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Topic: Bullies (08/09/04)
TITLE: Bringing Bulllies to Their Knees By Marina Rojas 08/12/04 |
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But what happens when the bully happens to want to push us around about our Christianity? What happens when that bully is a family member, who will mock your faith in front of everyone at the Christmas dinner party? What happens when that bully is a respected member of the community that scoffs at your desire to say a prayer before a business breakfast meeting? What happens if the bully who wants to put a stop to you practicing Christianity…is your boss?
One of the favorite bully stories of all time is that of Goliath and the little shepherd boy named David. We have all read the story of David’s victory, and seen Sunday school pictures of the big Philistine reeling from the rock between the eyes. Doesn’t David seem so brave? Doesn’t the bully seem so vulnerable?
When David first met Goliath face to face, the bully mocked him. He even called David a stick. David could see the giant bully in front of him. He knew that the bully was big. He knew the bully was mean. He knew that all of the odds were against him winning any battle with Goliath.
David was not looking at the physical fight, though. He knew that there was a real spiritual battle taking place and he knew that THAT battle always belonged to the Lord. Facing up to the challenge, he relied on the armor of God, going into battle with a holy anger from hearing God and His people being made fun of. I can imagine seeing the slow burn in his eyes as he asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
Have you ever given thought about today’s anti-Christian bullies that way? Who ARE those uncircumcised Philistines, that they should defy the armies of the living God, anyway?
When we encounter a bully today who wants to mock us and our God, we should ask for a spirit like David’s to overtake us. When we encounter a bully who wants to put out our spiritual light, let us remember the holy indignation that David felt well up in his chest when he first heard the taunts from the big ugly bully. Let us surrender the battle to the Lord and have him show us where the smooth stones in our sling should be directed.
Let God teach us to hold our own against the anti-Christian bullies in this world, while standing up to them for their own good. After all, we may be the only adversary to bring those bullies to their knees….and to the foot of the cross.
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