There is nothing like persecution to reveal our true nature. There is nothing like persecution to separate the wheat from the tares. There is nothing like persecution to sift the wheat from the chaff. There is nothing like persecution to separate the goats from the sheep. When your nature is to trust in your knowledge of good and evil over the Tree of Life you won’t know how to suffer persecution. First, you will fail to reflect and inquire of the Lord. Instead, you will react and use your knowledge of good and evil to proceed.
When the Israelites were taken into captivity in Babylon, those who were left behind with Jeremiah had many problems and worries. In their broken state, they knew not to trust in their own good ideas. Instead, they sought the Lord through Jeremiah.
Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, {that is} for all this remnant; because we are left {but} a few out of many, as your own eyes {now} see us, that the LORD your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do. Jeremiah 42:1-3
If we habitually inquire of the Tree of Life, persecution and tribulations do not cause us to despair. We trust that God allows them. We’ve learned the fellowship of His sufferings and thereby have been toughened inwardly. Now, absolute submission to His purposes makes up our nature.
When we live in submission to the Tree of Life, we will pray:
- Lord, will you give me Your mind during this persecution?
- Lord, how would You have me respond?
- Lord, if You desire me to speak, what would You have me say?
In contrast, our knowledge of good and evil would have us react to persecution with self-love’s indignation. It orchestrates our defense using earthly wisdom. But when we form our own defense, God’s purposes for us personally are not served and God’s purposes for His people corporately are not fulfilled.