DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Romans 16:17-18 (AMPC)
“I appeal to you, brethren, to be on your guard concerning those who create dissensions and difficulties and cause divisions, in opposition to the doctrine (the teaching) which you have been taught. [I warn you to turn aside from them, to] avoid them.
 
18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites and base desires, and by ingratiating and flattering speech, they beguile the hearts of the unsuspecting and simpleminded [people].”
 
 
Dear people of God, in his Holy Spirit inspired letter to the Christians of Rome, Apostle Paul warned that they should be wary of people who profess Christianity but cause dissensions, difficulties and divisions and to avoid them.
 
Since God’s Word is forever and for all generations, this message also applies to today’s Christians especially with the way many lay claim to knowledge of God even when their character clearly displays ungodliness.
 
I know there are some Christians who would be glad reading this because they have this person or persons whether in the office, in their neighbourhood, in Church, in their family or amongst their relatives, who have been a thorn in their flesh and whom they want to avoid at all costs.
 
Yes, this difficult person has caused a lot of emotional strain and damage between you and others through spreading falsehood deliberately or between you and himself or herself, and so for the sake of your peace, you just have to avoid the person.
 
It may be that this difficult person is your direct boss (employer or supervisor) who constantly complains about almost all you do, uses invectives against you and even oppresses you generally.
 
It may also be this difficult person is your office colleague who almost always antagonizes you deliberately and cunningly enlists others to attack you as well.
 
It is pertinent to note however, that there is a grave difference between avoiding a difficult person and harbouring resentment in your heart against the person.
 
The danger here is that with the kind of ungodly prayers we see abound today in a number of Churches where people are told to pray for their human enemies to die, those who engage in such prayers would first pray that God should eliminate this difficult person out of their lives forever.
 
Dear friend, a Christian child of God is called to love and not to hate, for the Word of God says in 1 John 3:15 (AMPC), “Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him.
 
So you can see for yourself that a person cannot be a hater of others and still claim to be a Christian.
 
So what is the right approach when dealing with difficult people? First, if the Spirit of God truly dwells in you, then you must recognize that Jesus Christ also died for this difficult person whose ungodly character is causing you much emotional trauma.
 
You must understand that this difficult person with an ungodly character is already on the way to an eternal damnation in HELL and would perish unless he or she genuinely repents for the Lord Jesus Christ to save him or her.
 
You must understand that this difficult person with such ungodly character is being influenced spiritually by demons over which you as a Christian has full authority as given by God in Luke 10:19.
 
Having understood these facts, the Spirit of God in you should move you to compassion to pray to God for this difficult and ungodly soul for Salvation.
 
Even as you avoid the person for the sake of your peace, the right way to pray for such person (NOT against the person to die) is to pray that God sends His Word through the right persons to the difficult person and that the Word of God disseminated should arrest and convict the person through the power of Holy Spirit.
 
During your prayer, you take authority over the demonic spirits influencing the difficult person to ungodliness and command those spirits to depart out of the person’s life in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
You then claim the person’s deliverance and salvation in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
This is how a Christian should deal with difficult people because it is Scriptural that you pray FOR your human enemies and NOT AGAINST them – Luke 6:27-28 (AMPC), “But I say to you who are listening now to Me: [in order to heed, make it a practice to] love your enemies, treat well (do good to, act nobly toward) those who detest you and pursue you with hatred,
 
28 Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God's blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you].”
 
Jesus Christ is coming shortly to take in Rapture ONLY those who are qualified according to His righteous standards in the Holy Bible.
 
Are you living a genuine life as His disciple? Are you ready for Him? Repent and come to Jesus today, for tomorrow may be too late for you.
 
Once Jesus takes away His children, the entire earth would come under God’s wrath and Divine judgement in a most terrible manner never experienced before.
 
Why do you risk your life in sin and risk the grave danger, pain and suffering ahead and risk ultimately damning your soul forever in the lake of fire?
 
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Powerful Name, Amen.
 
Gabriel Ama.