“When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple.” Jeremiah 20:1-2 NIV
These verses reminded me of the persecution that many Christians are facing today. According to Christianity Today, 8 Christians worldwide are being killed everyday because of their faith. Every week, 182 churches or Christian buildings are attacked. Of their list of the top 50 nations that are the hardest to follow Jesus, in the year 2020, they estimate that there are over 260 million Christians suffering at high to severe levels of persecution.
What’s further troubling with the above verse is that Jeremiah was persecuted not by whom one would expect, but by the official in charge of the temple of the Lord. Just as in Jeremiah’s time, we face false prophets and those who claim to be wise. In order to know the Lord’s truth from those that deceive, we need to humble ourselves before the Lord and seek Him in prayer.
Further to that, just as Jeremiah, may we became weary of holding in the word of the Lord to those that need to hear it. Willing to go beyond our comfort zone and needing to rely totally on our God and not ourselves.
Lock Your Wings 
Yes! Your comment reminds me of a sermon at church once…how do counterfeit experts know real from fake? They don’t study the imitation, they study and know the real thing so that any counterfeit bills are quickly identified. When we know God’s word, we are not easily deceived by false testimony.
This stood out for me: “But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten.”
Jeremiah 20:11 NLT
We are not fighting the battle alone. God is with us despite all the circumstances and lies that would have us believe otherwise.
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