God wants us to stand up for ourselves, because He wants the very best for us. Standing up for yourself does not mean that you have to be nasty or say mean things to people... or in Psychology they call it being "agressive". What I have been a lot is "passive"; I let people bend me and shape me into someone who I don't want to be, or accept things I know aren't good for me. At one point I was so passive that I wound up losing myself completely.
About 6 years ago I "fell in love" with a man (for safety reasons I will call him "Danny"). Danny was much older than me, and he said he was a Christian, so I took him at his word instead of watching his actions. Less than 7 months later I married him. A month later I was pregnant, and my family didn't know where I was or that I was married at all. I gave up my dream of having my father walk me down the isle, of having a beautiful beach wedding, and most importantly, a God-honoring life. I gave it all up, and twisted and bent what I wanted, so that I could be with him... my dream guy. But the twisting and compromising didn't stop, and before I knew it I had changed every bit of who I was. My then husband was abusive, so much so that I lived in fear each and every moment. I did whatever he wanted me to do, I cleaned, I cooked, and I worked.... hard. Danny screamed at me, cussed at me, and threw me around. But instead of freeing myself, I sunk deeper and changed myself even more. I once was a pants-wearing woman, who loved jeans and t-shirts. But Danny wanted me to wear skirts and dresses, so I wore skirts and dresses, and when I didn't I got the worst of his abuse.
The day I left Danny was the day he almost took my life. My son was 10 months old, and I was three months pregnant. Danny had me chopping wood, loading a wood burning furnace (I wonder how may of you know what that is, because I didn't until then), cooking, and cleaning, and sewing. He was screaming at me to do all of the things that he wanted me to do, and I snapped. I knew it was time to stand up for myself. So I said No! He jumped out of his chair and tried to strangle me. I believe an Angel tore his hands from around my neck because there is no other way I could have gotten away. That afternoon while he was sleeping I snuck away, and moved out. Thankfully I have been out of that abuse-life for almost 4 years now! Praise God for real! Now I am living a Godly-life of no compromise. I stand up for myself with the authority and power of Jesus!
About 6 years ago I "fell in love" with a man (for safety reasons I will call him "Danny"). Danny was much older than me, and he said he was a Christian, so I took him at his word instead of watching his actions. Less than 7 months later I married him. A month later I was pregnant, and my family didn't know where I was or that I was married at all. I gave up my dream of having my father walk me down the isle, of having a beautiful beach wedding, and most importantly, a God-honoring life. I gave it all up, and twisted and bent what I wanted, so that I could be with him... my dream guy. But the twisting and compromising didn't stop, and before I knew it I had changed every bit of who I was. My then husband was abusive, so much so that I lived in fear each and every moment. I did whatever he wanted me to do, I cleaned, I cooked, and I worked.... hard. Danny screamed at me, cussed at me, and threw me around. But instead of freeing myself, I sunk deeper and changed myself even more. I once was a pants-wearing woman, who loved jeans and t-shirts. But Danny wanted me to wear skirts and dresses, so I wore skirts and dresses, and when I didn't I got the worst of his abuse.
The day I left Danny was the day he almost took my life. My son was 10 months old, and I was three months pregnant. Danny had me chopping wood, loading a wood burning furnace (I wonder how may of you know what that is, because I didn't until then), cooking, and cleaning, and sewing. He was screaming at me to do all of the things that he wanted me to do, and I snapped. I knew it was time to stand up for myself. So I said No! He jumped out of his chair and tried to strangle me. I believe an Angel tore his hands from around my neck because there is no other way I could have gotten away. That afternoon while he was sleeping I snuck away, and moved out. Thankfully I have been out of that abuse-life for almost 4 years now! Praise God for real! Now I am living a Godly-life of no compromise. I stand up for myself with the authority and power of Jesus!
In Luke Jesus told a parable "of the great banquet" The story is that a man was going to have a party, and he sent out invitations, and all of his guests RSVP'd. When the day of the party came all of his guests said that they had other plans, and gave vague excuses that they needed to do meaningless things. Instead, the man invited the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to come in, and they ate all the party food until there was nothing left, and the man's house was full. Luke 14:24 "I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet."
This is the attitude we should have!!! We should always stand up for ourselves. If someone says they are going to do something, if they love you they should follow through, they should make every effort to do what they said they will do. If a man promises to love you, and then he beats you, harasses you, forces you, treats you badly, and/or makes you compromise your core being (who God wants you to be), then he should no longer be welcome to enjoy your banquet. There is no room for even a little bit of compromise. NONE.
You are a beautiful creation of God, and you should be treated that way. God created you in His image, in His likeness. No one who has been transformed by Jesus could ever treat another in an abusive way. So, when you are let down over and over, or when you compromise yourself again and again, stand up for yourself and make a choice to move forward... whatever that may look like. God wants you to be treated by others the way He treats you. Like the amazing creation you are!
Lord let every person reading this stand up for themselves. Let them know that the truth is you don't want us to be treated with disrespect and abuse, you want us to be safe, loved, and at peace. Father, let all those who are living in abuse stand up and move forward. Let them know you love them more!
You are a beautiful creation of God, and you should be treated that way. God created you in His image, in His likeness. No one who has been transformed by Jesus could ever treat another in an abusive way. So, when you are let down over and over, or when you compromise yourself again and again, stand up for yourself and make a choice to move forward... whatever that may look like. God wants you to be treated by others the way He treats you. Like the amazing creation you are!
Lord let every person reading this stand up for themselves. Let them know that the truth is you don't want us to be treated with disrespect and abuse, you want us to be safe, loved, and at peace. Father, let all those who are living in abuse stand up and move forward. Let them know you love them more!