He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.

Isaiah 40:29 (NKJV)

Do these words sound familiar to you? Powerless. Defenseless. Helpless. Hopeless. Maybe they are familiar because they describe ways you have felt in the past or ways you feel right now. Anyone who has been abused, wounded, or victimized may know exactly how these emotions feel.

The good news is that even if these words describe you today, they do not have to define you in the future. When you ask God to heal your soul and you follow as He leads, you move from being powerless to being powerful, from being defenseless to realizing that God is on your side, from being helpless to having the Helper, the Holy Spirit, living in you, and from being hopeless to being filled with hope and faith. As He heals you, you walk out of sorrow into joy and out of weakness into strength. You exchange every negative thing you have suffered for all the good things God has for you.

You are not weak and helpless, and there are things you can do to protect yourself against further hurt and damage to your soul. Choose your companions in life wisely and confront people who treat you cruelly and disrespectfully.

In some cases, abuse is so severe and abusers are so dangerous that the best course of action is to get away from them. People who abuse others because they are bullies, though, will often back down when confronted. In fact, they typically do not respect people who meekly accept or submit to their bad behavior. Although standing up to them may be difficult at first, it is usually the only way they will stop abusing. Many of them secretly wish someone would challenge them and stand up to them.

When we choose to stand up to people who bully or abuse us, we should do so after praying and seeking God for the right time, the right place, and the way we are to deal with them. We should certainly use wisdom and also decide in advance that we will behave in godly ways, no matter how ungodly the other person may act.

The only way we will know how to handle this kind of situation properly is to rely on God to guide us and to be obedient to what He teaches us. I had to learn to stand up for myself, and although it was difficult to do, it was worth it. I urge you not to give in to the fear that might be trying to hold you back. God will give you the courage and strength to do what He guides you to do.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, heal my soul and give me courage to stand against abuse. Help me exchange weakness for Your strength and walk in obedience to You, amen.

 

 

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