There are three main weapons that the Christian has been given to defeat Satan and temptation. The Holy Spirit, the Word of God and Prayer. We take the sword in faith, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power and the wisdom to use it. It is the Holy Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness for a long and difficult time of testing and He may also lead us and allow difficult situations.
The Holy Spirit is the source of power and strength in times of persecution. Without out Him no Christian can stand. Christians who have experienced persecution testify to the absolute necessity of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Before Pentecost the disciples were afraid of the Jews. After they had been filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the disciples were changed from being fearful to being fearless and full of courage.
If we are surrendered to the Lord and experience His power while we are still free, the Holy Spirit will guide our lives now and also in the future. In times of persecution the Holy Spirit is the Comforter.He does not prevent all problems which might come our way, but gives strength despite problems, so that we may endure.
The power of the Holy Spirit as promised in Acts 1:8 will be needed to provide courage. Whoever is ashamed of the Lord in times when Christians are not threatened is more likely to deny Him in a situation that may end with loss of freedom or life. That is why the Lord said …..Then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. (Matthew 24:10) In his book, Persecution: It Will Never Happen Here? Jan Pit says:
Only Christians who draw their strength from the Holy Spirit will be prepared to live and suffer for God and will remain steadfast. They will refuse to serve the world government and world religion; even though they know that their obedience to God will mean persecution, suffering, and perhaps even death.
If a person’s pastor or spiritual leader is taken and that person becomes a leader of a group, he will need the discernment and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to lead others. Wisdom will also be necessary just to make decisions day by day which could have life or death implications. Individuals should ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the gifts and strengths that they can contribute to a group of believers who are meeting without an official leader. Jan Pit wrote that:
Leaders in Laos said, “we made the mistake which is so often made: We appointed capable leaders as elders instead of spiritual people. We accepted people who could read and write. (In Laos eighty percent of the nation is illiterate.) When the communists took over Laos, many “capable” leaders denied the Lord. The spiritual people (who were grounded) are the ones who remained faithful.
David Wilkerson received a vision in 1973 regarding the future of the United States. He said that there will be….
Worldwide recession caused by economic confusion”; Nature having labor pains”; “A flood of filth and a baptism of dirt in America”; “Rebellion in the home”; and “A persecution madness against truly Spirit filled Christians who love Jesus Christ.”
His last blog post stated the following:
To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark awful nights,” he wrote, “and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident.
