This episode explores the eighth Beatitude, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It challenges the way we usually define blessing by placing suffering and opposition within the framework of God’s favor.

Kim explains that living fully committed to righteousness will often bring resistance. Opposition is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It can be evidence that a life is aligned with Christ. Jesus Himself faced rejection and persecution, so those who follow Him should not be surprised when they encounter the same.

Through Scripture, Kim reminds listeners that hardship for the sake of faith carries promise. The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who endure for righteousness. That hope cannot be taken away by trials, criticism, or hostility.

This episode encourages believers to stand firm, drawing strength from the assurance that faithfulness, even in the face of persecution, is seen and honored by God.

The content shared on Living the Selah Life is for spiritual encouragement, personal reflection, and informational purposes only.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat or replace medical, psychological or professional advice of any kind.

Please consult a licensed health care provider or qualified professional for any physical, mental or emotional health concerns.

The views expressed are those of the host, Kimberly Lockanor, and are based on personal experience and Biblical insight, not clinical or professional training.

Welcome back to Living the Selah Life, a podcast that invites you to slow down, to breathe and to reconnect with the presence of God.

I'm your host, Kim, and this space is for anyone longing to become more familiar with his presence.

Each episode is an intentional pause, a moment to reflect, realign and remember that God meets us when we create space for Him.

So take a breath.

You are right on time.

Let's live the Selah life together.

Welcome back, my friends, to Living the Selah Life.

In our last episode, we explored the seventh Beatitude Blessed are the Peacemakers.

We discovered that those who actively pursue keyword being active, actively pursue reconciliation, reflect God's character and are called sons of God.

Today we are looking at the eighth and final Beatitude.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And this Beatitude contradicts everything that we believe about blessing because it used to for me.

Yet Jesus declares that suffering for righteousness is blessed.

We'll discover what it means to be persecuted for righteousness and why this persecution comes, and how those who suffer for Jesus can rejoice.

We will call this week's main teaching Persecuted for Righteousness Blessed in suffering.

Matthew 5:10 12 again says, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

And I have to do a segue early on here because I always find myself amazed at when men and women of God are elevated or they're coming up and people are persecuting them.

And then Christians jump on that bandwagon and I always, always say Jesus said they would do that.

No one ever says you will be persecuted if you are a genuine man of God, you will be treated just like Jesus.

And that's what I look for when I look for genuine men and women of God.

If you are not persecuted, I'm almost going to look at you Sideways because the Lord said we would be.

So it should come as no shock whatsoever when folks get to telling lies and talking about you and.

And slandering your name.

It should come as absolutely no shock because Jesus said they would do it.

They did it to him, and they did it to all the prophets before us.

It's gonna happen.

So let's not ever be the ones that join in throwing stones, because you may actually be throwing stones at a true vessel of God.

I digress.

This beatitude is longer than the others.

Jesus expands on it, making the teaching personal.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you.

He's preparing his followers for what will come.

What will come.

Following him will cost us something.

And living righteously naturally brings opposition.

This beatitude comes last because, again, it is the natural result of living out all the others.

When you're poor in spirit, when you mourn over sin, when you're meek, when you hunger for righteousness, when you're merciful, when you're pure in heart, when you make peace, the world will not, I repeat, the world will not applaud you.

It will oppose you.

Jesus promise is the same as the first Beatitude.

Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

The Beatitudes have come full circle.

Those who are persecuted for righteousness possess what matters most, the kingdom of God.

Persecution cannot take this away from them.

The word Jesus uses for persecute is dioko.

That's D I o K o.

And this word means, Check this out, y'.

All.

To pursue, to chase, to harass, to oppress.

So when they pursue, harass, chase all the things for my sake.

This word was used to describe hunting animals, chasing them down relentlessly.

It described pursuing enemies in battle.

Dioko describes opposition, not just a disagreement or a dislike.

It's aggressive hostility toward those who follow Jesus.

It's pursuing them, to harm them, to silence them, to stop them from living according to God's ways.

In the New Testament, Paul used that same word to describe how he persecuted the Church.

So the Greek word that Jesus used here for persecute is the same word that Paul used to describe himself the way that he persecuted the church.

Acts 9:4:5 records Jesus saying to Paul, saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Same word.

Paul was actively pursuing Christians to harm them.

Later, Paul himself experienced the same persecution from others.

When Jesus says, blessed are those who are persecuted, he's talking about people who face hostile opposition because they follow him and live righteously.

Jesus is specific, though.

He said that this persecution is for righteousness.

Sake.

Not all suffering is persecution and not all opposition is blessed.

Jesus blesses those who suffer specifically because they are living righteously and following him.

If you suffer now because you're foolish, can be rude or obnoxious, that's not persecution for righteousness.

That's called natural consequences of sorry poor behavior.

First Peter 4:15 says, but let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.

If you suffer because you're presenting Christianity in offensive ways, being judgmental, harsh or self righteous, that's not persecution for righteousness.

That's people reacting to your attitude, not to Jesus.

Persecution for righteousness happens when you're living according to God's standards and people oppose you because your life exposes them.

It happens when you speak truth and people hate you for it.

And it happens when you worship Jesus and others try to stop you.

The persecution comes specifically because of righteousness, your pursuit of holiness, your obedience to God, your proclamation of Jesus, your stand for truth.

Persecution comes to those who follow Jesus because the world hates what Jesus represents.

It is so sad, but it does.

John, chapter 15, verses 18 through 19 records Jesus saying, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Yet, because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

It does not get any more plain than that.

The world operates by values that are opposite from the kingdom values.

When you live according to kingdom values, you expose the bankruptcy of worldly values.

Your life becomes a living rebuke to those who love worldly values.

And your righteousness makes their unrighteousness visible.

And this makes people uncomfortable and they will respond with hostility.

For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed.

Persecution also comes because proclaiming Jesus as Lord threatens people's autonomy.

If Jesus is Lord, then guess who's not Lord?

They are not.

If Jesus's way is true, then somebody's way is not.

And the message of the gospel challenges people's self rule and they resist it violently.

All of this sounds so harsh, but it is so real.

And I am very, very passionate about this beatitude because it amazes me.

I have to say it again, how the body of Christ is so willing to throw stones at men and women of God when other people do it.

And the thing is, that is almost the sign of a true man of God.

That is almost the sign of a true one.

You can look for the boulders to go straight to their head because Jesus said, said they would.

So what are some of the forms of persecution that I'm talking about?

Because Jesus lists several forms that persecution can take.

They revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.

So they're lying.

Reviling means insulting, mocking, or speaking abusively.

Persecutors heap scorn on believers.

They mock their faith.

They ridicule their conviction.

Then there's physical persecution, which includes violence, imprisonment, economic harm, and sometimes even death.

Throughout church history, believers have been beaten in prison, tortured and killed for following Jesus.

And even today, Christians around the world face this very persecution for their faith.

False accusations are lies spread about believers to damage their reputations.

Persecutors claim believers are hateful, intolerant, ignorant, or dangerous.

They spread false stories to turn others against them.

Persecution also includes exclusion and marginalization.

People lose jobs because of their faith.

They're excluded from social circles, and they're denied opportunities.

That is a good thing, that I am glad our God is the greatest of all time.

Because you know what?

I digress.

In Western culture today, persecution often takes forms of mockery and exclusion, economic pressure and social hostility rather than physical violence.

But persecution is persecution, regardless of its form.

But there is a promise.

Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus promises that those persecuted for righteousness possess the kingdom of heaven, period.

This is the same promise given to the poor in spirit.

The Beatitudes begin and end with this promise.

This promise means that persecution cannot rob you of what matters most.

They can take your reputation, your job, your possessions, your freedom, and even your life, but they cannot take the kingdom you possess.

What persecution cannot touch.

The promise also means that present suffering is temporary, while the kingdom is eternal.

Romans 8:18 says, For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The kingdom belongs to those who are persecuted.

Now, present tense.

And you don't have to wait until persecution ends to possess the kingdom.

You can have it now, even while suffering.

Jesus doesn't say persecution is blessed.

He commands a response.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.

And this seems impossible.

How can you rejoice when people are opposing you, mocking you, lying on you, or harming you?

The Greek word for rejoice is chero C H A I R O which means to be glad or joyful.

The phrase be exceedingly glad intensifies that.

It means to jump for joy.

So when they wrote this originally, they were magnifying, glad and joyful.

It means to jump for joy, to be filled with great gladness.

And this joy does not come from suffering itself.

Suffering does not feel good.

The joy comes from what the suffering means that you're counted worthy to suffer for Jesus.

And this is definitely a revelation that it takes the Holy Spirit to reveal and cause it to be real in your heart.

So I pray that you ask him to do so.

Because I had to.

Because nothing amazing sat well with me about persecution.

The scripture, it pleased him to bruise.

Jesus troubled me for many years of my saved walk until I got a great understanding.

I asked God, I just.

He knew in my heart this is not okay, Lord.

But he revealed to me the great love for us behind why it pleased him.

And he had to do it, though, because the understanding of my own would have never gotten it.

So ask him to reveal to you and to seek this in your heart, so that when and if.

Because if you are called to do great things in the kingdom, to be a mouthpiece for the Lord, you will be persecuted.

And it's good to already have that revelation on the inside, so that when those things begin to sting, he can rub salve on it.

The joy doesn't come from suffering itself.

Like I said, the joy comes from what the suffering means.

Your life is threatening enough to the kingdom of darkness that it provokes opposition.

Acts 5:41 records that after the apostles were beaten and commanded not to speak in Jesus name, they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

This joy comes from the confidence, full confidence, not only in the man of Jesus, in the divinity of Jesus, in the Lord Jesus, but in future rewards.

Jesus says, great is your reward in heaven.

What you lose now, you'll gain eternally.

And what costs you something here brings a reward there.

Great is your reward in heaven.

And this reward isn't earned salvation.

Salvation is by grace, through faith alone.

The reward is additional blessing given to those who suffered for Jesus.

Scripture speaks of different levels of rewards.

In heaven.

Some will receive greater honor, greater responsibility, greater joy.

And those who suffer for Jesus will receive special reward for their faithfulness under persecution.

Hebrews chapter 10, verses 34 describes believers who joyfully accept the plundering of their goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

The Promise of reward doesn't make persecution easy at all, but it provides perspective.

You're not suffering meaninglessly.

What you sacrifice for Jesus, you'll receive back multiplied.

Jesus ends this beatitude by connecting persecuted believers with the prophets, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When you suffer for righteousness, you're joining a long line of faithful people who suffered before you.

The prophets were persecuted for speaking God's truth.

They were mocked, rejected, imprisoned, and killed.

Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern, John the Baptist was beheaded, and Stephen was stoned.

And that's just a few of them.

When you face persecution, you're in good company.

You're walking a path Jesus walked a path the prophets walked, a path the apostles walked.

You're part of a heritage of faithful people who chose righteousness despite the cause.

And Jesus experienced the ultimate persecution.

He was perfectly righteous, yet he faced constant opposition.

Religious leaders plotted against him.

His own people rejected him.

He was falsely accused, unfairly treating, beaten, mocked and crucified.

And again, I have to say, this is why I am so surprised that the church throws stones at so many men and women of God.

Hear me.

He faced constant opposition, plotted against, rejected.

He was falsely accused, unfairly tried, beaten, mocked, and crucified.

This is what they do, y'.

All, so take heart first.

Peter 2:21 23 says, for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.

Jesus endured persecution without retaliating.

He maintained righteousness while suffering, and he trusted the Father through it all.

When we face persecution, we're following Jesus and we're sharing in his sufferings.

Not all believers will face severe persecution.

Many Christians in Western culture experience minimal opposition for their faith.

They may face mockery and they're lied about, or social exclusion, but not imprisonment, violence, or death as of yet.

This doesn't mean they're failing to follow Jesus.

It may mean that they live in a time and place where religious freedom exists.

However, all believers will face some form of opposition.

Believers who face minimal persecution should use their freedom to serve God even more boldly and support believers around the world who face severe persecution through prayer, advocacy, and practical help.

Now, while Jesus blesses those persecuted for righteousness, he does not command believers to seek persecution unnecessarily.

When persecution comes, do it faithfully, but don't provoke it foolishly.

Jesus himself avoided persecution at times.

Fleeing persecution when possible, is wisdom.

The key is motivation.

Don't deny Jesus or compromise truth to avoid persecution, and don't stop following him because opposition comes.

But don't foolishly provoke persecution when wisdom would prevent it.

When persecution comes despite your wisdom, endure it faithfully.

When you can avoid it without compromising faith, use wisdom to do so.

The goal isn't to suffer, but to remain faithful.

Whether suffering comes or not.

We will move on to this week's Scripture Spotlight and It comes from Second Timothy, Chapter 3, verses 12.

It reads yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

New King James Version this verse, written by Paul near the end of his life, states a very sobering reality about following Jesus that persecution is not optional.

It is not reserved for a special category of super committed Christians.

All who desire to live godly will experience it.

But there's context to this.

Paul wrote second Timothy from prison, likely shortly before his own execution.

He was suffering severe persecution, imprisoned, facing death, abandoned by some followers.

And from this context of personal suffering, Paul wrote to encourage Timothy to remain faithful.

2 Timothy chapter 3 describes difficult times coming in the last days.

People will love themselves, love money, be proud, blasphemers, disobedient.

In this hostile environment, Paul tells Timothy what to expect.

After describing his own persecutions, Paul makes a declaration in verse 12 yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

The verse begins with all, and this is universal.

All means all.

Not some, not just apostles or missionaries.

All believers who desire to live godly will face persecution.

The phrase desire to live godly describes commitment to following Jesus and living according to God's standards.

It describes people who take their faith seriously and who order their lives around obedience to God, who pursue righteousness with intention.

This desire distinguishes genuine believers from normal Christians.

Many people claim Christian identity but live not so much.

They don't pursue things of Christ.

They compromise truth to fit in.

And these people face little opposition because they're not threatening to anyone.

But those who genuinely desire godliness, who pursue holiness, who live distinctly, who refuse to compromise, will face persecution.

The verb is definite.

Will suffer, not might suffer or could suffer.

Will suffer.

Persecution is certain for those who live godly lives in Christ, and this certainty helps believers prepare.

You don't wonder if persecution will come.

And it should also help you to be able to extend grace to other believers who are being persecuted.

Because you never know when it will be your turn to be on the public stage, to be in that very same position.

Expect it.

Count the costs.

Decide in advance that following Jesus is worth whatever opposition comes.

The certainty also prevents false conclusion.

When persecution comes, you don't question whether you're doing something wrong.

When people oppose you for righteousness, you remember that Jesus said this would happen.

The word persecution here is the same as the root word in the Beatitudes, Dioco, meaning to pursue with hostile intent.

Living godly in Christ Jesus means living according to kingdom values.

In a world that rejects those values, your life becomes a rebuke to some.

Your obedience to God threatens those who want autonomy, and your proclamation of Jesus challenges those who reject His Lordship.

A servant is not greater than his master.

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

And this verse calls for honesty about what following Jesus costs.

Don't present Christianity as a path to comfort, success and approval.

Tell people the truth.

Following Jesus will bring opposition.

Living for Christ is costly.

This honesty can prepare believers so that when persecution comes, they are not shocked.

They remember they were told that this would happen.

And they recognize that opposition confirms their living rightly.

This verse also calls for commitment.

Knowing persecution will come, will you still follow?

Knowing godliness provokes opposition, Will you still pursue holiness?

And knowing that living for Christ costs something, is he worth it?

Paul endured persecution faithfully, and he finished well.

He received the reward, and the same is available to all of us.

Amen.

We will move on to this week's Selah moment and prayer.

We're going to skip Paul's prompts because I have ran all the way over.

So we're going to go ahead and wrap this thing up.

This is our opportunity to count the cost of following Jesus and commit to remaining faithful despite opposition.

You can begin by sitting comfortably and taking several slow, deep breaths and picture Jesus on the cross, suffering the ultimate persecution for righteousness.

He endured for you.

He remained faithful despite the cost.

Acknowledge honestly what following Jesus cost you and what opposition you might face.

What might you lose?

What price might you pay for living godly in a world that rejects God?

Ask yourself, are you compromising to avoid opposition?

Are you hiding your faith to maintain comfort?

Are you adjusting your life to fit in?

Rather than standing out for Jesus, choose To remain faithful regardless of the cause.

Commit to living godly despite any persecution.

Decide that Jesus is worth whatever following him costs.

Let us pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for Jesus who endured persecution for us.

Thank you that he faced mockery, false accusations, beating and death for our sake.

Thank you that he remained faithful through it all, trusting you through his suffering.

Holy Spirit, prepare us for persecution.

Help us count the cost of following Jesus and choose to pay it.

Give us courage to remain faithful when opposition comes.

Sustain us through suffering for righteousness sake.

Forgive us for compromising to avoid opposition.

Forgive us for hiding our faith to maintain comfort and forgive us for adjusting our our lives to fit in rather than living distinctly for Jesus.

Help us understand that persecution is certain for those who live godly.

Help us expect opposition rather than being surprised by it.

Help us recognize that facing hostility for righteousness confirms that we're walking the right path when people mock our faith.

Give us courage to continue following Jesus when they exclude us for our convictions.

Help us value your approval above theirs.

When they speak evil of us falsely, Help us respond with love rather than hatred.

Give us courage to speak truth even when it brings opposition.

And help us proclaim Jesus boldly regardless of consequences.

Make us willing to stand for righteousness even when it costs us not something, but everything.

Produce joy in us when we suffer for Jesus.

Help us rejoice that we're counted worthy to suffer for his name.

Help us celebrate that we're walking the path prophets and apostles walk before us, Lord.

Keep eternity in view for us.

Help us remember that present suffering is temporary while future glory is eternal.

Help us live for reward that lasts rather than comfort that will surely fade when persecution intensifies.

Provide what we need to endure, Lord.

Give us courage to remain faithful and give us peace in the midst of suffering.

Give us strength to continue when we want to quit.

Help us love our enemies when people persecute us.

Help us to bless them as you said when they curse us.

Help us to pray for them and let our response to persecution display your character.

Connect us with believers around the world who face persecution and help us to pray for them, to support them, to remember that we're part of a global family where some members suffer greatly.

For following you.

Thank you for the promise that those persecutors for righteousness possess the kingdom of heaven.

Thank you that opposition cannot take away what matters most.

Thank you that we have access to your presence regardless of what persecution takes from us.

Thank you that great is our reward in heaven.

And thank you that present suffering produces eternal glory.

Help us live for what lasts rather than for what fades.

Make us faithful, Lord.

Whatever persecution comes, however opposition manifests, whatever following Jesus costs, make us faithful.

Help us endure.

Help us remain true.

Help us finish well.

It is in Jesus name who endure persecution and remain faithful to death.

And it is so let's lean into our Selah moment.

That is it for today, my friends.

Thank you for listening to Living the Selah life.

If this moment stirred something in your spirit, please share it with someone who needs to be reminded to pause and listen.

You can connect with me on Instagram, a Facebook group, not page or YouTube at Living the Selah life or email me your story@livingtheselahliferoton me.

Until next time, remember that God is speaking.

He wants to guide you and direct you and give you wisdom.

His wisdom for your life.

Create space to listen.

Count the cost of following Jesus and choose to pay it knowing he's worth whatever it costs.

May you go from this place resting, carrying the awareness that his presence is always near.

May you be rooted in the unshakable word of God, the Logos that ground you and the rhema that guide you.

May you keep rising into the life he designed for you, into purpose, into peace, into the fullness of his calling.

May your life become a living Selah, an intentional pause that reveals his presence in Jesus name.

And it is so Selah.