YOUR WICKED ASSOCIATES: INSTRUMENT IN GOD’S HAND

Today, I am writing to you who have siblings, friends, colleagues or relation who are unduly treating you badly. My desire is to show you how to handle them without displeasing God and guide you to understand why they are important in your life.

Please if you have your Bible, open it to Gen 45:4-8. From the Living Bible, I read: “…I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives …God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.  So it was God who sent me here, not you!”

 One point I want you to get here is that your wicked associates are very likely to be God’s instrument for taking you to the great place he has destined for you though they may not know.

They may not sell you into slavery but are subjecting you to pains and sorrow. Believe me, the pains and sorrows are just temporary! Their evil treatment might be God’s strategy for refining your character and you must follow God in your character refining. Believe me, it’s part of answer to your prayer that God should use you. Before he uses you, he needs to prepare you and refine your character and make you able to be used for his work. Their harsh and pure acts of wickedness CANNOT affect you negatively. My friend listen: you will encounter people who will treat you wickedly and plot evil against you; but if you are walking with God, their wickedness will be pushing you to greater heights in life.

They may be expressing wickedness to you but God is plotting and executing a divine agenda. It may hurt you now but the end result will be pleasant to you. So, don’t faint because of temporary pain you feel because of your pruning.

Because they are essentially God’s instrument in God’s hand, you shouldn’t even be angry with them. Pray for them and when God eventually blesses you, don’t pay them back evil. The natural man would want to pay back evil for evil but that’s not what God wants from us.  Here is what the biblical Joseph said, “But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.”Don’t make your associates reaction who offends you feel guilty, it’s not really necessary. Recognize that they are God’s instrument for your and their good.

Right now, your boss is maltreating you because he has finished using you; don’t take it personal. He might be God’s tool to make you start the business God wants you to start since. Your uncle has refused to help you again just because he quarreled with your parents. He means it for evil but God meant it for launching you to step into wealth. Your project coordinator is unnecessarily stressing you because he doesn’t like your faith in God but God may be working in him to make you go extra mile to make that discovery that will make you a reference point in your field. Learn how to interpret wicked treatment from people you encounter in life.

Many times, I have felt like calling some persons on phone to thank them for treating me badly or being wicked to me when I start reaping the good fruit of their wickedness. I’m serious!

I once worked for somebody and when it was time to pay me, stories started coming up. I just prayed to God for my supplies and forgot him. Suddenly, I saw how useful my experiences and exposures working for him is paving way for me. I’m not angry with him at all; I still help him in his business whenever, he calls my attention. I have been enjoying the fruit of his wickedness to me.

The point I have made today is that whenever any relation, friends or colleague does you wickedness, don’t feel so bad that you don’t gain what God want to do in your life through the experience. He might just be God’s instrument propelling you to great heights. So, stop being angry with that person treating you wickedly; pray for him and help him as much as God gives you ability now.