In this message I am going to provide you with revealed knowledge upon which you may act. Specifically, I will discuss aggravation and offense―and HOW God can use your enemies to promote you.
"Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God." – 1 Corinthians 10:32
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." – Romans 12:21
A few years ago there was a popular song titled, That's What Friends Are For, and my favorite version was sung by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross.
The KEY thing―horizontally―in your relationships with other people is this: Don't offend people. It's O.K. to offend the devil and demons. As a matter of fact … it is fun! A good friend of mine, a commodities broker, used to tell me, “If you want to cuss the devil, just pray in tongues.” What he meant is that praying in tongues hurts Satan and demons … it drives them “crazier.”
Many times people AND situations are “stirred up” by the devil to aggravate you and to get you out of―or, to keep you out of― the peace zone.
No matter what people do to you … stay in the peace zone. If you need a friend, I am here to help YOU. That's my assignment from God.
Keep smiling!
Keep shining!
Knowing you can always count on God.
That's what friends are for …
In good times … in bad times.
Jesus will be on your side forevermore …
For that's what friends are for.
Sometimes people close to you may offend you … they may be Christians or relatives or friends. But your job is to NOT offend. Stay in the peace zone.
Another way you can stay in the peace zone is by NOT making bad decisions … or even, “hasty” decisions: things you are NOT sure about. I have written a book to help you in that area titled, Decision Making 101 – Know for Sure.
Learn to ENJOY VICTORY over your enemies―God can use them to develop you and thrust you into new areas of usefulness and productivity. Joseph, Daniel, Mordecai and Esther are all prime examples of how God can use your enemies to advance you, and to bring both DELIVERANCE and ENLARGEMENT for you and others. Use your faith―utilize love and forgiveness―and leave the TIME up to God!
You don't have to FEEL like loving them―just know that God wants you to love them, and then make a conscious decision to do it. Ask God to give you love, forgiveness and WISDOM in dealing with them. SEE them as someone whom God:
1. Has put in your path for you to share the testimony of God.
2. Has placed before you to draw out His resources: His love, provision and gifts.
3. Has prepared to enable your spiritual growth.
4. Has chosen to use for your advancement and promotion.
Then, knowing the above, when you see the attacks coming―rejoice and praise God! Then take your authority over Satan, and bind him in Jesus' name from carrying out his insidious attacks. Many times the person or people opposing you will be working unwittingly with another person to attack you. Why? Because they hate you and they are jealous of the Christ that is in you.
If you are a married person, and the attack is coming from your Christian spouse, then learn to get alone and worship the Christ that is in them! Watch what happens!
Many times you may be lied about. The person telling the lies may be a psychopathic or pathological liar. This may be a case involving a spouse or close business associate. If so, then―as my mother many times said―"You made your bed, so you'll have to sleep in it!" In that case, you must deal with the strategies of Satan through the gift of discernment.
If a person is just telling lies about you because of jealousy, envy, hatred―or because the enemy is stirring them to attack you for some reason―then you can learn to see them as someone God has positioned for any of numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 above. Again, learn to ENJOY VICTORY over your enemies―God can turn the situation around and use them to develop you, while bringing you into new areas of usefulness and productivity!
Actually, as a shepherd and warrior, you should begin to use these opportunities to put Satan to flight. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." [James 4:7]
What you want to do is learn to develop your spiritual "burglar alarm." You need a spiritual security system! Ask God for the gift of discernment. This way you will know when the attacks are active and you can begin to enjoy taking opportunity of them in the Spirit. Pray in the Spirit―in tongues.
Warning: this will usually make the person or people more angry and jealous; however, God will use this to bring extra conviction upon them to accomplish His purpose(s).
In some cases you will be dealing with a person who is temporarily mentally "off center." They may have a lot of pressure upon them; they may have old hurts that somehow they associate with you; or they may be just oppressed by the enemy and he is using them as an instrument to attack you.
This is where you have to be really on guard! Just because a person is mentally incapacitated does NOT mean they're stupid. Let me use an example by means of a story. A man was driving down the road and one of his tires became flat. It so happened that when he came to a stop where he could change the flat he was parked on top of a ridge next to a mental hospital. While changing the tire, a patient of the mental hospital was watching him through the other side of the chain fence. The driver of the car was putting all the lug nuts from the wheel into the hub cap as he removed them. By accident, he stepped on the hub cap and all the lug nuts fell down the ridge . . . they were lost. He was in despair and didn't know what to do!
The mental patient yelled across to him and said, "Why don't you take one lug nut off each of the other three wheels and then use them on the tire you're changing." "That's a wonderful idea," said the driver. Then the driver said to the mental patient, "I thought you were crazy?!" "I am," said the patient, "but that doesn't mean I'm stupid!"
Many times, and at different intervals, God will call you to shepherd KEY enemies. David shepherded Goliath and later Saul. Moses shepherded Pharaoh. The secret here is to remember that a good shepherd is also a good warrior. He protects the flock and he also drives off the enemy.
You may be in a work situation at your place of employment where the things described above are happening to you. Learn to enjoy watching God work! Above all, do NOT EMBRACE THE SPIRIT(S) of the person/people trying to aggravate you. If you argue, or embrace the spirit working through them, then you will be in the flesh, and you have lost the battle. Don't let YOUR spirit be aggravated!
"He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm (or, cool) spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive." [Proverbs 17:27-28]
I trust this will help you. God has given you everything you need to stay in the peace zone. Just rely on Him. Don't worry about what you will do if a certain situation arrives. When you need it, the wisdom and power will be there!
And, if you happen (now or in the future) to find yourself in a situation with others that needs healing, check out my book titled, Conflict Healing – Relational Health.
Your friend,
Prince Handley
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