Jesus speaking

Jesus’ Words Up On a Mountaintop

May 10, 2014 by coleen hayden

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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May i introduce you to this beautiful song written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. It is sung to the tune, SLANE, which we traditionally know as ‘Be Thou My Vision.’ Below is an instrumental version of the traditional song so that you can sing these lyrics about Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount. I hope it blesses you as much as it did me when i stumbled upon it!

Up on a mountaintop, Jesus sat down,
Teaching the people who gathered around:
Look for the blessings that God kindly brings;
God’s loving kingdom is changing all things.

You are the salt and you’re also the light.
Flavor God’s world, with your faith shining bright.
Know that I’ve come here, God’s word to fulfill.
Keep the commandments and follow them well.

Let go of anger, for it is a sin.
It will destroy you, both outside and in.
Even your thinking can lead you astray;
Whatever tempts you, just throw it away.

Keep strong the bonds between husband and wife;
Keep your commitments for all of your life.
Don’t swear by heaven or by earth below;
Let “yes” be “yes” then,
and let “no” be “no.”

If any hurt you, then you may resist,
But not with hatred or weapon or fist.
God’s way is stronger than any you face;
Stand up and love them! And give them God’s grace.

Love those who hate you and pray for them, too.
God’s mercy reaches out far beyond you.
Seek, as God’s people, God’s wholeness each day
So you can witness to God’s perfect way.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Be Thou My Vision, Beatitudes, blessed are you, carolyn winfrey gillette, coleen hayden, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Seeking Him devotional, SLANE

Blessed Are The Believers

May 9, 2014 by laurapattillo

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Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words will never hurt me.
Yet, words hurt me when I am alone,
With no one to help me be
Happy and to be me.

People are going to talk
Behind my back
As I quietly walk
Down the road and back.

Evil will be spoke against me,
And I will try to block it out
As I try to be
My best without any doubt.

There will be those who hate
The belief that I hold dear
But I know my fate
Just as I know theirs.

They will answer one day
For all that they do
And everything they hurtfully say
Yet they have no clue.

Yet I know what that one day
Will bring to me and believers all
Who believe what One has to say
For we answered His call.

Our reward brings joy
To our hearts because it is great
To know that glory
Is now our fate.

Those who went before
Were treated the same
But they knew the score
Was with the one without blame.

We should all smile
And hold our heads high,
As we walk our hard mile
For our reward is nigh.

He will come soon
And end all the hate.
It may be high noon,
But unbelievers will meet their fate.

Believers will have eternal life,
With joyous smiles and eternal glory.
Nonbelievers will have eternal strife,
Within the confines of eternal fury.

The Cross bore the brunt of the hate, but Jesus still won. He beat the persecution and the evil so that we could live in eternity. The prophets knew this was coming, and we know that it happened. We know the joy and the rewards that await in Heaven, and that should get us through these days of hate and pain.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for defeating evil. Thank You for the opportunity to walk with You and be in a relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, laura pattillo, Matthew 5:11-12, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotionals

Persecuted In The Present Tense

May 8, 2014 by Ann Mwafulirwa

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In this last of the Beatitudes, Jesus offers encouragement to those who suffer for His sake. This Beatitude carries on the thought from the previous one, but this time Jesus makes it personal: not just “those who have been persecuted,” but “you when they revile you and persecute you.”

Verse 10
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Verse 11
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Clearly Jesus expected His followers to be ill-treated, and He speaks of this ill-treatment in three ways: reviling them, persecuting them, and saying all kinds of evil against them.

Reviling comes when you are insulted or verbally abused because of your faith. The early Christians were mocked because of their belief in the Resurrection. They were called “atheists” because they denied the Roman deities and believed in a God the Roman government did not recognize. The Jews considered them heretics and blasphemers because they identified Jesus as God.

By persecuting I think we can understand Jesus to mean what usually comes to mind: physical abuse, and blatant singling out for “special treatment” on account of one’s faith. This may encompass the other two (reviling and speaking evil of someone), but I think it also brings in beatings, political pressure and punishment, social restriction, and so on. Whenever Christians are denied advancement—either politically, or in the workplace—on account of their faith, or are in other ways treated differently and adversely because they are Christians, persecution is taking place.

Say all kinds of evil against you falsely covers false accusations brought against a Christian to sully his or her reputation, often to justify persecution. In the early church, the Christian sacrament of communion was said to be an orgy, with the participants engaging in illicit sexual behavior and cannibalism. Whether or not this was a genuine misunderstanding of the Christian “love meal,” wherein the symbolic body and blood of Christ is consumed, or a deliberate distortion, it didn’t help the Christians gain favor in the world.

Not only are Christians blessed when they are persecuted, but they should, in fact, rejoice and be glad. Why? Because ‘your reward is great in heaven.’

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward [is] great in heaven;
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets [who were] before you.
Verse 12

Note that this is in the present tense. This means that the heavenly reward that belongs to the ill-treated Christian is not some future hope, but it is a present reality. Because the Christian is willing to suffer reviling, persecution, and character assassination for the sake of Jesus, he or she is blessed. And what’s more, the Christian can–and should–rejoice and be glad in the face of such abuse, because God has already granted him or her a reward in heaven. What is that reward? Jesus doesn’t say. But it should be enough to know that the Lord knows what we go through for His sake and, while He doesn’t promise to make life easier here, He does assure us that we already have something infinitely better waiting for us in eternity.

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Lord, we thank You for the reward that is awaiting the children that are being persecuted for Your name’s sake. We trust You in all things! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ann mwafulirwa, blessed are you, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Matthew 5:10-12, persecuted, persecution, reviling, Seeking Him devotional

Take Joy

May 7, 2014 by Tina Marin

Ever been accused of doing something you did not do? It can be an occasion to become angry, confused, and desperate. Jesus was foreshadowing how His life was going to play out. Even though He knew the outcome of His life, He still chose to let others in on God’s basic plan. God wanted His people, Israel to come back to Him. From the time that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they have done nothing but whine and complain.

In the New Testament we have Christ’s example to follow in order to honor Him. We also have the Apostle Paul and John the Baptist as examples of how to live and not become discouraged. Jesus was tasked to show and tell others about His Father in Heaven, about how to get to Heaven, and how to grow in our faith. Paul showed us through his perseverance during his journey across the Middle East that teaching others about God’s love was more important than his own safety and comfort. While Paul was beaten, whipped, stranded, jailed, and shipwrecked, he never lost his passion and drive to share with others. The zeal he had used to persecute the Christians was the same he used to tell others the good news!

John the Baptist is an example of sacrifice for his beliefs. God sent John to be a messenger for Jesus’ ministry. John was raised with rules and a different purpose than most other kids. Being taught Scripture by both parents, he was raised in a strict Nazarene lifestyle—set apart and different. I am sure he was persecuted for the way he behaved and how he was different while he was young and definitely during his ministry. The Holy Spirit was with John while he preached the coming of the Messiah. He was able to discern the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and other religious leaders when they came to hear him speak.

We all know the outcome of each of their lives. What is more important is how they lived. The desire to serve God was so overwhelming they could not stop themselves. I pray that we, also, would receive a desire like their’s to share the Lord’s love with others as we live our lives.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus, Jesus speaking, John The Baptist, Matthew 5:11-12, Paul, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional, Tina Marin

Blessed…Even When Persecuted

May 6, 2014 by Tonya Ellison

Typically blessed is not a word I would normally tie to persecution, and definitely not a word I would think when harsh words are being spoken about me. Thankfully, I don’t have to rely on what I think, or how I feel.

When I read this verse, the last line jumped out at me “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” For myself, it brings me comfort to know that there were those before me who experienced persecution, taunting, false speech, and evil. It brings me comfort to know that they were blessed, and to read their stories of how, with God at their side, they overcame the figurative—and, at times—literal stones that were thrown at them. Having the examples of their lives offers hope that we can and we should rejoice and be glad, despite what we may be facing.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself,
lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV

‘Lest you become weary and discouraged….’ The One who suffered the greatest persecution of all, the One who gave His life so we could live, offers us another example of perseverance in the face of persecution. He knows the weight that lies on our shoulders, He understands how difficult it is to rejoice, to be glad, and to not become weary or discouraged. But He also knows that we are capable of these things in these situations. Not only does He know we can do it, but He has given us the skills to do so. In these situations I (we) need to remember the examples given to us in His Word—examples of those who walked our path before us.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for not only offering examples of those who have walked this path before us, but thank You for living the greatest of those examples. When life begins to weigh down on us and perseverance is not something we think to practice, Your words are a page away and remind us that it can be done. I pray that we see examples of joy and gladness in our lives and in others. Just as You and the prophets of old are examples for us, that we may be examples for others. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, blessed when, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Matthew 5:11-12, persecuted, persecution, Tonya Ellison

Persecution…Say WHAT?!?

May 5, 2014 by cynda cottrill

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Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—
with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you
and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.
Matthew 5:11 AMP

Have you ever thought of persecution as a good thing? Something to take joy in, to rejoice over? Nope, not me. Yet this verse states we are blessed if we are mocked, reviled, defamed, cursed or falsely accused. Say What?!? How can persecution possibly be good?

Look at it this way: persecution forces us to focus on what we believe, why we believe it, and what, (or Whom), we are suffering for. Living a “Kingdom life” for Christ’s sake is a display of our discipleship. Our values and morals are at odds with the world. Those who persecute us hope to tarnish our witness. And, our tormentors may not be just unbelievers. According to David Guzik empty religion hates genuine faith and rejects true faith. So we may be persecuted by so-called “Christians” as well. But consider this…if we weren’t living a radical life for Christ, we would go unnoticed. Right?

1 Peter 4:14 puts it like this:
If you are censured and suffer abuse [because you bear] the name of Christ,
blessed [are you—happy, fortunate, to be envied, with life-joy,
and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition],
because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is resting upon you.

We can suffer and be persecuted for Christ only because He first became human to suffer for us. He was persecuted so that our suffering, our persecution would not be meaningless. Our suffering for His sake is a prelude to glory and joy. We are blessed because of the reproach, the defamation. It shows we are following Jesus, that we are being identified with Him. And the best part? Through our persecution, Christ is glorified. Hallelujah! Can I get an amen?

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Lord, help us see persecution as a good thing, for it means we are following closely to You. Let our attitude through torment and trials bring glory and honor to You. Let us remain steadfast and remind us we can do ALL things through You, for in our weakness Your strength is perfected. In Jesus’ precious name, amen – so be it.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: 1 Peter 4:14, Beatitudes, cynda cottrill, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, matthew 5:11, persecuted, persecution

Beautiful Words

May 3, 2014 by coleen hayden

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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Beautiful Words, beautiful Words, He spoke beautiful Words.
The wind lay still, and the whole world listened as He spoke beautiful Words.

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.
Blesses are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the Children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake;
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
And shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Beautiful Words, beautiful Words; He spoke beautiful Words.
The wind lay still, and the whole world listened as He spoke beautiful Words.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, Beautiful Words, coleen hayden, daily devotions, Jesus speaking, johnny cash, Matthew 5:10, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional

Persecution For Our Lord

May 2, 2014 by Tina Marin

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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Here, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is reminding those listening about the prophets who suffered in the Old Testament. We should be glad when we are persecuted for our belief in Jesus Christ. When persecuted, we are associated with His meekness, with how He mourns over us when we willfully sin and how He shows mercy. Jesus wants us to walk by faith, not by sight.

Jeremiah is one of these Old Testament prophets. He was selected by God to call His people back to Him. The leaders kept ignoring Jeremiah. They felt all he had to say were negative things about them and about what was going to happen to them if they did not repent and turn back to God. Jeremiah even cried out to God, asking why he was supposed to tell the people about the devastation awaiting them if they did not change their ways.

They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law
by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets.
So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”
Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers are saying!
Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember that I stood before You
and spoke in their behalf
to turn Your wrath away from them.
So give their children over to famine;
hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives be made childless and widows;
let their men be put to death,
their young men slain by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses
when You suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.
But You, Lord, know
all their plots to kill me.
Do not forgive their crimes
or blot out their sins from Your sight.
Let them be overthrown before You;
deal with them in the time of Your anger.

Jeremiah 18:18 – 23

While Jeremiah complains, he still completes the task God has laid before him. Jeremiah felt such an urgency to share God’s words, that he could not contain them. In the New Testament, Paul of Tarsus would be an example of what it means to serve God and be persecuted. Paul endured beatings, imprisonment, hunger, sickness, and lonliness for Jesus. He was always willing to share the Gospel with those who wanted to hear and just as willing when the ears of unbelievers didn’t want to hear. We are to plant the seeds of faith, the seeds of wonder, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

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Father, thank You for those that have followed the examples of Your prophets. Thank You for the missionaries of today, who are persecuted for sharing Your love, grace, and mercy with those who do not know You. Surround them, Father, with Your protection as they persevere through their hardships and let the Holy Spirit bring peace in their distress, comfort when there are tears, and bring words of inspiration when they feel loss. Let us learn more about these individuals so we may lift them up to You every day. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, jeremiah 18:18-23, Jesus speaking, Kingdom of Heaven, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional, Tina Marin

Kingdom of God

April 30, 2014 by Ann Mwafulirwa

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Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

This simple petition carries a lot of meaning. We have already seen in our meditations on the Beatitudes that Jesus often spoke of “the Kingdom of Heaven,” or “the Kingdom of God.” For him, as for many Jews at that time, it was a future expectation, something to look forward to, a day when the reign of God would be complete, absolute, and apparent to every sentient creature on Earth. It was a time when oppressed Jews would no longer be downtrodden, but be free to worship God whenever and wherever they pleased. Their oppressors would be vanquished, and there would be a restoration of some form of theocratic government. From this perspective, it makes sense that this petition would be coupled with the previous, “May [or “let”] Your name be held sacred.”

However, on the lips of Jesus, this petition means a lot more than just a change of governments. When Jesus teaches us to eagerly anticipate the coming of God’s Kingdom, He appears to mean this on varying levels which we deduce from His teaching elsewhere.

For Jesus, the Kingdom was something that will come at a future time (e.g., Matthew 5:19-20; Luke 21:31; 22:16) but also something that was a present reality. He proclaimed that the Kingdom has “come near” (e.g., Matthew 3:2 and 4:17) and indeed was the present possession of some (e.g., Matthew 5:3 and 10). Jesus taught what the Kingdom of Heaven is like—present tense (e.g., Matthew 13:24-53), and who may or may not enter it—again, present tense (e.g., Matthew 19:14, 23; 23:13).

From all that Jesus tells us, I think it’s fair to say that God’s Kingdom is not some kind of hoped for military take-over, as with previous revolts and theocratic kingdoms. Rather, God’s Kingdom arrived with the coming of the Messiah, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Those who are Christians—for whom Christ is Lord and Savior—are citizens in the Kingdom of God, while being residents in this world (1 Peter 1:1 describes us as “resident aliens”–a perfect description of Christians at present). But this is just a deposit—a promissory note anticipating the full payment of the Kingdom in the end times.

At some time in the future, God will call all men to final judgment and the events predicted in the Book of Revelation will come to pass, with Satan and his minions, along with hell, being cast into the lake of fire. Then God’s dominion will be established totally, with all people under His loving and gracious authority.

You might ask: if God is sovereign, doesn’t He already have absolute power and authority…so what are we asking for here? I would respond by saying, yes, God is sovereign, and He has absolute power and authority. He can do as He pleases whenever it pleases Him. Which means that the state of affairs as they are right now, with the name of God slandered throughout society, and Christians being demeaned and, to varying degrees, persecuted, is part of His plan and is in accord with His timing. When we pray this prayer, we are not asking for God to establish something that is not currently His, or to gain authority by conquest. Rather, we are asking the Lord to hasten the day when He executes the final stage of His plan of redemption, when all His elect are called to Him, the present godless age is brought to an end, and He establishes His rule throughout the universe, with Satan, sin, and all that oppose Him set aside permanently.

This means that when we pray for the salvation of our non-Christian friends and family members, we are asking God to extend His kingdom on Earth in this present age. But we also pray that God will, indeed, shorten the time we have to endure this godless age, and bring about what we so long and hope for.

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Father, we thank You for who You are in us and us in You! And for Your unconditional love for us in Jesus’ name, we say ‘thank You!’ Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ann mwafulirwa, Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 5:10, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional

Rejection and Persecution

April 29, 2014 by Ahmee Bronaugh

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You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
Matthew 5:10

Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60)
The Apostles were put in jail for teaching in Jesus’ name (Acts 5:17-33)
John the Baptist was beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12)
Jesus was crucified

As Americans we are blessed and privileged to have the luxury of not being likely to suffer extreme persecution. Our modern-day persecution largely consists of Christians being labeled as intolerant.

Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12

Christian’s are destined for persecution. Our Lord’s teachings go against everything the systems of this world idolizes. God’s children were not made to be accepted by the world. No! We were called to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Different. Godly.

I think one of the toughest tests of faith is persecution, right alongside hardship and loss. Even Peter failed to stand for Jesus and he walked to Him on water! Standing up and openly claiming Jesus as your Lord can be scary. Nowadays, the worst that we face is denial from people (people we were never suppose to be accepted by), thank God for America.

Rejection isn’t an easy thing to face. Jesus himself was rejected, though, but of course that doesn’t make it any easier. Here’s how I’ve decided to look at rejection. When faced with the choice to stand for Christ or not—to face possible rejection or not—if we choose to deny Christ to be accepted by people, we are rejecting Christ. Is rejecting Christ worth not being rejected ourselves?

I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth,
the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels.
But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.
Luke 12:8-9

Will you stand for Christ in front of man?

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Lord, I’m thankful that I don’t have to worry about being beheaded! Give me the strength to stand for You, regardless of whether it’s easy or not. Right is right and Your truth is truth. One easy, but wrong, choice can set us on a road we never intended to take. Help us to make the right tough choices now so we won’t have to pay the consequences later. I pray that I do not shy away from proclaiming Your name to the world! Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: 2 Timothy 3:12, acts 5:17-33, acts 7:54-60, ahmee bronaugh, Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, matthew 14:1-12, Matthew 5:10, matthew 5:13-16, persecuted, persecution, rejection and persecution, Seeking Him devotional

Jesus’ Words Up On a Mountaintop

Blessed Are The Believers

Persecuted In The Present Tense

Take Joy

Blessed…Even When Persecuted

Persecution…Say WHAT?!?

Beautiful Words

Persecution For Our Lord

Kingdom of God

Rejection and Persecution

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