- Be wise and kind
Matthew 10:16 ¶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves
In these verses Christ describes us as sheep among wolves. Then He teaches that we need to be wise and harmless. When dealing with persecution it is important to do the smart thing and not let our emotions get the best of us. Being harmless as doves could be interpreted as not seeking out conflict with others and being the cause of contention.
- Trust the Spirit to know what to say
Matthew 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
In life we may be put in situations where we have to stand up for our beliefs. The Savior promises that when we trust in him, His Spirit will be with us and guide us in what to say. We do not necessarily need to know in the moment that the Spirit is guiding our words. We can trust that as we live worthily and take the sacrament we will have his Spirit to be with us always.
- Be Patient
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Christ promises that as we endure persecution and stay faithful we will be saved. Christ warns us that men will hate us for his name’s sake. We can expect persecution and we should be patient in dealing with it.
- Fear God more than man
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Keeping an eternal perspective will help us deal with persecution. God is in control of all things and in the end God’s opinion is the only one that matters. If we stay loyal to Christ and stand up for what is right, the time will come when we will be glad we did so.
