The 19th-century French author and politician Victor Hugo once wrote, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”That quote resonated with Winston Churchill, who loved to quote it such that it is often misattributed to him. But, what a true saying! A person who never stands for anything never makes an enemy, but the one who takes a stand on anything will always see opposition rise up.

Apostle Paul certainly found that to be true. He stood strongly for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and everywhere he went, enemies and opponents sprung up. In the book of Philippians, he told Christians to contend together for the faith of the gospel, to stand up for truth, to fight the good fight. And he knew that if they did that, there would be people rising in opposition.

But his word to them in Philippians 1:28 was essentially, “Don’t be alarmed by your opponents in any way. Their opposition to you is a sign of their destruction from God and your salvation from God.” Beloved, let that sink in. When you stand up for truth and people take sides against you, they are the losers in the long run. No matter how much grief they cause you, no matter how big and bad they are and how much they throw their weight around, they are foretelling their destruction and will not win in the end. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about them because God is going to deal with them.

You have enemies? Good. Keep standing for what’s true. Never forget that the man who stands with God always stands in the right and always wins in the end.

Change begins in you!