Trust God and Love People

"When others put you down because of your faith, it's difficult to take. Sometimes we just don't know how to handle those circumstances. All I know to do is trust God and love people regardless of how they treat you. That's what Jesus did -- the ultimate example to follow!" Yesterday, my faith was challenged by a fellow believer. He didn't question my salvation or my trust in God. He questioned the way that I handled a situation. It wouldn't have bothered me so much had it not been such a trivial issue. Still, it hurt me because this man should know my heart by now. When I confronted him about him "questioning" my actions, he backed down and said that he really didn't mean it in a bad way. Yet, the damage was already done. He should have thought before he reacted. We go through life and many obstacles are thrown in our path. The devil will even use fellow Christians to throw negativity our way. He will never stop his efforts to "kill" our witness. Spiritual warfare is real and we have to be alert and ready to fight off the enemy. Through the years, I've written the phrase "never allow your circumstances to dictate your character" so many times. It's a common thread of my writing especially in my book, GRACERUNNER - FAITH ON THE RUN. We simply cannot allow an earthly circumstances to change our character. We have to be alert to these things and allow our faith to show through in the midst of the crisis of the moment. We have to STAND firm in our convictions and allow Christ to work through us. I'm certain that my friend never intended to hurt me, but it put me on guard for the warfare ahead. When you are doing God's work and are aligned with His will, the devil will use everyone and everything to tear you down. Deny him and lift Christ up! STAND against the adversary and God will give you the desires of your heart. Under HIS Grace... Chris