Thick skin and a tender heart...

Thick skin and a tender heart...

First off, in any conflict, a believer is not excused from Christlikeness until the scrap is concluded. Nor is a believer allowed to stop living by faith during conflict.

King David's conflict impulse was right when he said, "Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!" (Psalm 35:1 ESV) David put the conflict in God's hands. That does not mean we stand in front of a coming spear, but it does mean to keep trusting God in the midst of conflict.

I know, I know...the problem with putting it in God's hands is settling for His timing and His conclusion. Yes, that is the hard part, but that is the work of faith.

Secondly, to be blunt, we need thick skin. We need to not let peoples' words get at us so quickly or so deeply. God does often use people to get His messages to us, but those messages will agree with the truth of God, so there's the measure. However, when it's just the words of people --when it's just their thoughts issued through their venom-- we need to get thick skin. King David said, "But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth." (Psalm 35:15-16 ESV)

If God didn't say it or if it doesn't agree with God or if it isn't helpful and logical and just, just let it roll off your back like water off a duck. Don't let it penetrate your skin and get to your heart.

Lastly, and most importantly, though a tough skin is needed when dealing with people, a tender heart is necessary to walk with God. The danger of having a hard heart is that it puts us at odds with God, and none of us wants that! The Proverb writer said, "Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity." (Proverbs 28:14 ESV)

When our hearts are tender before the Lord, we are open to being led by the Spirit, but when we harden our hearts, we shut God out of our inner man. When we shut God out of our inner man, we begin to be led by other voices, led by unfamiliar spirits, led by our own flesh, or led about by the whims and approval of other people.

Many times, conflict is the opening place for our flesh to take over. This is why we need to maintain both a thick skin towards people and a tender heart towards God at all times!

Beloved friends, let us be tender towards God! May His every movement fill us with delight and purpose! May we walk by faith!