One of the worst scenarios of combat is friendly fire, which is when soldiers are mistakenly targeted by their own forces.
How do you think Satan views friendly fire? He loves it!
He seeks to instigate it among Christians.
If we are targeting each other, we aren’t targeting him.
If we kill each other with words, we do his job for him.
In several of his letters, the Apostle Paul exhorts his readers to think before they speak so that their words would build up their listeners instead of tear them down.
If Paul walked the earth today, he be shouting the same thing at believers.
It’s likely that if Paul had a blog or was on social media today, he would have believers responding to his writings with nasty criticisms or offering harsh corrections.
Beloved, as Paul exhorted, we need to let our words be infused with grace so that they preserve and promote life in the listener or reader.
The right to criticize has to be earned by demonstration grace and love, only then will criticism become constructive.
Simply put, grace builds up, but criticism tears down.
I am not saying that we should melt under criticism.
I’ve received a few harsh responses to our blog, and honestly, I delete them as soon as I realize their intent.
Believers should not be ‘trolling’ other believers.
That’s doing Satan’s job for him.
I believe it’s pride that motivates the critic.
“I’m right; you’re wrong, and I’m gonna get in your face about it.”
Seriously, if I read a blog, social media post, or watch a video, and I find something that I disagree with in it, I just let it go.
It’s not my job to critique others’ teaching.
That task belongs to the Holy Spirit!
Paul likened gracious words to salt.
Salt was a commodity in his day.
It preserved meat as well as having many other life sustaining uses.
Our words should be filled with grace; they should communicate the life of Christ in us to those who are listening.
If I read a friend’s post that concerns me, I wouldn’t publicly confront them, I would start a private conversation and first listen to what’s going on in their life at the time.
So, beloved, let’s purpose to speak or write with gracious words that speak life into others instead of giving into Satan’s tactic to shoot at fellow Christians with whom we disagree.
And, let’s save our bullets for Satan and his minions instead.
Blessings!
Robyn Henning