Throw the First Punch!

Dear Friend,

I have never liked a bully. I have never been one but I have experienced one, actually several. Bullies desire to strike fear in you, torment you and put you in an atmosphere in which you are constantly in a state of fear. They terrorize you and force you to feel insecure The goal is intimidation and a desire to overpower you. People who are subjected to bullying usually develop low self-esteem and often are suicidal.

I remember one time I was being bullied at a summer program and I came home and told my dad about the bully. He said, "LaKisha you do have the right to defend yourself. So I am going to tell you something, when you go back tomorrow, whoever is bullying you, I don't care if they are bigger than you, you walk up to them and look them in their eye. You don't wait on them to start bullying you, you throw a punch and try to knock them out. I mean hit them hard. You don't stand around and wait on them, you hit them first."

I stared at him a minute but I knew he was serious. I thought to myself surely he is going to get me beat up. But I was tired of being bullied, so I had to try something. I didn't try it at the summer program, but when I got back to school that year, I had someone picking on me. I found out my dad was right, it worked. I served notice that I wasn't to be bullied. I never had a problem again. I swung first, and actually he was surprised, and never bothered me again.

We have to be that same way spiritually. Satan only bullies us because we allow him. Ephesians 6:12, " We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and spiritual powers in the heavens above." But because we are a Child of the most High King, we don't have to settle to be bullied (see John 1:12). You can't sit and wait on him to bully you, you have to serve the first punch. How? Prayer and Praise are our weapon against the enemy, too many times we standby and allow him to say whatever or do whatever. We wait on the attack, instead of planning our own attack.

Philippians 4:6-7 " Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The strategies for dealing with our bullies are in our spiritual weapons (see Ephesians 6-10-18), allow Jesus to show you how to live in a bully free zone. He desires that for you, He already gave us the victory over the enemy when He took back the keys to hell! (see Rev 1:18 and Hebrews 2:14)

Decide today, I am going to live in a "bully free zone." Use your Word as your weapon against the enemy and watch him flee! Submit to God, resist the devil and He will flee! (see James 4:7)

I Throw The First Punch,

LaKisha

p.s. Don't forget we frame our lives with our words, Proverbs 18:21, that's how we keep our lives bully free, but saying and speaking what God says! The devil and his bullies, will move in response to the Word of God!