Nowadays, people have so many different views and opinions, but there is at least one topic everyone can agree on. Everyone dislikes bullies. I guess that I shouldn’t say everyone dislikes bullies because there are actually two people who like bullies; the bully, and their mothers’. Whether you were bullied, or not, chances are you knew someone that has been bullied.
When you think of bullies, usually you think about them stealing your lunch, taking your lunch money, threatening you, or making you eat dirt on the playground.
Sorry if that brought back old unpleasant memories.
Many things have changed since my childhood. Now, there are virtual bullies and they never have to meet their victims in person. I remember back when I was six years old and in the first grade. I was bright-eyed, optimistic, and totally naive. One day on the school bus, out of nowhere, a young boy, who was seven, began talking about me. Some called it the “dozens”. Later others called it “beasting”. Then it was called “capping”. I think at that time, it was called beasting.
Unfortunately, I was the last stop on the bus route, and the last person to get off the bus. If I can remember correctly, the seven-year-old may have been the third from the last stop. I was young, innocent, and the perfect target.
The boy talked about me up one side and down the other. I had never been talked about so bad before. And he used all the good jokes on me. Since I’d never experienced that before, I had no reply. All I could do is just sit there and take it.
He was a one-man show, and his audience was all the kids on the bus. After every joke, I felt worst and worst. To the point that if it wasn’t against the law, I would have chosen to ride underneath the bus rather than to sit there and take that abuse. However, I managed to keep my emotions in check all the way until I stepped off the bus.
As soon as the bus doors closed behind me and I heard the bus begin to drive away, I began to cry. I cried as hard as I could. I cried so hard that I was barely able to walk up the stairs to my house.
I learned a very important lesson that day. I vowed that I would never allow anyone to talk about me without me responding ever again. And I never did.
I listened and watched as other kids talk about one another. Then, I learned all of the best jokes. When the time came and I was challenged again, I was ready. I was the first to use all of the funniest jokes. Now, I was the one having the entire bus laughing. I must admit, I became one of the best at school.
But….. there was a problem. The problem was, I became like the boy that once made fun of me and made me cry. I was reminded of that when after a barrage of jokes, a kid would begin to cry. At that point, the joking was over. Seeing the crying child would emotionally take me back to that day on the bus.
Yes, I admit that I went from the victim to the bully.
In the Bible, we read a lot about bullies. One of the most infamous bullies of all time was Goliath. It wasn’t like he bullied the entire school or bullied the neighborhood. He bullied the entire nation of Israel.
So why didn’t anyone stand up to Goliath? Well, because he was a giant!
There are many different opinions about how tall Goliath was and what he weighed. But it’s safe to say that he was over nine feet tall.
Imagine a man two feet taller than Shaquille O’Neal.
Goliath was also known as a champion of the Philistines. Think about it, the head of his spear weighed around 20 lbs. It’s safe to say that Goliath was a bully of bullies. He had the height, the weight, the battle armor, the weapons, and most importantly, he had everyone in fear. Out of all of Goliath’s weapons, fear was his greatest.
Doesn’t that sound like every bully that you have ever known? They are rarely challenged because people are so afraid of them that they win by default. Bullies like winning by default, because want easy wins. They don’t want to fight everyone. If that were the case, they would have to fight every day and all day. That would be too much work.
Yes, there were and are great bullies in the history of the world, however, the bully of all bullies is Satan. He uses demons, people, and circumstances to put fear and devastation in the minds and hearts of his victims. When people fear him, he has control over them. When he has control, then he has power. With power, they are subject to him.
So, what can you do in order to stop the bully of all bullies? Unfortunately, Satan won’t stop bullying until he is thrown into the Lake of Fire. However, you can stand up and fight him. I don’t mean that you physically fight him, but you can fight him spiritually. Fight him with the Word of GOD.
Truthfully, chances are that you are not actually fighting Satan himself. You are fighting one of his representatives sent to bully you. Even the Apostle Paul said that a messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him. Yes, Paul who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament didn’t get Satan himself. Only a messenger.
Let’s look at Jesus and how he dealt with Satan. In a previous article, I gave the example of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, and that is an excellent example of how to fight Satan. However, let’s look at an example in Luke 20. Satan was using the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders to try and bully Jesus. As a matter of fact, they were not just trying to bully him, they wanted to destroy him.
They wanted to lay hands on Jesus, but they feared the people would stone them. So, they tried to ask Jesus questions so they could entangle him with his words. They asked him who gave him the authority to do the things he did? Instead of backing down, Jesus asked them a question. He asked them, “Was the baptism of John from heaven or of men?” (Luke 20:4 KJV). They did not want to answer the question, because they feared the people. So, Jesus didn’t answer their question.
The bullies tried over and over to catch Jesus with his words, and he fought them with the wisdom of the Word of GOD. His responses were so good that the bullies had to admit that he answered their questions well. So, they stopped asking him questions. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He asked them a question that they couldn’t answer. And when he had the attention of all the people, he said to his disciples to beware of the ones that tried to entrap him, because they will receive greater damnation.
That’s how you handle Satan and any of his messengers that he sends to you. You must stand up to them like Jesus stood up to Satan and all the demons or people he sent to destroy him. You must stand up like Paul did with the messenger of Satan. He said that he knows when he is weak, GOD’s grace is enough to handle the situation. You must stand up like David did and defeat Goliath, and then watch your enemies run.
Jesus expects believers to stand up against the bullies, whoever or whatever they may be. Whether they are people, circumstances, or demons, he has given us authority over them all.
There is an old saying, “Never let them see you sweat.” Meaning, don’t show you are afraid of those that are coming against you. If people are giving you problems, don’t allow them to see that they’re bothering you. When spiritual circumstances come against you, don’t allow them to know that they’re bothering you as well.
Speak the Word of God over the situation. Let the bullies know that when they mess with you, they have a fight on their hands. Let them know you’re going to win, and if you don’t, you will still see them tomorrow. Don’t stop until you win. Remember that it’s not by your strength or by your power, but it is from GOD.
So, stand strong and fight the bullies that are in your life. And win in the name of Jesus.
Amen!
G. Edward Wyche