Galatians 5:26, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

GASLIGHTING is a word and concept that has actually been around a long while. However, it was recently reawakened by woke culture. And simply put, it’s the insidious and wicked act of deliberately and intentionally provoking someone else to anger and a misbehaviour, then, pointing to, exposing and libelling them as bad. This wicked and unchristlike habit and attitude is the focus of today’s nugget.

Dear friend, it can never be right or fair as a genuine child of God to intentionally and deliberately make people look bad to the world because of what you want to achieve or stand to gain. It is even worse if you have any form of advantage over such people. This is why the Holy Spirit warned even parents in Ephesians 6:4 that, “and you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Wow! Who would even think that God would actually care about how a father chooses to treat his own child? But, such scriptures like this show that God does care. That means, how you treat your staff, boss, business partner, spouse, colleagues etc is also important to God, no matter the issue or challenges. And I believe this is the meat and main focus of today’s scripture.

Beloved, as a Christian, you can’t and you shouldn’t MANIPULATE people’s emotions to your own advantage, no matter what you stand to gain or even how bad they are. Why? You may be in this world; same market place, same environments, same challenges, etc, but never forget you don’t operate by the rules and standards of this fleeting and temporary world. Your own CONSCIENCE should be guarded and guided by a higher IDEAL – the word of God. Kindly go through the sermon on the mount again.

Matthew 18:6 says, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” You may need to seriously meditate on that. Don’t think you’re just playing business or office politics or even politics as politics. Being a believer means your ways, manners and actions MUST reflect Christ and glorify Him as Lord. Do you even know what that means? It means, His will or decision overrides your will or decision. Selah!

Further Reading
~Luke 6:31, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

Prayer
~ Dear Lord, help me to always put you and your word in front of my dream, vision and goals, so I won’t follow the ways of the world
~ Dear Lord, help me not to be so ambitious or desirous of success that I become insensitive to the needs of people around me