DON’T FRET OVER OPPOSITION
DON’T FRET OVER OPPOSITION
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. —Psalm 37:13
Want to live for the Lord and do His will? Are you truly seeking to want to serve Him and not the whims of man? Then expect opposition. It will come because we are in spiritual warfare and Satan hates those who love our Lord Jesus and seek to do His will. Remember, we do not war against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). There are those who are in “the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (II Timothy 2:26). This passage tells us of those who have been entrapped by the devil and that they need to “come to their senses” to be able to escape “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in (Jesus)” (Acts 26:18).
In other words, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (II Corinthians 4:4). Their minds have been darkened by Satan and their actions align with him as they follow him (Romans 1:21). These people are easy to spot because they twist God’s Word to conform to their own ideas and agenda. They are not thinking properly. Their minds are being influence by the adversary who is over the kingdom of darkness.
How are followers of Jesus to respond? The Psalmist tells us in this passage above not to fret over them— don’t worry, be troubled, be upset or bothered by them. Instead, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” Keep your focus! The Lord knows and He will bring all things to light (I Corinthians 4:5). “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Dear Father may this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus. So be it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ8SAM7lyyM