What causes people to turn against me? - Against - TouchPoints

Psalm 38:19-20I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good.

Psalm 35:11Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.

Psalm 109:3They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.

Psalm 37:12The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.

Psalm 140:2, 4those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long . . . O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked. Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.

Proverbs 24:2For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble.

Acts 14:2, 5Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas . . . Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them.

Evil influences can stir up people against you, often unjustly, in the form of accusations and even persecution.

John 15:18-19If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

John 17:14I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

1 Peter 4:14-19If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

Following Jesus may cause some to hate us. Those who love sin hate those who are against sin. If we take a stand against sin, we can expect opposition.

1 Peter 2:20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

1 Peter 4:15If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people's affairs.

Romans 12:21Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

1 Peter 2:12Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Not every anti-Christian attitude is persecution for following Christ. Sometimes, people may turn against Christians out of frustrations with the un-Christlike attitudes and actions of some who claim to follow Christ. As representatives of Christ, we must take care to live out the gospel humbly and in love (John 13:35, Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 5:16).

Exodus 14:11And they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?”

Exodus 15:24Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.

Numbers 20:2There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.

Those in leadership positions are vulnerable to others turning against them. The leader often gets the blame when anything goes wrong, even if they were not at fault for the circumstances.

Genesis 37:4, 11But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him . . . But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Jealousy can cause others to turn against us.

Acts 6:9-11But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.”

These men turned against Stephen because his wisdom, which came from God, clearly made more sense than their arguments. When you speak with divine wisdom, some people don’t want to hear it because they are against God’s ways of living.

Acts 16:19-24Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

When others feel threatened, they may turn against us.