Friday, September 29, 2023

Fantastic Friday #908 - Provoke

Provoke

2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips.

3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. Proverbs 27:2-3


How do you deal with a situation where someone is trying to provoke you? This could be a situation where the provocation is subtle and barely noticeable, maybe someone is trying to convince you of something. Other ways can be where someone is intentionally stating something that is controversial to see if you will respond. When people attempted to provoke Jesus, He usually handled it in a calm and soothing manner by speaking truth to the individuals trying to provoke Him. When you gather your thoughts before you speak, that is always a significant deterrent to becoming provoked into saying something that could be taken wrong, or getting into an argument that cannot be won. Remember that God has already won the arguments for us and we just need to remain calm and speak truth. People may try to continue to provoke us, but at least we know with Christ in us we can be responsive and not harsh in our opinion. Avoid being provoked by listening to God and His guide through the Holy Spirit.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

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