Christian friends always give you the benefit of the doubt, right? They don’t make assumptions, right? They reach out before jumping to conclusions, right? The answer to all these questions is, of course, no.
We’re all in the same fleshy tent and we do allow our emotions to lead from time to time. And the enemy is well rehearsed and practiced. He’s set traps and snares a million times before. He knows the chinks in our armor. He knows when we’re not fully strapped in. Then the fiery darts are launched and some land on tender flesh.
The Snare of Offense & The Offense of the Flare
This time, the fiery darts lobbed at me were the perceived offenses of a dear Christian friend. The enemy uses and abuses and he was having a party in one of my closest relationships. Then a crash occurred and I was shocked. Not that I should have been! The Lord had tried to warn me several days in advance – with a road flare, a “Caution: Danger Ahead” sign in my heart. I knew I was to make a call to check in with my dear friend. But I didn’t.
I was vulnerable because I was lugging around my own yoke and losing the joy He had given me. I was overcome with activity, commitments took over and forgetfulness happened. No phone call was made I allowed the enemy to gain a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27). That’s when the relational crash occurred – fueled by perceived offenses.
It was just days ago that I wrote about “Standing in the Gap” of faith. And in God’s perfect timing, He allowed me to be tested by the very thing I wrote about. He was teaching me the application of His Word, how to stand in the relational gap and how to persevere while standing: Read More