Your Response Belongs To God

I'm sure this is going to be a dumb question, but have you ever had something happen that immediately stirred every emotion in you?  Like someone falsely accused you, or maybe they twisted something you said until it barely resembled the original conversation?

How about them sharing something private, questioning your motives, trying to intimidate you, or tell a version of the story that conveniently left out everything they had done?

And before you even had time to pray, your fingers were already typing! You had the message written, you had the screenshots ready to go, you had every fact lined up, every inconsistency highlighted, and every receipt sitting neatly in a little emotional folder labeled, “Since we’re telling the truth now…”

I KNOW I'm not the only one who has ever been there. 😳

When something feels unfair, our first instinct is to defend ourselves. We want to correct the story. We want people to understand what really happened. We want to make sure the person hurting us does not get to walk away looking innocent while we carry the blame.  Am I right?

And sometimes, yes, the truth needs to be spoken, and boundaries need to be drawn.
Sometimes things even need to be addressed directly.

But, if I've learned anything in my walk with God, it's that....the truth can be spoken from the Spirit, or.....it can be shouted from a wound.

And trust me, those are NOT the same thing.

When we are dealing with Jezebel-like characteristics such as manipulation, control, intimidation, accusation, distortion, or attempts to silence and discredit us, the easiest way to be pulled into defeat is to react from our emotions instead of responding through the Spirit.

Because what does that kind of attack want?

It wants a reaction

It wants us angry.
It wants us frantic.
It wants us defending ourselves to anyone who will listen.
It wants us to say something reckless, make an impulsive decision, or behave in a way that can later be used against us.

Have you ever noticed how someone can provoke you over and over, but the moment you finally react, suddenly your reaction becomes the entire story?

It's almost like everything they did leading up to it just disappears. The manipulation ,the pressure, the repeated poking, twisting, accusing, and needling.....disappears.

Now everyone is only looking at YOUR response.  

That's why we have to be so careful.

The enemy may not be able to destroy your calling, but he will certainly try to provoke you into stepping outside of the character that calling requires!

Let's look at Elijah real quick.

Elijah had just experienced one of the greatest victories of his ministry. Fire had fallen from heaven. The prophets of Baal had been exposed. God had answered in front of everyone. And then....Jezebel sent him a message.

JUST a message.

She threatened him, and suddenly this bold prophet was running for his life.

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life… - 1 Kings 19:3

Isn’t that interesting? Jezebel didn't defeat Elijah on Mount Carmel. She got into his mind afterward.

Her threat hit him when he was exhausted, depleted, and vulnerable. Suddenly, the man who had stood before hundreds of false prophets felt completely alone.

Has that ever happened to you? You stand strong through the actual crisis, but later, one message sends you spiraling. 

Or that one comment.
Or phone call.
Or accusation.
One....carefully.....placed....threat.

And all of a sudden, you are replaying everything, questioning everything, and wondering whether you have the strength to keep going.

Know that, it doesn't mean you are weak. It may simply mean you are tired.

And tired people?  Well, they are more likely to react emotionally. When we're exhausted, hurt, or already carrying too much, even a small attack can feel enormous. We start making permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.

“I’m done.”
“I’m never speaking to them again.”
“I’m walking away.”
“I’m going to tell everyone everything.”

Have you ever written an entire message and then felt the Lord quietly whisper, “Delete that”?

And it stinks because you knew. You knew the message contained facts and parts of it were completely justified. But.....you also knew the spirit behind it wasn't right.

That's the struggle, isn't it? 

Walking in the Spirit doesn't mean that we don't feel anger, hurt, fear, or frustration. It doesn't mean we become emotionless little church robots who smile while people mistreat us.

God created us with emotions so ff course it hurts when someone lies about you. Of course it angers you when private things are shared. Of course you feel unsettled when someone tries to control the narrative or turn people against you.

The problem isn't that we feel something, it begins when what we feel takes control of what we do next.  

Our emotions are real, but they aren't always reliable leaders, yannow?  There's that popular saying "Feelings are not fact!".   

Pain will tell you to respond immediately.
Fear will tell you that everything's falling apart.
Anger will tell you that silence makes you weak.
Rejection will tell you that everyone has turned against you.

But......God may tell you to wait.

God may tell you to pray.
God may tell you to sleep before answering.
God may tell you to seek wise counsel.
He may even tell you that no response is necessary at all.

Oh and let me tell you.....that last one is difficult. VERY DIFFICULT! For me anyway.  Coming from a girl who survived defending herself from the lies of people that were supposed to protect and love her.  

I mean, we want God to defend us, but we ALSO want to help Him write the statement. 😬  Am I right?

We want Him to reveal the truth, but we would be more than happy to provide the screenshots, timestamps, witnesses, and a twelve-page summary for His convenience.

Yet there are moments when God asks us to trust Him with what other people believe.

That doesn't mean that we never clarify anything. It doesn't mean we tolerate abuse or avoid necessary confrontation. It doesn't mean that we refuse to set boundaries.

It simply means.....we don't let the attack control the timing, tone, or spirit of our response.

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. - Psalm 141:3

That's a prayer of David's I think many of us need taped to our phones.

“Lord, guard my mouth.”
“Guard my text messages.”
“Guard my social media.”
“Guard me from speaking while my emotions are still bleeding.”

**Because sometimes the thing we desperately 

want to say today is something we would 

never say after sitting in the presence of God tomorrow.**

Have you ever noticed how different a situation looks after you prayed? The facts don't not change and what happened may still be wrong....but something inside of you settles.

You don't really feel frantic or frazzled. You don't need everyone to agree with you. You don't even really feel the need to answer every accusation. You begin to realize that peace isn't found in winning every argument. 

Sometimes peace is found in refusing to be dragged into one.

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. - James 1:20

Our anger may feel righteous, but uncontrolled anger cannot produce the righteousness of God. It can't give us wisdom, it can't tell us when to speak or when to stay quiet (even though it tries, it's NOT a faithful friend!). It can't help us distinguish between defending truth and defending our pride.

Only GOD can do that. He can help us be firm without becoming cruel. He can help us confront without exploding. He can help us tell the truth without turning the truth into a weapon. He can help us establish boundaries without becoming bitter. He can even help us walk away without needing the person who hurt us to understand why.

THAT, my friend, is spiritual strength.

Not pretending nothing bothers us, stuffing everything down, or staying silent because we're afraid....but remaining governed when everything in us wants to react.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. - Galatians 5:25

That means I don't get to walk in the Spirit only when everyone is treating me well. I should walk in the Spirit when I'm misunderstood, provoked, accused, and yes, even when someone is intentionally pressing the very place they know is tender.

I think that's where the fruit of the Spirit becomes more than something we quote. Do you agree? It becomes the guardrail that keeps from driving straight off an emotional cliff.

And maybe today you are standing right there? Maybe you have a message you want to send, and are tired of being quiet. Maybe you even feel like someone is getting away with something while you are left carrying the weight of it.

I understand that feeling all too well.  In my situation, it seems to come and go.  It's fine for a while, and there it is all stirred up again.  I've noticed the pattern though, it tends to stir up when I'm obedient to what God is telling me to do.  It stirs up when things connected to breakthrough are touching.  So, trust me when I tell you that I KNOW that feeling.  

But, please hear me out.... before you respond, can I encourage you to pause? And I don't suggest that because your feelings don't matter.  I'm not implying that what happened was acceptable or that you should let people mistreat you.

I want you to pause because.......YOUR RESPONSE IS VALUABLE, so is your peace and your testimony. Please understand that your ability to hear God clearly is far too valuable to hand over to someone who is trying to provoke you.

Let God decide what happens next. Maybe He'll tell you to speak and He'll give you the exact words. Maybe He'll tell you to establish a firm boundary. He may even tell you to step away completely (and it's IMPORTANT that you trust Him with it!). Or maybe....He'll tell you, “Leave this one with Me.”

Whatever He tells you, follow Him and trust Him. 

The attack may be after your reaction, but it doesn't have to get it. 

I'm sure you've heard the saying....you don't have to attend every argument you are invited to. How about "Not my monkey, not my circus"?

You don't have to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you.
You don't have to sacrifice your peace trying to correct every distorted version of the story. And you certainly don't have to allow someone else’s lack of control to pull you out of yours.

I'm praying for you today.

I'm praying that when emotions rise, the Spirit of God will rise higher. I'm praying that He will help you recognize the bait before you reach for it. That He'll quiet the urgency you feel to react and give you wisdom for what comes next. 

Lord, guard their heart without hardening it, guard their mouth without silencing truth. Give them the strength to stand firm, remain tender, and refuse to let the attack decide who you become. 

Remember this..... the enemy may want your reaction.....but your response belongs to God.