1 Peter 4:19 ... Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of
God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator.
Exhortation: (Joan Boney... apostle/prophet)
Paul explained: all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. II Tim. 3:12
If you are trying to live godly, following God, by Christ Jesus, THE WORD OF GOD, you will suffer persecution.
All who do this will suffer persecution.
I've had so many times when people have "demanded" that I stop speaking ... This is not unusual when it happens. (It does hurt and brings grief, for the people who should love the word spoken hate that word spoken by the Spirit through prophets of God.) And usually these people are religious leaders in their church groups. It is exactly the same way it was with Jesus when HE spoke and they tried to stop Him and the way it was with Peter when they commanded him not to speak in "HIS" name ... and the prophets in the OT went through this all the time.
The Word is the offense to them.
As long as we go along with the evil, the people are happy. When we turn on the light the darkness objects, thus the persecution comes. For most of us the persecution comes without physical abuse. We are mentally abused.
But because we are persuaded the way we are going is of God and that which we are speaking is of God, we suffer their abuse against us. We pray, committing ourselves to God ... but it still hurts and we still have to fight a spiritual warfare to do the will of God in the situation.
But God always restores my soul when I turn to HIM with their words.