Hey y’all! It’s been a while & I wanted to chime in & share the Biblical way on how to handle situations where you’ve been wronged or feel you’ve been wronged (they are indeed two different things).
I see it all the time & I’m sure you do too (I myself have repented from doing it in the past) where someone gets/feels hurt & the first AND last place they go is social media. Although I have deleted the majority of my social media accounts, I do have one where I can stay connected to my family who live out of the country.
As followers of Jesus Christ & His Holy Word, we are taught how to handle these situations.
FIRST, PRAY.
We want to make sure we are not harboring & feeding ungodly thoughts that would lead to sinful words & actions. We need to ask God to give us the strength to take those thoughts captive & make them obedient to Him, forgive because He has forgiven us, and to do this BEFORE we approach the person in private, which leads to our second step!
“pray without ceasing,”
I Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV
“casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
II Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
SECOND, approach the person IN PRIVATE.
We are not God so we don’t completely & intimately know a persons mind, heart & motivations. How do I know this? I’m married to such a wonderful woman of God & still say & do things sometimes that hurt her & don’t realize it until she tells me. If it happens with a lifelong spouse, how much more anyone else? Accidents & slip-ups happen in an imperfect world with imperfect people. Go to them in private, pray together & work it out & this way you’re not bringing in anyone else that knows the situation LESS than the people directly involved. You’re also not risking hurting either one of your characters in another persons eyes. Hopefully all will be resolved at this step.
THIRD, ask trusted, Godly brothers/sisters/your pastor IN CHRIST for help (YOUR CHURCH FAMILY), NOT SOCIAL MEDIA.
Help can be in multiple ways. Prayer, advice & talking together with you & the other person/other people (which the Bible says to do) if that’s an agreeable option with all involved. Sometimes a trusted Godly mediator can offer other perspectives or even explain something in a way that you & the other person/people can understand better.
““Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”
Matthew 18:15-17 NKJV
I hope this has been a help & remember that everyone is going through something so give grace & be kind.
Anita & I send our love to all of you! God bless!
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Thank you for your encouraging comment and I’m so glad to hear it was helpful! Also, thank you for being a part of my blog! God bless! 🙏🏼 ✝️
Thank you for posting the above article. And in keeping our grievances private. There is so much strife in our world today, I applaud you in giving us tools to decrease it. Many blessings to you and Anita.