Vow No More Fighting with Foes This Year

Arguing, fighting, belittling, and more goes on year after year with some family members and friends and what are the results?  Stonewalling, gas-lighting, threats, and getting the unsuspecting involved in the bitter dramas?  Is it worth it? 

Absolutely not!  The pain and the consequences are simply too much too bear!  Someone ends up sick as a result of the stress.  Another relative no longer wants to be around family.  A person may end up in jail or worse dead!  This is why on my YouTube channel: NM Enterprise 7, I am a strong advocate of separating from toxic people/places/things, going low contact, no contact, or grin until you have an exit plan! 

We don't need any more strife in our lives.  Sometimes just eating can be difficult and then throw-in a toxic person that gives you indigestion (sigh)!  We all can do better and we will!  A fed up mind will find his or her peace sooner or later, but not one who refuses to change!  No, that person will keep suffering in his or her mess.

Don't fight with those who can't see the light (truth), can't stand the light, or see the light but refuse correction!  We have too much work to do for our Creator!  Believers, no need to keep beating the unbelieving over the head about being FREE!  Rather what we do, is create our own environment of peace, build personal boundaries, and focus on God's will for our lives!  The enemy will say, "How dare you?  Who do you think you are?"  Simply respond, "I am a child of God!"

State a personal declaration this day, "I will no longer fight with foes this year!"  Then proceed to do what you can to stay clear of those who repeatedly disrespect you or do other things that hurt you often.

1)  Block them online and offline.

2)  Don't converse with them at any length if they should reach you online or via phone, approach your doorstep or suddenly show up in your path.

3)  No inviting them to your family events and those who refuse your wishes of not wanting to see them, don't include them in on your future holiday planning.

4) Share your pain with those who care, but don't dwell in that space for long, rise above it by doing the kind of things that mentally, physically and spiritually build you up.

5) Say a prayer for yourself that God will bless you with more love in your heart for your enemies.  Ask other believers to pray for you!

This upcoming year is going to be someone's best year because you are no longer connecting with the wrong people--God bless!

Nicholl McGuire is the author of Know Your Enemy: The Christian's Critic and other books.   

When the Enemy is a Relative, Friend or Partner

No one anticipates that he or she will be a sparring partner for someone who is a close relative or friend.  You don't expect God to use you, a mere vessel, to whip a loved one into shape while God works on you too during the process.  You might assume some people are like you, they will just learn to love the Lord and trust in Him without any significant battle looming especially if it is one involving yourself.  But sometimes God's timing is not ours and his methods of reaching someone doesn't look remotely similar to what we might expect.

So here you are a man or woman flawed and being used to test your relative, partner or friend.  You experience a supernatural feeling that seems to disappear from your body either a week or so before the big blow up.  You feel alone, distant from God, and you hope that He is still with you.  Days or weeks later, the results of God's distance in your life is truly felt.  What has come over you?  You tend to  act in ways you didn't expect with someone God has marked.  A person with real issues that you simply can't deal with and seem to be all alone in your trial with him or her.  Your sparring partner is just as confused as you are once the match comes to an end.  "How did we end up like this?  What just happened, I'm confused."  Disagreements, angry words, no sign of Jesus, and an empty feeling that causes you to doubt whether you are a believer.  Welcome to a new level in your spiritual walk!  The same God who you might have felt left you, was still close all the time! 

You might have heard an old expression, "New levels, new devils" among Christians.  Well, when God puts us through some life challenges, He has a way of working it all out for our good.  You walk away from spiritual warfare unscathed.  You feel renewed in mind, body and spirit.  You have yet another new perspective on your walk.  You draw near to your heavenly Father.  In addition, you might have noticed that your sparring partner realizes that God is after he or she using you.  This person may not ever see you in the same way again, but God!

God's chosen will be used to draw God's chosen near at times.  Did you catch that?  Re-read.  It is during those spiritual battles that the one who is having to present truth in a way that is like someone screaming over a megaphone must exercise as much self-control as he or she can muster through the help of God.  Even if you feel like you really want to shake the lies right out of your loved one, smack your friend, and kick your partner out the house, you must refrain.  God will permit the enemy to take you ever so close to the edge of what you might think is a mental breakdown, when in fact it is nothing more than spiritual breakthrough (Read the book of Job). 

A spiritual awakening doesn't always show up in a praise or shout, lying prostrate before the Lord, singing, praying, or passing out in the Spirit.  It can come in the least likely way for a season.  Your loved one can look like your worst enemy!  But hold on, just hold on to God's unchanging hand!  

Confess any sin committed during your spiritual test, repent of your ways.  Forgive those who have offended you (meaning stop plotting revenge or wishing evil on them).  Realize that having sparring partners every now and then strengthens your faith and keeps you humble.  A boxer can't win a match without some practice!  When the trial is complete, wear your spiritual armor for the next one if you forgot to put it on the last one.  Some prideful Christians learn through many fights, they just aren't as good as they might have thought.  God is still refining you.

Nicholl McGuire

 

God Will Permit the Debate, Screaming Match Use it for His Glory

As much as we try to avoid a confrontation, argument or some other unpleasant event to occur with someone who we genuinely care about, sometimes it is unavoidable.  Someone is going to say something that causes much upset, so what do you do when this happens?  Focus on the positive.

God could have stopped the angry dispute, but he didn't.  Sometimes he permits negative events to happen so that his perfect will is made manifest.  Know that what you pray for is a part of God's will.  If you wanted peace, the enemy is going to cause chaos.  If you wanted freedom, the enemy is going to try to find a way to mentally bind you.  If you wanted love, the enemy will rise up and create hate.  Whatever is honest, true, righteous and the like, your foe has an opposite ready to kill, steal or destroy your happiness.

Now sometimes we simply do the wrong things in life and then we think that the devil has something to do with making us miserable.  I think of a time when I spoke to someone about a concern and before long the individual was falsely assuming that I was doing nothing more than causing trouble; therefore deeming me a trouble-maker or working on the side of the enemy.  Rather than face his issue, address the complaints, and put to rest his accusations, he preferred to keep an imaginary war going by speaking wrongly of me.  This sort of distraction technique only added fuel to the fire between us and ignited my temple like a can of explosives!  But when the smoke cleared and I made some time for myself, I realized that everything I ever wanted to say was out in the open and I felt better.  I also could see the light at the end of the tunnel too!  Answer to prayer is powerful and it isn't always going to come in the way that you think.  God is going to put trials before us to see what we are made of.  Can you stand the heat in the kitchen?  Is there an escape plan, a fire extinguisher in all that madness?  Someone or something just might come in and put those fires out--you never know--especially if they were never meant to be in the first place.

So when people pity you or talk about you because you blew your top defending yourself or someone else, don't worry over what they think; rather sit back and let God use the challenging situation to perform his perfect will.

Nicholl McGuire