Are you experiencing a heavy heart, feeling the burden of opposition? Do you feel like people are attacking your character due to a difference in opinions or ethical beliefs? Are you stunned and hurt by this? Are you shocked by your opposers? Are you feeling unpreparedness in facing this attack? Well, you are not alone. Many have walked that path before. There will always be opposition. It is a part of life. We should never be afraid of it.
We should never be afraid that someone might take offence, or that someone might have a different set of ideas and opinions than ours. It is all about how people see and view things, their perspectives, their own frames of reference. Whenever we are opposed, let us not look at our opposers. Look at the bigger picture – see who is behind it. Use the story of Nehemiah as an example. The enemy will try to get us sidetracked or to give up completely. Even though it was God’s will for the wall to be rebuilt, God did not remove the opposition. Even though it is God’s will for us to grow strong in faith, and to accomplish the tasks that He has assigned before us, God will not remove the opposition either.
If we respond properly, the opposition will drive us to greater dependence on God and to a greater determination to do what He has called us to do. If we yield to the opposition, we will quit the race in discouragement or settle in for a mediocre existence. When God called us, He equipped us. The first defence against the enemy is to be aware of the kinds of opposition that he uses. We must never be surprised by opposition. We must view it as being on the right track. 1 Peter 4:12 states, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” When God calls us, and we know it, and attempt to accomplish what God has called us to do, the enemy will always oppose us.
Here are several ways in which he will do so:
1. BY USING THE ANGER OF OTHERS AGAINST US. Satan often uses the anger of others to try to squelch the newfound joy and zeal of those who will support us. If anger does not stop the work, Satan hauls out another tool.
2. MOCKERY AND SARCASM. Satan frequently uses ridicule against those who try to accomplish the tasks God calls them to do. If we let it be known, our fellow workers will mock us and call us names. They will be waiting for us to fail. If anger and ridicule do not work, the enemy gets more aggressive, he finds another tool
3. THREATS AND INTIMIDATION. These are intended to rattle our bones and get us to become fearful. When those do not seem to work, he turns up the heat and uses what he thinks will do the trick.
4. DISCOURAGEMENT AND EXHAUSTION. We will begin to grow weary, wondering if all our efforts are making any difference. Our weariness will lead us to discouragement. But Satan is not out of tools. He continues with another.
5. NEGATIVISM. We will hear them loud and clear. Others will join in as well. Negativism will come from every side and every corner. Just ask Nehemiah. Nehemiah did not allow them to take root. He cast them off – he ignored them. He also ignored the very real danger that existed. If he had listened to these prophets of doom and gloom, he never would have finished the wall. Another tool the enemy uses is –
6. FEAR. Fear is the cumulative effect of all of the above factors: ANGER OF OTHERS AGAINST US, MOCKERY AND SARCASM, THREATS AND INTIMIDATION, DISCOURAGEMENT AND EXHAUSTION, and NEGATIVISM. Nehemiah and his workers experienced all of them. They had seen the enemy’s anger and had heard their mockery and threats. They were worn down through exhaustion, and they repeatedly heard gloom and doom from their fellow Jews who lived near the enemy. But Nehemiah exhorted them not to be afraid. Stand still and see the hand of God at work. Satan tried to use fear to paralyse God’s people and hinder their work and he will do that to us as well.
My friends, these are some of the tactics that Satan uses to oppose God’s work and God’s people, and we need to be mindful of them. You see, often when we face opposition our first response is to get angry and hit back or defend ourselves. But our first response should always be prayer.
John Bunyan wisely once said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed” (source unknown). Prayer reminds us that God is sovereign, and nothing can abort His plans. In prayer, we submit our hearts to Him and acknowledge our trust in Him. Nothing takes God by surprise. Those who said Hosannah also cried crucify Him. God allows trials for a reason.
Whenever we encounter opposition, we have several options. We can run from it. We can try to dodge it or go around it. We can try to work out a compromise, or we can meet it head-on and work through it. The last approach is usually the only biblical way. If we know and are convinced that God has called us to accomplish anything for Him, we must expect and will experience opposition. We must always respond as Nehemiah did – with prayer, keeping on with the work, vigilance against the enemy, and keeping our focus on the great and awesome God whom we serve.
REMEMBER: A kite flies against the wind, not with it. Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre.`
