"God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."  -Matthew 5:10-12 NLT

Jaelene Hinkle played collegiate soccer for the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2011 to 2014. Then, she was selected seventh in the 2015 National Women’s Soccer League College Draft to the Western New York Flash.

In 2017, Jaelene, a believer of Jesus, was invited to play for the USA Women’s Soccer team in two international friendlies’ games. Days before the games, it was announced that the team’s jersey was going to honor the LGBTQ community for Pride Month. As a result, Hinkle thought it was best for her to pray and truly seek God about whether she should wear a jersey that honored the LGBTQ community. She stated in an interview with The 700 Club that “I felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey.” After seeking God, she withdrew from the games, receiving heavy criticism for her decision.

I commend her for standing up for what is right according to the word of God. Also, I commend her for being willing to listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, even if following her dream was at stake. This world is full of darkness where sin like homosexuality, abortion, greed, marital infidelity, and sexual immorality is normalized. It is important for Christians to understand that we are meant to be the light of the world and we are called to be different (Matthew 5:14-16 and Romans 12:2).

How do we know the difference between right and wrong or what is a sin or what isn’t? We learn this through reading and studying the word of God, the Bible.

The word of God must be the source and guide of our lives and we must study it because it helps to understand how to be more and more like Jesus Christ and how we should handle every aspect of our daily lives. God is there for us but we must be willing to listen and obey. Remember that He speaks in a small, still voice.

As followers of Jesus, we will have to make decisions that unbelievers will not agree with. We must stand for what is right according to the Bible without compromising our beliefs or worrying about what unbelievers may say or do. It is so important for us to speak the truth in love. Our lives should be Christ-like as we witness and tell others about Jesus Christ. If we do and/or say something that differs from what culture says because of our Christian beliefs (based on the word of God), we should expect to be persecuted by others. We should expect to be persecuted by unbelievers because we are followers of Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12). When we are persecuted, be strong in the Lord and in your beliefs and never waiver from them. The enemy wants to use the world to try deceive us as Christians, causing us to compromise and be like the world.

Be like Christ, not the world. Be bold for the Lord. Be happy when you are persecuted even when it seems like you are being persecuted for no reason. It shows that you are a follower of Christ and you are doing something by the grace of God.

Fear God, not man (Matthew 10:26-28)! One thing that you should ask yourself…are you willing to be obedient to God when He speaks to you no matter the cost?

God's Word is our guide

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

2 Timothy 3:12

Galatians 1:10

Romans 12:1-2

John 8:31-32

1 Samuel 15:22