In this together

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. (Philippians 1:28-30)

Stop for just a moment to think how your strength in the midst of trials and hurtful things speaks to others. It actually stands as a 'sign' to your enemy that you are going to be standing stronger when it is all finished! That frightens them more than you know because they realize they won't fair as well. We have the privilege of standing in the midst of those hurtful things with the presence of Christ - something they know full well they lack. We have the privilege of trusting in Christ. Have you ever thought of your faith in Christ as a privilege that gives you an 'advantage' over your enemy? It gives you the 'edge' to not only stand strong in the midst of the attack, but to come out of it stronger than you were when you were in the midst of it. 

The first sentence is important: Don't be intimidated IN ANY WAY by your enemies. If you are anything like me, you find it a bit easier to 'stand strong' without fear or intimidation overcoming your emotions in SOME circumstances, while others evoke the immediate 'fight or flight' response that gets your whole insides in a bundle rather quickly. The power behind intimidation is the fear it evokes. There is something your enemy will use as a 'trigger' to attempt to make you feel like you cannot stand against the attack. That is his method - to use what evokes fear in us. The sooner we recognize that, the easier it will be to recognize when he is at work doing his best to 'intimidate' us and wear us down.

Intimidation works because there is a belief someone has more 'power' or 'strength' than we do. They give the impression of being 'superior' to us or our standing somehow. Remember this - it is only a 'role-playing' position for them - they have no superiority over a child of God! We don't 'out-whit' our enemy, we 'outweigh' him on every plane. The sooner we recognize that the sooner we will send our enemy packing when he comes with overwhelming circumstances aimed at evoking inner fear and the dread that accompanies it. Just sayin!