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RESISTANCE TO OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE
Resistance to our upward climb is not pleasant, but it is Blessed. Why? Because it is undoubted evidence that WE are really climbing Upward. It is somewhat like getting calluses as proof that we are working hard.
What are the sources of this resistance–and why?
The most obvious source is other people, sometimes even those which whom we are closely associated. This is because the Left-Hand andRight-Handpaths do not merely exist side-by-side–they are inPerpetual Conflict, warring against one another and on occasion vanquishing one another. They who walk those paths must inevitably come into variance with one another. The Left-Handers of course react with hostility, violence, and the desire to injure. TheRight-Handers, however, try to be conciliatory and avoid any clashes (Romans 12:18; Hebrews 12:14). But the very nature of the Left-Handers makes this impossible. Tragically, theRight-Handersoften compromise or surrender to avoid strife, and this isFoolish in the Extreme.Even more to the point, it is Unrealistic and Cowardly.
HOW TO OVERCOME
Undoubtedly, theRight-HandTraveler does not want discord with anyone, nor will he return blow for blow with his assailants. Neither will he launch an offensive against his opponent. What will he do then?He will Persevere.And in ^^^THIS Perseverance WE Will Overcome==, for evil cannot really withstand the good. Therefore, Saint James does not counsel us to attack the enemy, but says: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Saint Peter tells us the same (I Peter 5:8, 9). In many places the Bible advises us to simply stand firm. This is very practical advice.
Those who ignore opposition and keep on walking are sure to vanquishALL IN TIME.It is those who allow themselves to be pulled into the orbit of the Left-Handers by reacting with the same kind of negativity that are in Grave Danger of being Overcome by the Evil. Remember how when Herod wanted to testJesus? HE WOULD NOT EVEN SPEAK TO HIM.Furthermore, when Pilate cynically asked, “What is ‘Truth’?” He would not answer him, butStood in Silence.IfBRIER RABBIThad not struck the TAR BABY, he would not have gotten all stuck up in it and in danger of losing his life.
Passive resistance is still the most effective reaction to persecution. However much our enemies fume and threat, we just keep moving on, leaving them behind. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially whenEmotional BlackmailandSimilar Tacticsare brought to bear upon us. But this is the way in whichTrue Hearts are Tested and Revealed.Who in the Bible that desired to be theFriend of GODdid not endure similar trial? None. It is indeed true that this is not a path forLovers of Ease. (Cake Eaters)
“If anyone be in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). Those who seek the Life Divine are not just special people, they are a new order of being altogether.($NAKE EATERS)This is not poetry but solid fact. TheGreat Spiritually-Awakened Beinghas dimensions operative within their being that in others are paralyzed, and much that lies dormant in others isFULLY AWAKENED and OPERATIVE WITHIN THEM.