When I say unto the
wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor
speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life;
the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I
require at thine hand.
Ezekiel 3:18
Your brother or sister in Christ might
be a troublemaker for all the wrong reasons! Angry because all her
relationships ended in failure, bitter because her childhood wasn’t
like the rest, miserable due to health issues, and upset with the
church. So the unforgiving and jealous single woman creates a
women’s organization that preaches an “off with his head” kind
of gospel. Although this is a mere example, the disturbing part to
consider is there may be someone who is leading in your home, at
church, or in the workplace who secretly feels like the angry single
woman.
In this next example, we have a bitter,
married man who can’t seem to get along with fellow Christian men,
so he makes a mockery of these men on a daily radio program.
Meanwhile, he attempts to get men to come together and work out their
differences in a social group he heads. However, he is often guilty
of using the struggles of these men in his comedic story-telling.
In both of the previous mentioned
examples, these troublemakers have in the closet issues that are
masked in such a way that appear like they are helping others when
the fact is they are recruiting future trouble-makers, people ready
to argue or joke about important matters stirring up trouble in such
a way so that they appear like they are in control, reputable and
likeable because they so-called speak truth or “keep it real”.
Most often men and women who partner with angry and bitter people
turn out to have many ways that look like their leaders and they
eventually struggle with similar demons.
There are those people who say they do
not start trouble. They will not witness to anyone about God, share
their personal beliefs, attend a church, help a brother or sister
when they see they need assistance, or visit any family members or
friends because they fear they might be mixed up in someone else’s
drama. This sort of behavior we expect from the unsaved and the
backslider, but when people act like this who claim to be Christ
believers, you have to question whether or not these people sincerely
trust in the Lord like they claim. But if one is indeed a true
believer, he or she will permit God to have his way in his or her
life and do whatever God says do. However, the truth is we have more
Jonahs and Judas’ in this world than Abrahams and Noahs.
Do you think Jesus would approve of
believers who keep silent about issues especially when the devil’s
trouble-making minions are around? These “mind my own business”
types believe that by living in their homes and not confronting
relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others on wrongs, they
aren’t starting any trouble; therefore they must be living right.
But the truth is some of these people are starting trouble when they
act silently on wrongdoing. They are no better than the critic who
finds fault with them just for sitting at home! “I won’t call
the police on those people, because…well I don’t know if they
might shoot up my house, the noise ain’t so bad. I don’t want to
be bothered with her kids, because I have enough issues of my own. I
don’t like those folks over there—you know what they say about
their culture. That’s why I mind my own business!” the so-called
Christ follower says. No making trouble and trouble won’t follow
you unless that is what some believe until it shows up unexpectedly
in one’s front yard.
A partner has repeatedly done something
to offend, so a loved one reasons, “I’ll just be quiet, I don’t
want to talk to him about it because I know how he is.” A child
keeps making the same mistakes in school, a parent says, “I don’t
want to hear her sassy mouth today, so I will just hope for the
best.” Notice in these two examples, one is in trouble or making
trouble and those who should be talking won’t. I have to ask
again, “Where is the believer’s faith?” Prayer helps, but
confrontation exposes the foolishness and moves one to make changes
or else.
Some Christ followers may live their
lives seemingly peaceful, but be guilty of making unrighteous
comments via phone, email, or a social networking site about fellow
brothers and sisters, the unsaved, lost and confused while claiming
they aren’t trouble-makers. These people who mind everyone else’s
business (but their own), may start a conversation with anyone they
believe will support them on their opinions. They hope to gain
support when talking about others’ weaknesses. By doing this, they
deflect from their personal challenges. However, the God we serve
has an interesting way of exposing the prideful whether with them or
through the one’s they love. “My mother says she doesn’t make
any trouble, but the truth is, she is always saying something
negative to someone. My uncle claims that he loves the Lord, but
just the other day he was yelling at all of us for the littlest of
things, yet he says he doesn’t bother anyone.” Is anyone saying
this about you or have you noticed someone like this in your circle?
Other troublemakers, who could also be
described as pessimistic critics of the faith, typically lack good
communication skills and often become emotional when one is trying to
convey a point about the Lord. They refuse to admit that their
criticism of others and discouraging words are causing more harm than
good. The wayward Christian justifies arguing with a friend over a
trivial matter. The unbelieving spouse finds fault with everyone but
himself; meanwhile accuses others of trouble-making. When asked a
question about one’s belief system, the critic will respond in a
negative tone of voice. These same people, who claim not to start
fights, wouldn’t be so quick-tongued, angry, or bitter if they were
sincerely peacemakers.
The conflict starter who is comfortable
with the following: verbally and/or physically fighting, being the
center of a conflict, or participating in a tag team with other
like-minded fighters, will not only start a fight, but keep it going.
They read into everything even when there is nothing to be read!
There are still people in this world with good intentions, but a
trouble-making critic who isn’t about God’s business isn’t one
of them!
The troublemaker looks for wrongs in
situations even when a judgment of right or wrong is unnecessary.
The wicked will influence one’s mindset to doubt what he or she
believes to be true, and overall causes upset in situations that most
would normally feel comfortable.
One who purposely makes trouble tends
to lack self-control and is oftentimes at war with most people from
the man at the deli counter to the police officer who pulls him over
for a traffic violation.
The troublemaker might say something
like, “What do you think she meant when she said…How did his
statement make you feel, I felt like he was trying to make me look
like a fool…Do you really think this person really meant nothing by
what she said?” If you have watched any reality show, you know
that there is always one who appears like he or she is a friend to
everyone, but upon closer inspection you notice that the idle woman
or man is nothing more than a foe to all who has one objective: to
stand out from the rest so that he or she can boost his or her
career.
When there are misunderstandings such
as when a Christian does the following: prophecies, presents a
sermon, instructs a class, shares a book, creates a video, writes
text, sends email, records voicemail, or does some other thing people
will scrutinize him or her like the Pharisees did Jesus. The critic
will suggest that, “He is a false prophet…She doesn’t know what
she is talking about…” The more influence the Christian has over
the masses, the more criticism. The foe says negative things in an
effort to discredit the person and put away truth. Trouble-making
individuals pick fights and they prey on the emotionally weak. In
Proverbs 15:4 (NIV,) we are advised, “The tongue that brings
healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the
spirit.” How many times have we all experienced some degree of
criticism from a trouble-making foe who was jealous, bitter,
unforgiving, or mean-spirited all because we questioned, exposed, or
shared truth?
Discerning individuals should be able
to see the critic’s accusations as nothing more than an act of
rebellion and unfortunately an attack on the one true God who stands
behind his messengers. We should never throw the baby out with the
bath water, when listening or reading the works that God inspired his
chosen to use to uplift, encourage, teach, and admonish the church
body when dealing with troublemakers. Otherwise, we are no better
than the trouble-making fool, who is used by Satan, to get believers
off track in their missions to perform the Father’s will.
In the Holy Bible, Samuel was faced
with some opposition from naysayers who decided to act in petty ways
toward him while he was being led by God. According to 1 Samuel
10:25-27, “Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom,
and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel
sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went
home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts
God had touched. But the children of Belial said, How shall this man
save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he
held his peace.” Notice he didn’t confront the people, ask what
their concerns were, or set up a room for debate. Some of us, when
faced with similar petty behavior, know that at times we don’t hold
our peace. We want to get all parties together to discuss the issue.
The Lord told me, there is a time and a place for everything and not
every issue needs to be publically or privately addressed. When we
ignore the voice of the Lord and choose to confront those who have
offended us anyway, the end result usually is that we are looked at
as troublemakers. The critic has a field day when God’s people act
like fools! “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the
mouth of the fool gushes folly” (Proverbs 15:2).
Now some people you know may have a
legitimate concern about you and your faith; therefore they will ask
questions in an attempt to try to make sense of what you said or done
that may or may not offended them. Others will specifically look for
issues with you for personal reasons such as: unresolved past issues,
jealousy, anger and distrust. These critics of your faith may:
disagree vehemently with your belief system, have a
racial/gender/denomination/social class bias, avoid resolving past
issues, don’t manage jealous feelings, have anger management
issues, a mental condition, or have far more complicated reasons too
long to discuss here.
Sometimes we need only to observe the
individual who is doing the questioning concerning our faith. Ask
yourself, “Is this person really sincere or is he or she starting
trouble?” There is the Jesus kind of troublemaker that spreads
biblical doctrine in attempt to help God’s people get deliverance
from what troubles them, but then there is the devilish kind of
troublemaker that attempts to destroy whatever or whoever is in his
or her path. Troublemakers that risk freedom, health and wealth to
bring truth to you and I are like Jesus. They shake up systems to
get them to conform. They desire change and want to see all benefit,
not just themselves. Yet, there are those individuals we must
recognize as nothing more than false messengers, prophets, teachers,
truth-tellers, and more who want nothing more than to achieve
personal gain off the backs of the true freedom fighters. These
people must be immediately expelled from your group as soon as you
see that they are working for a common foe.
Satan sends demonic spirits
specifically designed to get on your nerves or frustrate you when you
are trying to do what’s right in your personal and professional
lives. Consider when a man or woman speaks before an audience and
begins to share the kind of truth that upsets tradition and causes
one to question whether he or she is in fact a child of God, there is
one in the audience that might cause tension in the air with
disrespectful comments because he or she isn’t ready for truth.
This is why the heckler, the argumentative type, and the strange are
quickly removed from any large gathering. Whether justified
troublemaking or not, some are more concerned about bringing
attention to themselves then to the issues. Attendees can easily
oppose a speaker simply by passing out fliers before or after an
event, holding up signs, talking to the media who are present at the
gathering, sharing a letter or other documents about an issue, or
catching the speaker off guard when he or she isn’t standing before
an audience that may or may not go along with what he or she is
saying.
Sometimes troublemaking individuals are
by design, planted at events, meetings, and elsewhere with the goal
to upset progress. These political, spiritual, creative types are
paid by some of the most influential and richest men and women in the
world to cause mayhem from committing crimes like stealing and murder
to doing simpler things like sitting in an audience and making
various hand signals that only the speaker knows. If one is unaware
that he or she is being followed, pressured, or moved to stop doing
what he or she is doing, the heat is turned up until there is no
denying that someone or a group doesn’t want the truth, agenda,
project, or anything else to take root.
After 40 days of fasting without food
or water, do you think Jesus may have been a little irritated with
Satan’s statements and tests? Picture this, Jesus peacefully
walking in the heat and then in the cold, trying to have some quiet
time with his Father and then along comes the evil one talking in his
ear. The enemy loves to come with his tests when your flesh is weak.
From feelings of loneliness to hunger, your foe will distract you
with his or her trouble-making statements and requests, therefore
beware!
The enemy who acts nice and sweet in
the public eye is usually mean behind closed doors. How do you know?
Simply watch the person when under pressure or watch the reaction of
a partner or spouse around them. Some of us are so distracted by a
nice voice, an attractive physique and a fat wallet that we ignore
the red flags. Others are very perceptive of evil and may experience
cold chills and other uncomfortable emotions around certain
individuals. Feelings of nervousness and fear show up in body
language when a spouse, child, or someone closest to the troublemaker
is around them. These are good indicators a troublemakers inner
circle has a hard time dealing with him or her.
In addition to your observations, try
talking to the troublemaker before jumping to conclusions that he or
she might be an enemy. Sometimes a troublemaker could simply be
someone who is in fact a worker for God but just has a funny way of
showing it. Ask yourself, “Is this person acting out God’s
will or his or her own?” If we notice the person doing or
saying something that causes us to doubt whether this person is a
believer or not, then provide tips for a trouble-making critic only
when asked; however, don’t volunteer information. You never know
what a troublemaker might do with your story, comments, advice, and
other information if you are unsure about who this person represents.
Ask more questions than comments so that you can find out more about
him or her particularly if this person will be working with you. Try
to do and say the kind of things that bring out “the best” in
this person. One’s true intentions will come to light! Does this
person act impatient, irritable, roll eyes or even ignore you despite
your trying to be nice? You just may have a trouble-making enemy on
your hands.
Let’s say you have a friend who is
often offended whenever you ask him or her questions. No matter how
nice you converse with this person almost always something is taken
out of context. After each conversation, this person goes back to a
partner or friend to talk negatively about you just because you
rocked the boat with your questions. Now you are considered a
troublemaker for rocking the boat and if you should hear that this
person doesn’t like you or the things you say, most likely you have
a foe!
There are those individuals who we
might share our testimonies, revelations, dreams, and other
spiritually-related stories; yet we hear from third parties how a
relative or friend thinks we are too spiritual, talks too much about
one topic or another, and other “too this and too that”
statements. We might even learn that a trusted relative or friend is
known for frequently exaggerating and lying about not only believers,
but others as well. It is obvious that an enemy is in one’s camp
making torouble. But what do most Christians do when they are in a
situation like this? They try to hold on to their relatives and
friends anyway! People who have long turned into enemies, in the
hopes that God will miraculously change their evil ways-- don’t
count on it! Backsliders and the lost must go to God for help and be
committed to be more Christ-like.
Foes can be found in the most respected
and religious civic groups and nonprofit organizations. For
instance, there are those cliques that refuse to let outsiders in and
will not separate from a group in order to become better individuals.
They will protest together, gossip, lie, and even murder for one
another. They don’t care about what’s in the best interest of
the group. Rather, they are more concerned about what they can get
for free and for how long. Troublemakers who organize groups that
look and act like them and have no moral compass to follow, never
spiritually grow. They can’t be broken up unless someone inside
the group betrays the others. As long as they remain tightly bonded,
a messenger of God can warn the group until he or she is blue in the
face to stop doing certain negative activities and saying evil
things, but as long as they have their supportive network of
trouble-making, they will not budge.
Troublemakers, who are caught alone
with no group to back them up, are no match for a child of God gifted
in discernment and wise beyond his or her years. They will cower
when confronted, back-peddle, and try to make light of what was said
or done. These conflict starters may even lie just so that they
don’t have to keep talking about what they did or didn’t do in
front of you. God reveals who these people are when we ask this of
him. Usually troublemakers will expose themselves simply by all
their negative talk about others. Keep away from people such as
this, they can be conniving and will do almost anything to save face
especially when it comes to obtaining favor and money from others who
they believe can benefit them in some way.
People who claim they don’t like to
fight and prefer peace over arguments should also be observed. Their
fruits will reveal whether they are trustworthy or not. How would
you use a process of elimination to avoid getting someone on your
team that talks out of two sides of their neck, in other words, a
wishy-washy person? You would pray, wouldn’t you? While waiting on
the Lord. But you would also test the spirits in the meantime too.
Can you rely on a troublemaker to handle matters of importance in a
diplomatic way? Of course not. What most likely will happen if you
should let an unstable minded person, who claims peace over fighting,
on your team is a double agent. He or she will work for you and the
foes.
Keep in mind, there are those who are
warriors for Christ—those who aren’t afraid to fight for
righteousness. These people are troublemakers for the right reasons.
As mentioned earlier, Jesus was considered a troublemaker in his
time. But those who claim to be Christ followers may not be so
reliable when it comes down to fighting a spiritual war with an evil
prinicipality. The cowards will most likely flip flop, find excuses
as to why they can’t be present, or pretend as if no problem
exists. You can’t include people like this on your team when it
comes to casting out demons, praying for the sick, performing
God-inspired tasks, etc. Their fear will bring on trouble. Like a
dog, Satan detects fear and he will use it to divide Christians.
Today the troublemaker in your camp may preach peace, but tomorrow he
may unexpectedly start World War III. Next week he may say, “Let’s
call a truce,” but then underhandedly start a war by the following
week.
In Numbers 12:1-2 (NIV), Miriam and
Aaron opposed Moses because he married a wife who was not Jewish.
Keep in mind, they are supposed to be on the same team—believers
about God’s business, right? So why would Moses’ decision have
any impact on them? They feared or worried about something they
didn’t understand. According to the Bible, “Miriam and Aaron
began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had
married a Cushite. Has the Lord spoken only through Moses, they
asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” God heard this
conversation and showed up “in a pillar of cloud.” (v.5) Notice
God confronted them, he didn’t just let the conversation go. Then
he said the following in verses 6-8, “Listen to my words: When a
prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then
were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” The
Scripture says, “The anger of the Lord burned against them and he
left them.” (v.9) Miriam and Aaron were offended by Moses’
actions, but what they failed to realize that their leader was
God-appointed. Sometimes as believers we consider those who do
things that aren’t typically what we would do in situations “wrong,
troublemakers, dumb…” but you have to watch criticizing God’s
ordained.
The enemy is sensitive, emotional, and
easily offended when he is confronted. Miriam didn’t escape
punishment for voicing her opinion about Moses’ deeds, she was
struck with leprosy. There are consequences we all can potentially
face for talking against those that are sincerely walking with the
Lord and being obedient to his will. This is why it is best to be
quiet when there is no evidence or proof that says that someone’s
deeds will in fact threaten our missions. Moses and Aaron asked God
to heal her, but he didn’t grant their requests in their time.
Rather, Miriam was afflicted with the disease for seven days and
removed from the camp (Numbers 12:10-15). Had this woman kept quiet
and watched first while praying about Moses situation, in time she
might have seen what God wanted her to see. We have all been guilty
of doing something similar in our lives, jumping to conclusions about
one’s intent, actions, etc. without getting all the details first.
When we open our mouths about things we don’t understand and
attempt to get others to jump on the bandwagon, we then become the
troublemakers that we have accused others of being.
Troublemakers will proclaim peace when
their words are really meant to start a war over the littlest of
things. Our foe is still very much a child in a grown up’s body.
The enemy refuses to do good unless his actions will benefit him in
some way toward his goals of causing trouble particularly for Christ
believers. Those who work for the devil aren’t sincerely
interested in the things of God. Rather, they prefer to glorify self.
Troublemakers’ fleshly needs oftentimes override their spiritual
ones.
You may have a foe right now who
doesn’t like the way you dress, your breath, how short or tall you
are, maybe you are too fat or too thin, not the right skin tone, or
have something else that is bothersome to him or her, so he or she
will talk about you to others or “keep it real” by telling you in
person how they feel about you. But the truth is, the troublemaker
is being used by Satan to make you feel bad about yourself to keep
you from having the confidence and strength you need to start or
complete an assignment God has in store for you. There is a way to
communicate that doesn’t make any of us hurt so badly emotionally
that we never want to be in a fellow brother or sister’s presence
again. That way is simply being mindful of what we say and how we
say it while keeping in mind that God is watching and listening.
When your foe is determining whether
you will be a good match for his or her team, family, or group, he or
she will test you to see if “you are my kind of girl or guy...”
You ever hear anyone brag about someone who is blunt or harsh with
the use of his or her words? “I like her…she keeps it real! I
like him…he will go there…” the troublemaker brags.
When some people have legitimate
concerns and question actions that go against the word of God like,
“Why should we do this? Why not try that? Is that even righteous?
What’s with taking oaths and praying to strange gods?” They are
hushed. The enemy doesn’t like your questioning his or her
thoughts no matter how foolish they sound. Now you are considered
the troublemaker!
Let’s say you are at a family
function, on the job or at home then suddenly your cell phone rings,
someone sends you an email, and before you know it, the exchange
between yourself and the individual goes from a “nice to hear from
you” to thoughts of wishing you had never answered your phone or
read your email. Those in conflict are usually already at war with
someone or a group, but their calling on you for help is just one way
of recruiting you to side with them. Troublemakers seek to create a
team of people who will support them whether right or wrong as
mentioned earlier. From flippant remarks to eye rolls, the conflict
lover lets everyone know he or she doesn’t like someone or
something. When he or she is confronted about his or her negative
reaction, this person will pretend like they “don’t want any
trouble.” It is evident that the conflict lover wants something,
because why would he or she say or do anything that would upset self,
you or others who may be around listening to his or her conversation
in the first place? Start trouble and you will get what is coming to
you.
Think of someone you know who
frequently criticizes you whether to your face or behind your back
whenever you ask this person for assistance. Despite the critic’s
reasons for so-called “helping you” the truth is this individual
doesn’t know how to assist you in peace, so now the “charity
case” is talked about negatively. Let me be more specific with my
point. For instance, let’s think of someone you know right now who
is often trying to help others out of their dilemmas. But there are
those days, when this seemingly generous person may not have any idea
what really to say to these “needy individuals” they may have
agreed to help when for any number of reasons, he or she can’t.
Rather than just say, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you like I
promised,” they start complaining about how everyone wants
something from them. “I’m not talking about you,” the
trouble-making critic says. “I’m talking about other people.
People act like I can just pull money off of trees!” It isn’t
the needy people’s fault that one has over extended his or her self
or has personal obligations that leave this person feeling stressed.
But to this overwhelmed troublemaker, you and everyone else are a
thorn in his or her spine. Can you really call this person
kind-hearted, generous and personable? If you don’t want any
trouble from a trouble-making critic, don’t ask him or her to
assist you with anything!
An atmosphere that is conflict free is
considered boring to troublemakers. They don’t know how to let
things go even when some issues have nothing to do with them! They
piggyback off of other’s life frustrations in the hope to look
better despite their own personal drama with those closest to them.
Usually, individuals who have been
raised around arguing, fussing and fighting, re-create drama by
making a mountain out of a mole hill, so to speak, and talking about
other people’s dramas by making statements like, “If that were
me...I wouldn’t take that…who does she think she is…?” They
add a few cuss words for effect and the next thing you know everyone
who listens to them is disturbed in their spirits. People who are
already emotional, nervous, have health conditions, or overwhelmed
with responsibilities don’t make any, if very little time, for
troublemakers. Those who are close to the Lord know that having
regular conversations with such critics will not uplift them
spiritually, but tear them down!
Troublemakers desire to
war with believers. They thrive on conflict.
How many times have you been in
conflict with people and don’t remember how you got there? All
disputes start off with a little comment here, an insulting remark
made there, and before long you or they are yelling, crying, or
running away. It’s sad when you know your intentions were good
initially, but somehow the devil got involved and made them look
ugly. Yet, even in discourse, God’s messages will still come
shining through; otherwise there wouldn’t be any conviction for the
individual, now would there? Don’t worry over “blowing it this
time.” Just repent to God, apologize if you acted out of
character, and be more selective of the conversation you might have
with this person next time. Unbelievers and backsliders usually take
on a defensive stance (particularly with believers) when something
within them is being stirred toward changing a bad habit or belief
system.
You may recall a time when you shared
something about the Bible with someone and before long they were
insulting you with statements like, “Here we go again! I remember
when you were out in the world, now you call yourself a Christian!”
he says. “You believe all that stuff--it’s all fairytales! Man
created the Bible so that he could control his sheep…” Now while
you are hearing these offensive statements being said about your
faith, your insides are churning, your heart is probably rapidly
beating and if you are a new believer, you might be ready for a good
verbal fight! In your mind, you are on fire for the Lord and you are
determined to make the unbeliever hear the truth. Well
unfortunately, before you give yourself a headache in the future,
your speeches may not go over too well with a self-appointed
troublemaker. By the end of your conversation with him or her, you
may be walking away while crying out to God, “Help me!” Don’t
be so hard on yourself, you can’t win them all! Be like Jesus,
don’t stay anywhere too long with troublemakers. Say what needs to
be said and on to the next house, next city, next state, or next
country.
Foes can get on fire for the devil
(notice I didn’t say Holy Ghost fire) especially when you provoke
them with too much truth they aren’t quite ready to handle. They
may attack if God didn’t give you the green-light to express a
concern at that particular moment. The difficult person will also
look for you to act irate, irritable, and irresponsible (notice each
word begins with the letter “i” that’s the problem!) Whenever
“I” comes to the forefront of your mind during a debate, you just
might be digging a hole for yourself with a troublemaker. Too much
“you” and that can be a problem too, best to avoid arguing with
unreasonable individuals.
In 1 Samuel 1:4, Hannah was a woman who
had a closed womb. During Old Testament times, when a woman could
not conceive she was considered a failure. Hannah was often
ridiculed by her rival because of this. However, her husband gave
her double portions of meat because he loved her. The NIV Bible
says, “…her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
This went on year after year” (I Samuel 1:6-7). Hannah would cry,
eat and was depressed about her situation. The Bible says, “In
bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord” (I
Samuel 1:10). In time, God answered Hannah’s prayer and she
conceived Samuel (I Samuel 1:19-20). When we are under great
distress due to an enemy, we must cry out to the Lord for
deliverance. “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn
is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in
your deliverance….” (I Samuel 2:1).
If you should lose your cool, critics
may follow up with a few angry outbursts saying things like, “So
you call yourself a Christian…I never met Christians who act like
you!” In their eyes, they don’t believe Christians should get
angry. They see believers as gentle, kind, sweet, and naive. We
know that those flattering words truly don’t describe the full
character of a soldier for Christ. There will be times when anger
will come upon you, but it must be directed appropriately. In the
Bible, we read about Jesus being angry with the money-changers in the
temple, but he didn’t sin (John 2:15). Jesus took his anger out on
the vendors’ tables, rather than on the vendors themselves. If
some of us had been in a similar situation, some people would have
walked out of there with two black eyes, broken ribs and more. God
would be very displeased with us and even worse we would be hauled
off to jail.
When we are upset with the critics for
their deliberate tactics to knock us off our walk with God, we have
to use our anger toward positive action instead of negative reaction.
For instance, when unbelievers throw away spiritual literature you
share with others or derail your efforts to spread the gospel, don’t
sit down and grovel about it! Create more fliers announcing church
events, write more letters to stop in-justices, build more websites
and blogs, organize more protests, and schedule more meetings to make
necessary changes. In other words, continue to expose wrongdoing
without ceasing! Stop giving to causes that misappropriate funds and
give to your own ministry that God has called you to work! The most
powerful message of all when dealing with troublemakers is silence.
Walk away from angry, combative people, but be sure your back is
covered before turning around! The enemy doesn’t know what to do
when you aren’t standing in front of him or her running your mouth
and speaking loudly like he or she does with you.
Solution:
According to Proverbs 22:24-25, Make no
friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest
you learn his ways, and set a snare for your soul.
A look back…
You may remember times when you were
ready for a good debate and you prepared for it by having everything
you could imagine in your mind with the intent of belittling your
victims. So you thought of those moments they wronged you and
others, you planned to bring up some secrets they told you to hurt
them, so they would feel really bad about hurting you.
As Christians, we must be careful
arguing with troublemakers and bringing up their past. You can’t
very well win someone to Christ with that kind of reaction. Despite
how far removed they are from God, the trouble-making critics’
information should remain confidential. The enemy will tempt you to
share details with flattery, bribes, and more, don’t.
If situations, like what has been
mentioned in this chapter ever happened to you, how did you deal with
your enemy?
When talking about your faith with a
troublemaker keep in mind, you don’t want the sinner not to come to
God because of your fire and brimstone gospel mixed with your angry
temperament. Remember you were once like the trouble-making critic
(and for some of you reading this, you still are). There were people
who you met since giving your life to Christ that have been kind,
sincere, loving, and patient—hold on to those experiences and mimic
them, according to God’s will.
Scripture Reference
Proverbs 22:10
Proverbs 29:22
Philippians 2:14
James 1:20
Prayer
Help me Lord to speak the right words
at the right time. Remind me to stay in control of my emotions and
give me the strength to walk away when I am tempted to want to argue
in Jesus name.
Think of all the time you think you
might have wasted in your life trying to help a fool, just know that
God saw your efforts even if the fool didn’t appreciate or care
about what you did for him or her. Some fools criticize your efforts
not in a mean-spirited way, but in what they consider a playful way.
“I’m just kidding…you know I love everything you do for me…but
next time make me a sandwich, fluff my pillow and be sure my bath is
ready wifey.” Do you think this fool is serious? Maybe not. But
there is a lot said in a joke.
