Bully by Minister Owen Mitchell

Earlier this week I heard a political leader saying of another, “he’s a bully”. My mind traveled back in time to my high school days in Jamaica. There were older guys that would take advantage of the younger and weaker students, that could not stand up for themselves.

One statistic I read shows that 19.2% of youth ages 12-18 are bullied and 31% of adults experienced bullying. Of that amount among adults, 71% suffer from chronic stress, 70% experience anxiety or depression and 30% experience loss of sleep. What is bulling? Bullying is a show of unwanted aggression, a power imbalance aimed to cause harm. This behavior is either physical, verbal or social.

Christians face bullying spiritually. The architect of the bullying we experience is administered by satan. His aim is to discourage and defeat us as he attacks our weaknesses. He uses people, lies, deceptions, guilt, shame, fear, worry and discouragement to weaken our faith. His tactics also includes intimidation. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.

Israel was bullied in Egypt by the Egyptians taskmasters, Exodus 5. Goliath verbally mocked Israel and intimidated them through taunts, 1 Samuel 17. Joseph was mocked with intense hostility and sold into slavery by his brothers, Genesis 37. The original bulling started in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, Genesis 3.

Today, I pray we stand and be fully armored with the armor of God’s protection, Ephesians 6:11-18. I pray we build our spiritual muscle through the reading of the Bible, through prayer and listening to God’s voice. I pray we will not just receive from Him but give also of that which God has blessed us with.

God Bless.