Dealing with personal attacks, overcoming adversities and winning without being violent, are some challenges many people struggle with daily.
It can be depressing when people blame you for mistakes you have not committed. It pains when you are accused of something you did not do. Some people scold and blame others for the troubles they encounter. They always justify their own mistakes but will blame others for any trouble that comes their way.
People will hurt and make you angry by being ungrateful and insulting
Though you may feel like reacting, do not let anger make you hate them. Show goodwill towards people – to both the good and the evil – despite their unfair criticisms or treatments. Don’t harbor hatred. God makes His sun to rise on both evil and good people and makes His rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45).
As much as possible try to control your emotions. It will not be easy, but with prayer and faith in God, you can do it.
Do not stop the good works that you are doing. Criticisms against you may be unfair. However, never withdraw the good services you are doing for the community.
Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt. They were in bondage and cried for a deliverer. God sent Moses to help them out. They were happy and hailed Moses as their hero. They jubilated as they went out with Moses.
When everything was okay, Moses was the hero everyone loved and praised. He was the greatest.
But as soon as they encountered trouble, they quickly turned against Moses. They accused Moses and said he was the cause of their plight. They said,
“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11; ESV)
Moses who was the hero a few days earlier was now a villain, a scoundrel, an evil person. He was now the person to blame for their misfortunes.
They said to him,
“Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:12; ESV)
Remember that no one forced them to go out of Egypt with Moses. They all went out of their own volition. Because they wanted to go out of bondage, they sang, jubilated as they marched out of Egypt following Moses as their leader.
When everything is okay with people, they will say nice things about you. The same people will call you the devil when things go bad for them.
Arguing is a waste of precious time when dealing with angry people. Angry people are emotional, full of prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity. When people find themselves disadvantaged, they look for scapegoats to lay their blame and failures on them.
No matter how sincere you are, some people will always see you in a bad light. Some will always suspect your good intentions and will have something evil to say about your good deeds.
They blamed Moses and put all their problems on him. Moses had a genuine intention to help the people in their sufferings. He was not benefitting directly. After all, he was living comfortably with his wife and father-in-law, Jethro the priest of Midian, before he came back to Egypt to deliver them.
In such situations do not be eager to vindicate yourself by debating them.
Hold back your anger. Look for points you both agree on and try to make them see that you seek their welfare. Then encourage them to help you find the solutions to the problem.
See beyond their ingratitude. Think of how you can help to correct the problem. Later, when the problem is solved, you can help them know how ungrateful they had been to you.
When you are confronted by the ingratitude of people, only love can make you continue to help.
Your passion for what you are doing will urge you on when things look bleak and ingratitude stares you in the face.
Your personality is patterned according to your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Proverbs 23:7 says
“…as a man thinks in his heart so is he…”
Jesus also said,
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. (Matthew 12:35; NKJV)
You may be crippled by your problem; however, you will overcome if God is in you and His word and healing power working in you. Problems are temporary. You will find the solutions to them if you are focused.
Do not wait for someone (or good luck) to pull you out. No matter how little you perform or how slow you progress, work on and you will succeed.
David believed that the battle was for the Lord and that the Lord himself would fight for him.
However, David did not fold his hands and wait for God to fight. David took pebbles, a sling and went out to face Goliath. He used his feeble weapon against the mighty Goliath who wielded a mighty weapon. And he won (1 Samuel 17:45-51).
Go out with your sling and pebbles, backed by your faith in God, and see God fight and win the battle for you.
God told Moses to tell the Children of Israel to march forward against their obstacle – the Red Sea – and away from their enemies – the Egyptians.
Leaders must have confidence that success is possible. Leaders must stand firm despite the challenges confronting them. Moses encouraged the people not to be afraid.
13 “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’” (Exodus 14:13-14; NKJV)
Of course, God was going to divide the sea, but he asked Moses to stretch his rod over it as a sign of faith in God and in God’s Word.
Moses acted and God divided the sea, making a way for them to cross over. (Exodus 14:15-23)
The Israelites walked on dry land and crossed over to the other side. But when the Egyptians followed, God again asked Moses to stretch his rod over the sea and close it over the Egyptians. The Egyptians were destroyed.
You cannot share useful information with people when they are angry and shouting at you.
Moses did not waste his time trying to argue with the people when they accused and blamed him for their many problems. Whenever they blamed him or accused him, Moses turned to God and prayed for courage and wisdom and moved on.
The emotional person does not use logic. If you try to use logic and facts to argue a point with someone who is already emotional, it will not work. When people are angry, they become emotional. The emotional person is not in the mood to listen. The emotional person wants to talk about his or her feelings and blame people.
We demonstrate what we believe. And so, people who look to circumstances and believe they cannot succeed remain poor and helpless.
If you sow thoughts of fear, sickness, enmity, etc., you shall reap the same in abundance. Therefore, those who sow thoughts of greatness, prosperity and good health reap the same in greater quantities.
Most of the Children of Israel believed they could not succeed. Moses, on the other hand, believed that they could succeed.
Stop complaining against people who do not help you. Stop groaning about how life is difficult and unfair. Life is difficult and unfair to many people. Complaining, whining and groaning will not change your situation. Put your faith into action and believe God to stand behind your faith.
Your present life may be bitter and frustrating. However, if you do not stop believing and working, tomorrow will be great.
The height of your success will be determined by how high your aspiration is. In the same way, your lowest level of inferiority is determined by how low you conceive yourself to be.
Think constructively. Think positively and act on what you think. If you do not act you will not achieve anything.
Remind yourself always of the good fortune that awaits you at the other side of your ‘Red Sea’. Stretch forth your hand and part your Red Sea.
If your hope is on a fellow human being, be it a rich friend or a brother, to help you, you might be disappointed. You may look for help from many places, but let your faith and hope reside in the Lord, and he will find the help you need. Psalm 75:6-7 says,
6 “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” (KJV)
Moses did not look up to the people. The people saw only Moses. They did not see God in the picture. That is why many people are followers. That is why only a few are leaders. Leaders believe in themselves and look unto God for direction. They know they will succeed.
Decide on what you want to be in a few years’ time from now. Moses looked beyond. His mind was to get over to the other side of the Red Sea. That sea was a hindrance, but he knew he could overcome it.
Every problem is outmatched by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit living in you. 1 John 4:4 says,
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (NKJV)
Romans 8:31 assures us,
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NKJV)
No problem can defeat you. You are the master of your problems. Rise up and conquer your mountains.
Most people blame material circumstances as the source of their difficulties, trials, and failures. Most people blame their failures on a lack of financial resources. Though these are factors that make success difficult, they are not ultimate barriers.
Adverse conditions, environments, and circumstances should be challenges that should spur you to success. Climb over the obstacles. Use the obstacles as steppingstones.
Jesus said,
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mark 11:23; NKJV)
Match your prayer and belief with works, because faith without works is dead. (James 1:22-25)
Do not waste your time in frivolities or other vain things. Think always about what your future should be like. And do not waste your time arguing and trying to prove you are right or good. Your deeds will eventually prove your integrity.
When you become a success people will then recognize you and your worth. And then they will care about the story you say about yourself. Because they will want to learn from your success story.
Whatever you do, do it to attain the goal ahead. While the people accused Moses, Moses focused his mind on God. Rather than hitting back at them, he took the problem to God. Seek guidance and answers. Don’t stop to argue with complainers. Winston Churchill said,
“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” (Unquote)
Initially, things would be difficult. And it would not be easy to persevere. But with practice and persistence, you will learn to persevere. And your perseverance will take you to your success.
Persist in your spirit. Do not let any obstacle dampen your spirit. Proverbs 18:14 says,
“The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?” (NKJV)
Work persistently. Make good plans and review or update them periodically.
Save a percentage of what you earn – do not touch your savings now. Discipline yourself and let your little savings grow into a huge investment capital tomorrow.
Do not let people dictate how you should live. Some people allow others to pull their strings. You can never live your life to its fullest by living according to other people’s definitions of success.
Your parents, your friends, or politicians, cannot truly define your life to its fullest. They may suggest some things, but the ultimate decision of what you want to be would be defined by yourself. James Baldwin said,
“I was not born to be what someone said I was. I was not born to be defined by someone else, but myself only.” (Unquote)
You must have the confidence that you will succeed. Your confidence will lead you and urge you on to success. Without confidence, you will not have the urge to continue when the tempest of failures assail you. Your passionate desire to achieve your goal will drive you on when challenges confront you.
Procrastination is said to be the thief of time. When you procrastinate you push your future further into the farthest future.
When you fail, do not quit. Try again, and again, and again, till you succeed.
Let these words of Micah be your mind,
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8; NKJV)
Plan on how to tackle the problem. Give yourself time for the execution and the achievement of the plan of action. Work daily towards achieving the goal. Review your plans weekly or as often as you can. Make corrections or modifications, and where necessary make deletions. Be enthusiastic about your project.
However, if you do not see any improvement after persistently failing many times, ask yourself whether you need to review your plans or change them entirely. If by two or three years you do not see any improvement, you may need to change your plans. That is why you should have a three-year, five-year and ten-year plans. These periods should see some marked improvements as you march towards your goal.
To become successful, you must focus your mind and energy on the actions that will take you closer to the goals you want to achieve. Don’t let the pain of temporary failure weaken your determination.
We read in Proverbs 24:10,
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (NKJV)
Stand up and face your problems. Like Moses, be calm and face your ‘Red Sea’. With faith in God and full of self-confidence Moses parted the Red Sea.
If God’s Spirit is your partner, His knowledge and wisdom will guide you.
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17: NKJV)
The Spirit of God indwelling you will enable you to overcome. Not by might, nor by power, but by the spirit of God… (Zechariah 4:6).
After the Red Sea incident, the people complained again any time they encountered trouble. They complained against Moses and Aaron.
Even though it was apparent that it was not Moses, but God, who was the provider, they complained against Moses and Aaron and blamed the two for their problems.
People will blame you when there is trouble even when it is not your fault.
At some point, they even became violent and ready to stone Moses. Ingratitude at its highest. They had forgotten so soon all that God did for them through this same Moses. In such a situation you might feel like giving up.
They did not consider that Moses was facing the problems with them. All they thought of was their own selfish interests.
Though he was not happy with their attitude, Moses went to God any time they were confronted with severe challenges. He did not blame anyone.
In your dealings with people, no matter how transparent you are, some will find fault with you. Some will accuse you. Some will hate you, and some will slight you. No matter how honest you are, some people will dislike you and will lie about you.
Moses continued to show love and kindness despite the people’s ingratitude and hate towards him
In every community, there will be a mixed multitude. When the children of Israel left Egypt, we read in Exodus 12:38 that, a mixed multitude went up with them. They are fair-weather people. In Numbers 11:4-6 we read how they caused great commotion and great trouble among the Children of Israel.
4 “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (NKJV)
We will come across these kinds again in the New Testament. This time, the New Testament refers to them as “lewd fellows of the baser sort.”
“But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.” (Acts 17:5; KJV)
The American Standard Version refers to them as “vile fellows of the rabble,” the Amplified Bible describes them as “wicked men (ruffians and rascals) and loungers in the marketplace.”
The mixed multitude, the lewd fellows of the baser sort, will cause ‘earthquakes’ in your life. But you must stand firm when the earthquakes hit you.
Moses and Aaron lived lives of prosperity and victory because they did not pay back evil for evil. They planted good seeds of love, kindness, and goodwill. They, therefore, reaped goodness, love, prosperity and the best of health. Aaron lived 123 years (Numbers 33:39) and Moses 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:7).
Most often our responses to the evil done to us are to repay people according to the manner they treat us. However, Proverbs 24:29 says,
“Do not say, ‘I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.’” (NKJV)
Use your time profitably and let God avenge you. Romans 12:17-21 says not to avenge ourselves. Focus on doing good and leave the rest to God. “Vengeance is mine”, says the Lord.
If all of us would live that way, there would be less or no violence in our communities, and our societies would be peaceful, healthy and full of happiness.
If we would all use our time and energy to nurture and practice peace, we would have tranquil communities rapidly progressing economically.
Do not let your emotions run you and control your actions. Manage your anger and aggressive feelings. Be a peacemaker always.
Sometimes, our rash responses inadvertently create or aggravate conflicts, and we ourselves suffer the consequences.
Some people cannot see how they are wrong. So, they fight back when you correct them.
The Bible says in Isaiah 52:7,
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things…” (NKJV)
Furthermore, we read in Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (NKJV)
Jesus says in Luke 6:31-33
31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” (NKJV)
Do not act when you are angry. You might do something terrible. You might hurt a person, an animal or destroy valuable properties.
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