When you’re dealing with people who are dysfunctional, you often prepare for the devil’s attempt to
discourage you through them. What they
say. What they don’t say. What they do.
What they don’t do. How they look. How they don’t look. When they look at you. When they don’t look at you. We allow man to become our enemy, yet scripture reminds us that we wrestle not
against flesh and blood. The devil is the
enemy, though he seems to have people that he works through quite a bit.
Could it be that in some cases, the devil isn’t working through people, but God is working through them to teach you patience? Sometimes God uses people as heavenly sandpaper to smooth out our rough edges so we can be conformed to the image of Christ. It’s hard to know if God is at work or the devil is at work sometimes through people. We ask, “is the enemy using this person to make me lose my mind, or is God teaching me something through them?” Is it a little of both?
When you’re headed into a situation where people are going to be sucking the life out of you, it is important to model the initiative of Jesus who in many ways through the first punch. He preemptively struck the “pharisaical vampires.” He did not allow those opposed to him to kill him as they planned, he chose to die instead. What seemed to be a murder was actually a sacrifice. They didn’t fire Jesus…he quite!
Some of the people you look at who seem to let others run all over them are really just allowing God to be the one that settles the score. Nobody can take away something that you choose to give.
When you approach the dysfunctional people, or address the dysfunctional situations that suck you dry, it is important to purpose in your heart to give to God freely. What you give to God cannot be taken away from you.
Today I give my rights to God. He is the controller, King, and Lord of my life. Nothing and no one can infringe on my rights, because I don’t have any! God has them all. I give them all over to the source of my life….it’s not like I had any genuine control anyhow! Now when someone tries to step on my rights, they can’t offend me because there’s nothing here to steal.
A thief can’t break into an empty house. I give my dreams, hopes, and ambitions over the God. For far too long I’ve lived in bitterness toward someone who took something away from me, when in actuality it was something God wanted me to surrender to Him in the first place!
When my life is focused on my pride, and the preservation of my image, I find myself frustrated! Frustration is the gap between what I expect and what I experience. People frustrate me because I expect one thing, but often experience something short of my expectations….and that sucks! If you want to effectively deal with people who suck, you must place your expectations in the God who is able to hold your life in his hand. I give myself away, emptying me of “me.” Lord fill me up, so that your love will overflow on those around me, that I could hug even the people who suck.
Could it be that in some cases, the devil isn’t working through people, but God is working through them to teach you patience? Sometimes God uses people as heavenly sandpaper to smooth out our rough edges so we can be conformed to the image of Christ. It’s hard to know if God is at work or the devil is at work sometimes through people. We ask, “is the enemy using this person to make me lose my mind, or is God teaching me something through them?” Is it a little of both?
When you’re headed into a situation where people are going to be sucking the life out of you, it is important to model the initiative of Jesus who in many ways through the first punch. He preemptively struck the “pharisaical vampires.” He did not allow those opposed to him to kill him as they planned, he chose to die instead. What seemed to be a murder was actually a sacrifice. They didn’t fire Jesus…he quite!
Some of the people you look at who seem to let others run all over them are really just allowing God to be the one that settles the score. Nobody can take away something that you choose to give.
When you approach the dysfunctional people, or address the dysfunctional situations that suck you dry, it is important to purpose in your heart to give to God freely. What you give to God cannot be taken away from you.
Today I give my rights to God. He is the controller, King, and Lord of my life. Nothing and no one can infringe on my rights, because I don’t have any! God has them all. I give them all over to the source of my life….it’s not like I had any genuine control anyhow! Now when someone tries to step on my rights, they can’t offend me because there’s nothing here to steal.
A thief can’t break into an empty house. I give my dreams, hopes, and ambitions over the God. For far too long I’ve lived in bitterness toward someone who took something away from me, when in actuality it was something God wanted me to surrender to Him in the first place!
When my life is focused on my pride, and the preservation of my image, I find myself frustrated! Frustration is the gap between what I expect and what I experience. People frustrate me because I expect one thing, but often experience something short of my expectations….and that sucks! If you want to effectively deal with people who suck, you must place your expectations in the God who is able to hold your life in his hand. I give myself away, emptying me of “me.” Lord fill me up, so that your love will overflow on those around me, that I could hug even the people who suck.
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