Offense: The Devil’s Weapon

An aunt came to visit. While at dinner, she looked at my head. I tried as much to dodge meeting her eyes…but she then let it out;

“Whenever I see curls on boys; what comes to my mind is homosexuals!”

My cousins froze dead as they swung their heads to look at her.

MY GOD! HOW INSENSITIVE!

My aunt continued to say she’d rather look at dreadlocks, than curly hair.

OMG!

My flesh wanted to throw a fork —a plate, anything…

My spirit on the other hand was calm and serene.

My mind raced with thoughts of how ignorant this woman must be. ‘Does this need education even?’… (And I don’t mean to be rude. I’m trying to express the emotional roller coaster that was racing that time)

My soul stumbled upon a verse in its archives. It says ‘Great peace have they who love thy law (God’s word). Nothing shall offend them!’ (Psalm 119:165)

Ah. That word calmed the waves and tempest raging in within me. The meal was getting back in order until another relative stealthily crept out her quiet corner…saying,

“Have you heard? It’s ‘homos’ who have such hair!”

Argh. This one had been holding this in for 2 months since she saw my hair—My cousins and I just discovered…

Quickly the boiling inside was starting to resume…when another verse flashed across the windscreen of my mind

‘We do not war against flesh and blood, but against spirits, powers, principalities…’

Those who don’t get it, it’s trying to say, we war against invisible things. It’s beyond comments and opinions of other men. It really takes a mature spirit to understand that it’s not ‘relatives’ that were merely expressing their mind.

Those who know me well know my past. They know that the enemy has tried to label me a thing I’m not, and time to time he tries to resurrect it!

If you’re causing havoc to him, he’ll always flash a sin in your eyes. He’d remind you that you lost your virginity early, you’d even be at a family gathering, and then a relative jokes about your having had child before marriage!

The enemy will always use the things you’ve openly talked about in repentance that were never a good side of your story. Maybe you WERE such an alcoholic or an addict to porn/masturbation.

He won’t pity you, he’ll bring it out through a certain whatsapp group of friends or workmates! But if you don’t know how to fight back, he’ll keep you in a bottle like that Nigerian movie!

At the peak of Jesus’ ministry, his home towners reminded him that he was nothing but a mere carpenter’s boy. I’m sure as Paul preached at a congregation of thousands, he’d have heard some congregants say ‘I wonder what this murderer is going to say…‘ They all could have been offended, but we know they were not!

You see, the enemy never attacks people who aren’t causing trouble to him, or who are not going to disrupt his works in the future. If it’s you I’m talking about, come to the full knowledge of how dangerous you are to him!

If you’re facing such, if you’re being called what you’re not, (yes, even by your loved ones) I pray you discern who’s speaking at that moment & guard yourself for such times with God’s word. It’s your weapon, that’s why it’s the sword on the armor in Ephesians 6!

You’d be saying, ‘Eh Biggie, be nice to your family…’ But remember the time Jesus told Peter, ‘Get behind me Satan…?’ He had discerned who was speaking at that moment!

Men shall have opinions about you…and 95% of the time, offense is what we naturally react with. Offense leads to sin… and if you dare fight it without scripture, I’m afraid the devil’s endgame has taken effect and had you lose to him!

Dont be ignorant of his devices!

Answer with comeliness, hold your peace, let it pass, and keep your smile…

This kind of reaction is mockery; and it is like rubbing salt in the wounds the enemy already has! Fight offense with God’s word!

As for my hair, well, even if I comb, it gets back to the curls; but why I’m I even explaining this! African hair is largely curly! (Insert that emoji of the guy slapping his forehead)

Ah! Get behind me Satan!