He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
When the Lord is chastening you into the mind of Christ, you will experience many situations that will reveal your true self. The Lord will allow each of these situations with the intent that they will reveal to you your true spiritual location.
Most of the situations you encounter involve other people. In each of these situations the Lord is looking for you to deal with the participants with a spirit of love and kindness.
Before the Lord can trust you with the full measure of the anointing, to work the ministry, you must be proven to be a lover of people. You must learn to love with the love of God. This is true even in the midst of adverse situations. You may be enjoying a progressive relationship with the Master; however, at some point, situations and relationships with the people in your territorial sphere of influence will begin to reveal flaws in your character.
As the Lord moves to perfect you, your union with your spouse, relatives or friends may reveal a difference in agendas, spiritual locations and purpose. The righteousness of God is destined to be revealed in your life. Whatever your spiritual deficiencies, the character or disposition of others will reveal them.
Turbulence experienced in relationships can only be comprehended by your obedience to the Word of God. It is the Word that gives the revelation of the happenings in your life. Where there is no regard for the Word of God, there is blindness. You will not be able to see yourself or others as you really are.
The character of others will reveal our spiritual deficiencies.
When there is no regard for the Word of God, there is blindness.
Many spiritual flaws may exist in you that have never been confronted. However, as you attempt to walk in the mandates of the faith among others, these spiritual flaws are going to oppose the move of God in your life. You may discover that you are very deficient spiritually in areas that you assumed you had overcome. In attempting to walk in the Spirit, you must overcome all the mindsets that oppose your walk in God.
Below are some of the hindrances to you speedily overcoming these obstacles.
IMPROPER FOCUS
You must understand that the root of the oppositions you experience from people are mindsets that first oppose God the Father. Therefore, you must focus on pleasing God. In order to do so, you must walk in the ministry of reconciliation without hesitation. The opposition to you is not about you. It is about that individual being alienated from God.
It is your responsibility to exhaust every effort to reveal Christ to the offender. Though their spiritual disposition may be a vexation, or even a threat to you, your responsibility remains the same.
You are being forced to deal with your own pride and/or emotionalism. You are not the key factor in the situation. The Master is the one who was offended first. He is the one who wants to reconcile with the offender. Though you become a victim of the offense, the Master still wants to use you as an advocate who will bring the offender face to face with Him.
You should consider this an honor. The Master trusted you to bear the offense for the sake of revealing Him to the offender. What a privilege! Until you come into agreement with this disposition, you will always make yourself an idol in the midst of offenses.
Refocus. Consider yourself an unprofitable servant. You perform the good works of righteousness in the heat of the day. You must bear reproach and humiliation while you seek to walk in the righteousness of God. It will be a much easier task if you focus on the offender’s relationship with God instead of his trespasses against you.
Consider yourself an unprofitable servant.
SELFISHNESS
If you consider others in your territorial sphere of influence as extremely selfish and full of pride, you must make sure you do not retaliate with pride when they offend you.
In order for you and others to walk in the unity of the Spirit, you must be able to humble yourself all the way to righteousness. Regardless of how the other person responds, you must not react in pride or selfishness. In such cases, prepare your heart to absorb any further offense.
None one ever wants to suffer hurt or humiliation, but in each situation we are charged with giving such over to the innerman. Let Him deal! It is an act of rebellion and pride if you refuse to allow the God in you to handle the offense.
The reason for this rebellion is clear. You want some type of fleshy satisfaction from the offender. This retribution is known as unforgiveness.
When your heart is set on obtaining some type of retribution from the offender, unforgiveness is necessary because it keeps the hurt alive and well, demanding to be avenged.
What about God? What about the things He wanted to come out of the offense? What did you render unto Him for all the grace and mercy He has bestowed upon you?
LOSING SIGHT OF PURPOSE
In order to maintain the character of Christ, you must never lose sight of God’s purpose in the relationship. He wants you to mature and grow up into the stature of Jesus Christ. Therefore, you must never use others’ spiritual weaknesses as weapons against them. God’s purpose is to destroy the negatives in your life and in that of the offender. This must also be your purpose, even if your spouse, friend or relative has not yet come to that place.
You are responsible for your disposition. Your true spiritual location will be revealed in the midst of the adversity. You are also responsible for not provoking the offender to more evil. In other words, your response to the offense must not gender more strife. You must endeavor to turn away wrath with kind words. This responsibility remains with you, even in the deepest of hurts or disappointments.
Here is where you must fight to maintain Godly character. In doing so, you prove your love for the other party. In the natural this seems hard, but if purpose is kept in the forefront, your ability to absorb offenses will strengthen. Your steadfastness in the character of Christ will cause offenders to see God in the midst of bad situations. This is necessary if you are going to keep the peace in any relationship.
However, you must remember that you are not relieved of your responsibility to reveal God when there is much opposition and/or persecution. In fact, this is when the Christ in you should be the strongest.
REFUSAL TO CHANGE
You must come to a place where you are willing to change. Many times you may not like the individuals God uses to reveal your negatives and therefore, rebel against the individual by refusing to change.
Do not be deceived. Your rebellion is really against God. He is the one who allowed the individual to be used, even by Satan if necessary to bring adversity in your life. He is the one demanding you to change your ways.
In some cases, women are too emotional to accept the adverse manner in which they are dealt with by their husbands, relatives or friends. Therefore, anger and hurt combined will cause them to become stubborn and rebellious to change.
Men likewise, oftentimes will refuse to adhere to a Godly principle simply because their wife or a common friend or relative offered the mandate. Thus pride rules the heart and hardens it. All of these negative dispositions can operate in men and women of God whenever God’s Word is not the authority in relationships.
2 Timothy 2:16-17
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
COMPETITIVENESS
There is no need for you to compete with anyone. You and the Word of God should be the principles in your walk in the Spirit. Contending in situations to reveal who is right and who is wrong is just another way the devil gains an advantage.
You must come to a place where it does not matter whether you prove yourself to be right or wrong. What matters is that you prove yourself to be righteous in dealing with the situation.
Do not despise the revelation of yourself. Deal with yourself by allowing the Word of God to be the law for your life.
Beloved, you can change!
WORDS OF WISDOM
Proverbs 25:15
By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Proverbs 26:20-22
20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 27:4
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
Proverbs 27:15
A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
Proverbs 27:19
As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
Proverbs 28:9
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Proverbs 28:25-26
25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Proverbs 29:6-9
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.
8 Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.
9 If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.
Proverbs 29:11
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Proverbs 29:22-23
22 An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Take these words of Soloman to your bosom. If you make them the law for your life, they will carry you to victory in every relationship.
