I Asked God to Deliver Me From People, They All Started Getting on My Nerves.
Have you ever been to the spa for a good back massage? I carry a lot of my tension in my shoulders, which means I have these knots that can only come out through consistent stretching and great massages. One of the things the missus does to get the knots out is to apply constant tension on my pressure points until my nerves and muscles have no choice but to release the tension.
Well, stepping on my pressure points must be what God THOUGHT would be the right approach when I asked him to deliver me from people. "I asked God to deliver me from people, then all of a sudden, they all started getting on my nerves." I thought by praying this prayer, all the people who annoyed me would just vanish into thin air.
They did not.
They kept coming. First, it was once a week, then once a day. At some point, we were up to two-a-days. In fact, if my life was a refining fire, somebody was up in heaven just turning up the knob on the stove...every day. The other day, I found myself complaining to God, stating, "These people are getting on my nerves; why can't they just leave me alone?" I immediately felt a rebuke in my spirit and took it back.
See, when you are in ministry or leadership, you can't pray prayers like, "Lord, please make these people go away." You have no ministry or calling without people. Therefore, a prayer to be delivered from people is actually a prayer asking God to put you through the fire and remove the mental and emotional triggers that may cause you to forfeit your peace when people act up.
Until God can trust you to love and bless your enemies, you won't experience the fullness of what God has for you.
As a person in ministry or leadership, imagine you are a hospital. Most people who will be attracted to you will come sick because they perceive God's light working in and through you--or they perceive you have answers to their problems. I want to emphasize God's light because it is he who endows us with the gifts.
If we lash out at people who are drawn to God's light in us, we forfeit the opportunity to be a blessing and demonstrate God's love to them. Attracting "the sick" has been a VERY tough concept for me to understand as a young minister. However, I have to come to accept that deliverance from people only comes through cultivating the fruits of the spirit.
Unlike the gifts of the spirit, the fruit only comes through pressing, shaking, beating, and most times...crushing. The trials come to strengthen us, which is why I had to understand that when God promised peace, he wasn't talking about quiet strolls along the beach as I envisioned. On the contrary, Jesus said the following about the peace God gives:
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulations. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
James 3:18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
If you are waiting around for God to deliver you from people by moving them out of your life like I was, don't waste your time. He is using people like sandpaper to refine you, and vice versa. The quicker you stop responding to the triggers, the less you will feel the pressure points.
This being said, I fully intend to cultivate the fruits of the spirit in my life this year by committing my plans to God and keeping my EZ Breezy Life Planner handy at all times. Our fully customizable EZ Breezy Planner comes with over 100 scriptures dedicated to the fruits of the spirit and God's standard of success.
I created this planner not only because I needed it but I strongly felt our entire community needed something to center their focus on Christ during these uncertain times. For under $10.00, you will receive:
Your year-at-a-glance
Monthly, weekly & daily planning sheets to keep track of even the smallest details of your life
Biblical affirmations & scriptures for your career, business
Lists to help you track your priorities, prayers & testimonies
Coloring pages to help you destress
This all-in-one prayer journal and planner gives you one less thing to remember in the morning by putting your priorities and prayers in one place -- and also helps you cultivate the fruits of the spirit with daily and weekly reminders at the bottom of each planning page.
As the year comes to a close, I wish you nothing but peace and blessings during these uncertain times.
With an abundance of love,
Satta Star
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