"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”
— Matthew 5:9 (KJ21)
The enemy's greatest trick is getting a Believer to mistake a person for the problem. Intimidation is a spiritual snare designed to turn the Body of Christ against itself. We must be strategic when dealing with this by remaining defensive without carrying offense.
I heard the Lord say, "Pray against a spirit that wants to control the narrative. It is My Words and My Ways - I AM in control!"
The main thing must remain the main thing. Be careful not to unintentionally shift from defending the truth to defending your offended heart, as this leads to rebellion against God's command for unity. Pray it out before speaking it out. It's difficult to stay angry at someone when you’re sincerely interceding for them. So, when you're faced with this situation, find an accountability partner to talk it out, pray it out, and work it out before you confront. To defeat the spirits of intimidation and control, we must respond, not react.
Proverbs 4:23 gives us a stern warning. It says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." When a Believer refuses to pick up the ball, the enemy has nothing to run with; sometimes, saying nothing is doing something. Being a peacemaker means actively reconciling people to God and one another. Building unity often calls for difficult action rather than settling for passive conflict avoidance.
There are times when our silence must speak, and times when our voice must be heard. We’re warned in Matthew 12:37 that by our words we will be justified and acquitted, or we will be rebuked and condemned. Our words carry eternal consequences. Before confronting a demonic spirit that is controlling the narrative, it's important to keep your heart postured correctly. Don't let your righteous indignation get ahold of your rudder! We're told in James 3:6 that the tongue can corrupt the whole body, but that does not mean we don't take our authority over the little foxes that infiltrate our gardens — we must choose our words wisely and speak up!
We can't allow demonic pests to destroy our spiritual fruit and fellowship.
“Catch the foxes for us! Our vines now have flowers, and they will soon give us fruit. So catch the little foxes before they destroy our vineyards.” — Song of Solomon 2:15 (Easy)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”— Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
Peacekeepers try to avoid confrontation by changing the narrative rather than confronting it, and this only fuels passive-aggressive patterns. But when you deal with issues openly to create sustainable peace, you become a peacemaker. By boldly addressing a snide comment early, you will fix it before it blows up into a confrontation. We’re called to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers.
Sometimes we need to confront before it becomes an affront.
Join me on the journey 💝
ABOUT MARIE SCINTO
"You are God’s girl and He loves you! You sprinkle His seeds of love wherever you go!” Those words were spoken to me by my husband Joe many years ago. They came at a time when I was questioning my self-worth in God’s Kingdom, purposes, and plans. The Father made sure that in my darkest spiritual hour, I heard His Truth about my identity and self-worth. It has been my passion ever since to deliver that same message to any who may need to hear it. It is not about who we are, but Whose we are, and I am God’s girl!
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