TENDER HEART AND TOUGH HIDE

Psalm 26:1 (NLT) 
Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 

Proverbs 12:16 (NLT) 
A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. 

Proverbs 12:16 (The Message) 
Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly shrug off insults. 

Do you believe Jesus is your greatest Advocate (1 John 2:1) and Loyal Supporter? Do you believe He is praying for you (Romans 8:34)? He desires you to connect with Him constantly. His love knows no bounds where you are concerned (Romans 8:38, 39). As you get to know Him, you will more easily reflect His character to others. Abba God is Just and Fair and knows best how to handle every situation. Will you trust Him with the difficult people in your life? 

While you live in this fallen world, you will encounter rudeness from others. And God sees any mistreatment of you for you are His child. If God wants you to confront with love those who mistreat you, He will give you the words and guide the tone in which you speak them (Luke 21:15). Ask Him to guide you before you open your mouth. The Lord will instruct you to allow Him to deal with the offender. This may stretch you to pain, but God is growing iron in your soul. Let Him use everything in your life to strengthen you. You will know when you are trusting Him more because your heart will be a bit more tender and your hide a bit more tough. Do you have a tender heart and a tough hide?

Someone said to me when I started teaching bible study roughly 15 years ago that if I stand up, I will stand out and to get ready for the spiritual warfare that will come against me. I didn’t give the statement much consideration, but as I look back on my years of teaching and bizarre attacks from others I think that person knew what he was talking about! Early in my faith I heard too many Christians give credit for their bad behavior or other’s bad behavior to the enemy and his demons. This bothered me because I think we all free will and do what we want. However, as the years have passed I now believe the influence can be so strong on some they don’t even realize the power the enemy has over them.

According to Dr. Larry Richards, demonization is the presence of an evil spirit in a person’s life (both the Christian and non-Christian can be demonized). I don’t for one second believe that a believer who has the Spirit of God in them can be possessed by a demon, but I do believe they can be greatly influenced by a demon’s destructive and divisive ways. 

Remember the enemy spoken of in John 10:10 comes only to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. If the enemy has lost the battle for your eternal soul, he will fight for your time on earth; to destroy your witness as Abba Father’s child and your confidence in Jesus Christ, your Savior. My experience has been that he does this right in the church; within the circle of believers, within Christian families and within ministries. He is always trying to destroy families, ministries and harmony within the family of God. Expecting and knowing how he works can help in dealing with his cunning ways. ​

Firstly, if you are walking close to Jesus you will be attacked, but remember nothing slips by the Eyes that see all: El Roi, the Lord Who sees. Just this morning the Lord led me to Psalm 103:6 You give righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He will vindicate our righteous cause as surely as the noonday sun appears-Psalm 37:6.  David stopped listening to his soul and started speaking to his soul when he was ruthlessly attacked by Saul.

Finally, He has made it clear to pray for those who are being used by the enemy. We open the door for demons to influence us when we have unresolved sin in our lives especially the sins of bitterness, unforgiveness, and sexual sins. Hurting people hurt others and need someone praying for them. When the injustice inflicted upon me by someone trying to hurt me comes to mind, I pray for them. I know they need to receive God’s love and forgiveness over their lives before they can be healed and free. There is great conflict in the soul that refuses to receive God’s amazing grace into their life and this conflict results in them doing ugly things. They need our prayers. God moves when we pray, and it keeps our hearts free from bitterness. 

Is Abba Father asking you to allow Him to grow iron in your soul by keeping a tender heart while developing a tough hide? Will you give it all to Him and let Him work good in your life and other’s lives? Do you have a tender heart and a tough hide?

God bless you my friend as we keep on keeping on in Christ Jesus!
​