Battling Troublemakers
Sword of the Spirit
… a wise woman in the city called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you." As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he replied. So she said, "Listen carefully to your servant." "I'm listening," he said. Then she continued, "There used to be a saying, 'If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the city of Abel.' I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying a loyal city. Why do you want to destroy what belongs to the LORD?" And Joab replied, "Believe me, I don't want to destroy your city! All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand him over to me, we will leave the city in peace."
David's Battle: Troublemakers
Trouble, trouble everywhere! David had a real battle on his hands when it came to a guy named Sheba. Sheba was a troublemaker who wanted to make life miserable for David. He told David's men, ""We have nothing to do with David. Come on, guys, let's all go home!" David's men listened to this troublemaker. They turned their backs on David and followed Sheba instead. When David got back home to Jerusalem, he spent a lot of time thinking about Sheba and the other troublemakers in his life. He had already put up with a lot of junk from his own son, Absalom. But David decided this guy Sheba was even more dangerous than Absalom. He decided to put a stop to this troublemaker before he actually did anything that couldn't be undone. David sent his friend Joab to track down Sheba and keep him from causing any more trouble. That's just exactly what David's loyal friend did. In the end, David won this battle, just like he won so many others. He faced his troublemakers head-on in a way that didn't hurt other people along the way.
Strategic Questions:
Is it better to ignore troublemakers or to deal with them?
Is there a right way to deal with troublemakers in your life?
Is there a wrong way to deal with troublemakers in your life?
Putting On Your Armor:
When people around you start stirring up trouble, how do you respond? Do you get mad? Do you make things worse by the way you react? Like David, we all face troublemakers at times. Sometimes we put up with a lot before we do anything, don't we! We let people like Sheba cause division and turn people against us because we don't know how to deal with them. There's really only one way to deal with a troublemaker. We can follow David's example. He went straight to the source of the problem and made it known that the trouble had to stop. That takes courage, sure. But in the long run we'll be a lot better off. Does that mean that we get in the face of the troublemaker and stir up more trouble? Of course not! We have to pray for wisdom so that the situation doesn't get any worse than it already is. Then, like David, we can experience peace.
S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)!
Dear Lord,
Give me the wisdom to know how to deal with the troublemakers in my life. Give me the courage to overcome in this area, and yet keep me a peacemaker. Thank you for showing me that, with Your help, I can overcome all sorts of troubles! In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Which Side Are You On? (Thought for the Day)
Do people see me as a troublemaker?
