WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

“When I was with you, you saw the struggles I had

{with people who were against our work}. And
now you hear about the struggles I am having.

You yourselves are having the same kind of struggles.”
Philippians 1:30
Easy-to-Read Version

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Philippi to encourage them in their walk in the Lord. The overall theme of the book is to exhort the believers to REJOICE in the Lord, or be ‘fully satisfied in the Lord and again be fully satisfied.’ The theme becomes more significant when you realize Paul was a prisoner of Rome at the time of this writing and yet, his attitude was one of gratefulness and joy.
Paul experienced enormous physical suffering during his missionary journeys, not to mention the emotional and spiritual suffering. However, he counted it a privilege not only to trust in Christ, but to suffer with Him as well (Philippians 1:29). Not only did Paul suffer, but the believers at Philippi also experienced the struggle of living this new way of life. Paul explains that not only is it a privilege to suffer for the cause of Christ, but the manner and attitude in which you respond to the suffering is paramount, as well (Philippians 1:27). The Christians were exhorted to ‘strive together for the faith of the gospel.’
Once we name the name of Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will suffer persecution. Regardless of the type (i.e., physical, emotional or spiritual), intensity and frequency, we all experience some adverse circumstances for living a holy life in a crooked and perverse world. We are in the struggle together – not struggling against one another.
Today, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers for someone who may be experiencing severe persecution today for their faith in Jesus Christ. Not minimizing the persecution that you endure, but realize there are people who may be suffering severe religious oppression. Trust and know that God is mindful of your struggles and has placed you on someone’s heart to pray for you, as well. Remember, we’re all in this together.
Religious persecution is still very prevalent in our world. Please visit http://www.persecution.com/ to learn, read and pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.