Releasing the poison of abuse.
Mark 6:34 NLT
[34] “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”
Why did Jesus show compassion by teaching the people “many things”?
In my last past, I spoke about the offenses that produce anger and bitterness, and God’s way of acknowledging the cause and healing the infection.
Now let’s dig a little deeper. Here’s another bizarre illustration.
I enjoy watching “Dr Pimple Popper” cleaning out blackheads. What is a blackhead? It’s a collection of debris made up of dead skin cells, and sebaceous material, which clogs the pore and appears as a black spot on the skin.
Dr Sandra Lee, alias “Dr Pimple Popper”, knows how to clear the skin of blackheads. She uses a sharp instrument to loosen the head of the blackhead, then she applies pressure to the sides of the blocked pore and pushes the blackhead out.
While I was contemplating the way Jesus showed compassion, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to Dr Lee’s work. This is the point…the doctor applies pressure and what comes out of the patient’s pore is from within the patient, not from Dr Lee. She expels the debris and is no way affected by what she has removed.
The Spirit reminded me that, like the debris from an infected pore, what comes out of the offender is what was insude. Abusive, unkind words, accusations, whatever, are a revelation of the heart of the one delivering them, not the person to whom they are spoken.
Matthew 15:18-19 NLT
[18] “But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. [19] For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.”
The person who utters those words is the one guilty of sin.
The problem arises when the offended person believes the offending words, takes them to heart and allows them to poison what he thinks about himself, becoming offended and reacting to the offense.
The next step in this evil process is that the offended person begins to feel sorry for himself, compounding his own sinful responses to the offense with self-pity, a perfect recipe for depression. He becomes part of the sin by these sinful reactions.
How should we handle abuse from another person?
- Recognise its source.
You can step back and remind yourself that what comes out of another’s mouth is not your stuff. You are not responsible for what another person says or thinks even if it’s aimed at you.
- Shake it off.
There’s a perfect illustration of this principle in the life of the Apostle Paul. Shipwrecked on the island of Malta, he was bitten by a poisonous snake while he was gathering sticks for a fire.
Acts of the Apostles 28:3, 5 NLT
[3] “As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand…
[5] But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.”
Paul shook off the snake and was unaffected by its bite.
Angry words spoken at us are like the bite of a poisonous snake. We can either take in the poison and be harmed by it or we can shake it off and, like Paul, be unaffected by what was intended to hurt us.
Can you see how different our issues pan out when we apply God’s Word to what is said or done to harm us instead of becoming a helpless victim of other people’s evil.
It is vitally important for us to take responsibility for our own words and actions and to distance ourselves from what others say or do. The “green pastures” of God’s truth will provide nourishment for our souls and the “water” of the Holy Spirit in us will satisfy our desire to know the truth in a world riddled with deception.
John 7:37-39 NLT
[37] “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! [38] Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” [39] (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory).”
When we” eat” and “drink” Jesus’ words, instead of ingesting the junk thrown at us, we will not be affected by another’s sin.
Jesus, our true Shepherd, has the words that lead us to eternal life. It’s up to us to follow Him rather than be damaged by wounded people who try to infect us with their poison.
To be continued…