No Room For Bullies

An overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless . . . not a bully.

Titus 1:7, HCSB

There’s a long list of bullies in the Bible: the brothers who bedeviled Joseph; the Pharaoh who bullied Moses; those foreign invaders who threatened Judah; Haman, who hated Mordecai; Jezebel, who threw Elijah into fits; the Pharisees who tried to intimidate Jesus; and Alexander, the coppersmith who did harm to Paul. Bullies can show up anywhere, even at home or church. At some point, we have to take a stand in the name of Christ and resist bullying.

Bullies don’t always come in human form. The devil sends doubts, fears, and worries to browbeat us. James says that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us—as bullies usually do (James 4:7). Let’s think of ourselves as children whose older brother stands at our side. Because of Him we are more than conquerors.

The Bible says, “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul. . . . Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands” (Matthew 10:28, MSG).

The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears. . . . This is the secret of Christian courage and boldness.

SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON