Friday Fight 53 - Offering or Offending

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF53.

How many of us have people in our lives who tend to begin their sentences with "You need to" or "Why didn't you?" believing that they are being helpful by telling others what to do. Of course, this can include various situations, but how do we navigate these types of relationships?

Offering or Offending:

How many of us have endured relationships that, over time, have slowly become more controlling? What do we do when the joy of these relationships becomes overshadowed by the "You need to" or "You should not have" words? This demeanor can progress without realizing it and often results in constant mixtures of instruction (what we need to do) or destruction (what we are not doing). But, how do we feel when their advice moves from offering to offending in its repetition? Let's look at how we address unwelcome advice and remain Christ-like.

What makes people want to dictate the lives of those around them? Perhaps it's a need to control or insert themselves because of their own insecurities. On the other hand, maybe the controlling words change slightly because of their tone or intent, and we never say anything. Perhaps we feel that since they have always been controlling, there is no point addressing it or we have become accepting of their behavior. Making a suggestion is different from making a demand. When God changes a person's heart and brings healing, our mindset is postured differently, which changes the intent. When our intent is pure, gracious language will follow.

How does darkness operate? Wanting to insert constant control can lead us to dominate areas of another person's life which is not of God. It can be tough to recognize this, let alone make changes in ourselves. Yet, in their control, people can ultimately change the hearts of those around them as darkness plants seeds of resentment, lending itself to surface relationships.

If you are unsure where this lesson applies, pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Let's give any controlling tendencies to God in prayer and pray for the relationships that may be unknowingly damaging. Let's try to be more aware of how our words and tone can impact a person's soul. I hope this awareness lesson helps someone today.

Colossians 4:6

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert