Are You Still A Bully?

“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.” (Proverbs 11:11)
“Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (James 3:10) Our words carry the power of life and death. We can wound people with our words, and in some cases, kill their spirits. Frank Peretti’s autobiographical book, The Wounded Spirit, is a must- read for anyone who has struggled with an untamed tongue. His heart- wrenching story recounts how the words of bullies and other insensitive people affected his spirit and self-esteem. He mentions how easy it is for people to criticize and judge others, especially those who are weak or different from the majority. Many men are guilty of the ultimate hypocrisy: we experienced pain and brokenness at the hands of bullies, yet at one time or another, we bullied someone ourselves. Our tendency in the flesh is to tear down others in order to build ourselves up. Unfortunately, some men have never outgrown their playground mentality. They still bully people whenever they can, and they wound anyone they come in contact with. Regrettably, we have bullies in the church who wreak havoc and destruction on the family of God. It is a godly man’s responsibility to protect his brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as to defend the defenseless. He has the duty to guard his own tongue, speak blessing and not cursing and to confront other men who wound with their words.