Don’t Take the Bait
Don’t Take the Bait
Coaching Question: What is your first reaction when someone misunderstands you?
“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11
Stress is the POWER YOU GIVE to outside circumstance to define your worth, value and what you believe you are capable of handling successfully. Taking offense actually has it’s roots in self focus: how and what people think of me. Another phrase associated with offense is the drug of approval.
Why is it to our glory to overlook an offense? Perhaps it’s because we are then able to maintain our inner peace and calm. The moment we “take the bait” our mind gets tossed into the animal planet zone, stress increases instantly in the body and nothing good comes out of that dark place. We are left with 3 reactive choices: fight, flight or freeze which result in imploding, exploding or a combination of both.
Coaching Questions:
When was the last time you took the bait? Take a moment and reflect on that situation. What behavior crashed the party uninvited? How long did it take you to recover? Looking back, what would you have wanted to do differently? Moving forward how do you want to handle similar situations?
I’m currently reading a book: The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere. The word offense comes from the Greek word: skandalon which is the part of the trap that holds the bait and snaps down on the animal who takes the bait. We are that animal and we continue to take the bait even though we know how emotionally painful it is when we do. The question is, how do we resist the urge to take the bait?
It starts with rememberingwhosewe are, which is the first phase ofEmotional Intelligence in Christ. As we anchor our identity in the One who created us, we become less vulnerable to rising and falling depending upon how the world judges us at that time. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is our mentor when it comes to not taking the bait. As you read through the Gospels you will notice that Jesus was not confined by two things:status and the opinions of other people.
Our need to be acknowledged, seen, recognized, understood, appreciated and included are all fueled by the spirit of pride rooted in self focus:the drug of approval hijacks our identity and our freedom. Jesus lived outside of that space as He fixed His eyes on the purpose for which His heart beat: the salvation of souls. As we remember that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10) we are less likely to take the bait and remember it’s not about us…it’s always about God’s purposes within and through us.
So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you can easily take the bait start to talk back to the stress in your body:Breathe, calm down, God is with me and loves me, I’m safe. What is this really about? What’s mine to own for growth? This is an opportunity to let the fruit of the spirit: self-control (2nd phase of Emotional Intelligence in Christ) take center stage. It is to my glory to overlook an offense and respond in love, gentleness and calm.
This week, before your start each day ask the Lord for the strength to resist the urge to take the bait. Remember that you are not the opinions and behavior of other people unless you choose be. People that push our buttons are our greatest teachers because they reveal where we are stuck. When you take the bait ask the Holy Spirit to help you recover quickly. Remember you are safe; God adores you and desires to develop His character within you to set you free along with teaching you how to love others as Jesus did and does.
“It is for Freedom that Christ has set us free. STAND FIRM AND DON’T ALLOW yourself to be burdened by the yoke of slavery. (to offense.)Galatians 5:1
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