his Lord.  In each case, the Lord rescued him until it was time for Paul to come home, after completing God’s mission for Him.

I have it soooo good!  I do not know what it’s lke to suffer like Paul.  So my thoughts today are concerning the fact of persecution and its source.  Our enemies are three-fold:  the flesh, the world and Satan who is the god of this world and both tempt the flesh!  Whew!  Arguably the greatest Biblical Greek scholar of the 20th century, A.T. Robertson, pictures the translation of the word for persecution here as “shall be hunted as wild beasts.”  No doubt Paul was in the classical sense of persecution from human enemies.  Yet I want to take this to more of the spiritual warfare.  Under the God-breathed work of inspiration, Paul says, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  We must remember that Satan is our enemy, this world system caters and entices our flesh and our flesh is our fallen nature that would be enough of a problem without the first two, right?

Now look at verses 12-15.  The evil people and imposters (of this world) are going to continue to get worse.  They are deceiving and being deceived!  So, how are we to survive?  Note, verses 14-15:  “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with  the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  What we learn from the sacred writings of Scripture will keep us with the correct perspective when “bad things happen to good people.”  We are made wise.  We understand that just as Paul was rescued each time from his persecution, we have the promise of our Father that so will we!  He makes a way of escape from the flesh (temptation), “greater is he that is in us that he that is in the *world* and Satan is a defeated enemy.  I can’t defeat him.  I must resist him and let my Savior defeat him.

So, yes we will be persecuted, if not from flesh and blood, then from a spiritual level.  But the victory is ours in Christ!!