How To Handle Being Mishandled // Deprogram Part. 5 // The Blueprint with Dr. Dharius Daniels

Well, what's up everybody? Welcome to the blueprint. A little bit different today. I want you to light the chat up with some fire. Set it on fire. This that's an expression of our enthusiasm, our expectation. And you know, one of kind of my ministry mantras is this. Truth and fire.

Truth and fire. I started to get a truth and fire tattoo. But even this tattoo I got on my one, the way my skin is set up that they don't All the Pharisees leave me alone. Don't get tattoos on biblical demonic. I read too. I can read too.

But anyway, >> [laughter] >> truth and fire which means >> [snorts] >> we want faith the faithful teaching of scripture and we want authentic encounters with the Holy Spirit. We need scripture and spirit working in cooperation with each other. They're not in competition with each other. They work in cooperation with each other.

And anyway, let's put some fire in the chat. Excited to be here tonight and incredibly grateful for all that God's doing. Welcome to the blueprint. If you're here for the first time, I want I want to let you know we believe there are three ways you can live your life.

Culture's way, that's the way of the world. That's what everybody's doing. Church's way, that's the way of institutionalized religion. God's not anti-church. I'm not anti-church. But sometimes the institution of church or like things we do in church, the way church is practiced at [snorts] times it's inconsistent with the founder of the church is Jesus.

So sometimes the church that bears Jesus' name is not always accurately representing Jesus. So there's culture's way, which is the way of the world. Church's way, which is the way of institutional religion. But then there's the king's way, which is the way of the rabbi. So we argue that Jesus is not just a redeemer who teaches me how to get who helps me get to heaven.

He's a rabbi who teaches me how to live on earth. There's a different way he wants to show us on how to live our life. And And his way is not just right, it's better. It's not just the right way, it's the best way. It is not just the right way, it is the best way.

So God doesn't just want to change things in our life. God wants to change the way we live our life. It's what we call third way. And when I say third way, I'm not talking about sociologically or politically. I'm talking about theologically. Not culture's way, not church's way, but the king's way.

And the Bible is the blueprint to the third way. The Bible is the blueprint to God's best. And so this is what we call a third way Bible study. We're grateful to have you with us. If you're not subscribed to this YouTube channel, I want to encourage you to do that.

And um For those of you that understand evangelistically how important it is to get practical Bible teaching into the hands of people or on the feeds of people who may not be exposed to this teaching ministry. You just pressing that like button helps us do that. And so the pressing that like button is not about my ego.

Pressing that like button is about evangelism. It helps get messages like this in the feeds of people who may not be familiar with this teaching ministry. Biblical truth, but we're going to build a bridge to everyday life. It's going to be biblically principled, but highly practical. That's my calling.

That's my assignment. That's what we on over here the blueprint Bible study. We're glad to have you with us. This is the last lesson in a series of teachings we've been in called deprogram. We have been studying Romans chapter 12. Every teaching has centered around um Romans chapter 12.

And here's the argument. The argument we're making is spiritual development requires deprogramming. Like our ability to learn is tied and tethered to our ability to unlearn. And we've been using Romans 12 as a blueprint to help us there. And so we're going to be picking up today um or concluding uh this study today uh with verses 14 through verses 21.

And uh here is what Paul says in verse 14. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, uh but be willing to associate with people of low position.

Do not be conceited. Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, it is mine to avenge.

I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. I just read all seven verses, guys, cuz >> [laughter] >> uh I want to use this series of verses to teach from this subject tonight, how to handle being mishandled.

How to handle being mishandled. I want to start this teaching by informing some and reminding others that one of, not the only, but one of the roles and the responsibilities of the church is to serve as the educational arm of the kingdom of God. I'm not saying church is a school.

That's not what I'm saying at all. But what I am saying, church has an educational responsibility. The Great Commission, which is like the mission that Jesus gives the church through his disciples, he says, I want you to go you therefore and make disciples of all nation nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe, to do, to put into practice all things that I have commanded you.

So part of the role and responsibility of the church is uh to educate. Watch this. But in order for the church to carry out its role and responsibility of being the educational arm of the kingdom, the church has to understand that part of helping people learn how to live life a completely different way, cuz that's what we're that's what we're teaching, right?

It's not just information for the purpose of information. It is information for the purpose of application. Information for the purpose of putting into practice those things that I've heard and learned. As a matter of fact, the book of James says, don't just be a hearer of the word, but be a do but do it Watch this.

Don't just be a hearer of the word and so deceive yourself. Meaning that we can hear scripture and hear truth and we can hear principles and axioms that excite us and it make it makes us enthusiastic and I'm ready to run through a wall. I'm ready to do it big.

And so that feeling you get from what you heard can deceive you into believing something has actually changed when nothing has changed but the way that you feel. Things don't change until you put into practice what you've heard. So the feeling you get from hearing can be deceptive.

Cuz we can confuse the feeling with change and it's not. So this is what James says, don't don't just be a hearer of the word and so deceive yourself. But do what it says. Put it into practice. So part of the role and the responsibility of the church, listen to me, is to teach, to educate us on how to live life a completely different way.

Once we've been redeemed, watch this, we we have to experience some relearning. Once we've been redeemed, we've got experience some relearning. If I'm making sense so far, just put show you right. Come on. I'm going back to 1977. I wasn't even born, but I'm I'm going back to 1977 and put show you right.

Put it show you right if if I'm [laughter] making sense so far. So so we have to after we've been redeemed, we need to relearn. We got to relearn something. We got to relearn. What does it mean to be a parent now that I'm redeemed? I've been parent If if you were parent before you surrendered your life to the leadership of Jesus, then you were doing it one way.

Now you've got to relearn how to do parenting. You've got to relearn how to be a spouse. You got to relearn what does it mean to be a single. We got to relearn how to manage resources because we've either been doing it first way, which is culture's way, or we've been doing it second way, which is the church's way.

And we got to relearn how to do it third way. This is part of the role and the responsibility of the church. So in order to learn how to do it a certain way, it means I've got to unlearn, be released from, relinquish the other ways that I've been doing it.

Cuz those other ways are inferior to the king's way. The king's way isn't just right, it's better. Somebody put better in the chat. Put an exclamation point behind it, too. It's better. So, no matter how good I assume the way I've been doing it is, the king's way is better.

Even if I feel like my way is right, here's what the Bible says, there's a way that seems right unto man, but in the end it's destruction. And the keyword there is in the end. It means the consequences of doing things the wrong way aren't always immediate, but they are inevitable.

It won't happen So, I can be doing certain things a certain way, and I may not experience the negative and catastrophic consequences of doing that immediately, but if I keep on doing it that way, I will experience the negative and catastrophic consequences of doing that eventually. I just can't keep wronging people and wronging people and wronging people and that not come back into my life because the Bible talks about a universal law and principle called sowing and reaping.

I just can't keep wronging people and wronging people and getting away with it and those chickens not come back home to roost. That is the way it works, ladies and gentlemen. So, when we use the word deprogramming, we're talking about unlearning ways that are not right and not God's best.

They're not right, so they're not wise. And there is an area where I think we all have to do some or at least most of us have to do some unlearning and relearning. And that is how to handle being mishandled. >> [laughter] >> We All of us have been or will be mishandled.

Some of us have been mishandled, but we're so accustomed to being mishandled, we don't even know we're being mishandled. Some of us have been mishandled, but the enemy has infected us with such insecurity and he has limited us with so much low low self-esteem that what happened is the value for ourself is not aligned with the value God has put on us, and because we don't think we're worth anything, we take everything.

We just take whatever people do. We subject ourselves to whatever people desire because how you see how you see you impacts how you allow others to treat you. Somebody just put an emoji in the chat that describes what you are thinking right now. Just find an emoji >> [laughter] >> that closely resembles what you're thinking right now.

We will be mishandled. Some of us you've been mishandled by family. Some of us will be mishandled by friends. Some of us will be mishandled by co-workers. Some of us will be mishandled mishandled by Christians. Some of us will be mishandled by spiritual leadership. Some of us will be be mishandled by governmental leadership.

Some of us are going to be mishandled emotionally, financially, relationally, spiritually, professionally. So, the question becomes how do you handle being mishandled? Do you handle it first way? That's culture's way. That's matching the energy. You don't like me, I don't like you. You tear me down, I'm tearing you down.

You go low, I go lower. >> [laughter] >> Culture's way. Then there's church's way, which is denial and becoming a doormat. They assume that living biblically means living passively. So, you simply subject yourself to dehumanization and abuse all in the name of humility and Christ-likeness. It is rooted in arid interpretation of passages like turning the other cheek, which has nothing to do with intentionally subjecting yourself to abusive behavior.

I can point you to passages in scripture where Jesus himself got out of dodge. It's like they wanted to kill him. He out of there. He only subjected himself to the abuse he was assigned to, the cross. But there were times where people literally wanted to take his life and he sensed it and he he got out of dodge.

When Jesus talks about turning the other cheek, he's talking about resistance. He's talking about us resisting the urge to govern our behavior based off of what somebody else did to us. You don't Your actions don't get to control mine. It's it's it's living a principled life, not a life where you subject yourself to to abuse because you're passive.

That's sec- That's second way. But then there's third way. How does God want us to handle being mishandled? How do we get discipled into the king's way when it comes to handling being mishandled? Because the king's way is not just right, it's better. This text here, this part of the text here in Romans chapter 12 is what helps you and I handle being mishandled the king's way, which is not just right, the king's way is better.

And if you think you've been mishandled, these people in this passage, they were uniquely mishandled. The believers that Paul's writing to in Rome, they were going through things like slander. And not just like individual slander. It was like communal slander. It's like nationwide slander. It is not just my friend at work is talking about me in the cubicle.

It's not Am I making sense? It's not just my classmate got something slick to say. It's not people posting subliminals on TikTok and Instagram. And then Speaking of that, just for those people who engage in that behavior, we love you. Jesus is Jesus loves you. We understand the temptation to do that, but just let you know just let you know, it's not a subliminal.

Like we we we know we shouldn't do it, but even when you do it, at least be honest. I wasn't talking about you. Yeah, yes, you were. Anyway, that has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. Here's the point. These people are dealing with slander. So, they were stereotyped.

Believers they were stereotyped. They were accused of atheism cuz they didn't believe in Roman gods. They were accused of cannibalism. They like like when it came to communion. They they were dealing with slander. Have you ever been slandered? Like someone Watch this. Using untruth or misrepresenting parts of the truth in an attempt to ruin your reputation.

To undermine how some To undermine and impact how somebody else perceive you. Here's what we could hating. Somebody put that in the chat. Hating. Have you ever experienced that? They're experiencing that in this text. Not only are they experiencing slander, they're experiencing separation. Their faith, like when they were converting to Christianity, their faith caused separation.

Their faith caused strain in the family and cost them their community. Like people families literally disowned them >> [snorts] >> because they didn't uh made a decision to no longer practice Roman polytheism. Because they made a decision to submit their life and their leadership to the person and the principles and the power of Jesus.

There are people in their family that like disowned them. And it is like, how you upset at me for doing what's best for me? How are you Make sense of that. How are you upset with me for doing what's best for me? Somebody put in the chat, I know that's right.

I know that's right. But they dealt with separation. They were cut off for simply trying to conform their life to the wishes and ways of Jesus. Have you dealt with slander? Yeah. Have you dealt with separation? Yeah. People upset with you because of your evolution. So, you just want me to stay dysfunctional. >> [laughter] >> I like the old you.

You like the depressed um addicted compulsive unwise me? You >> [laughter] >> You like the me who didn't value themselves? You like the me who was living according to their passions and not according to God's principles? You like the me who was a lukewarm Christian and now that I'm serious about my spiritual like That's why you That's why we YOU CUT ME OFF?

THEY WERE DEALING WITH SLANDER, they were dealing with separation, and they were dealing with systemic oppression. In other wo- In other words, we get we could call it they were systemically being sinned against. So, there were legal practices or or practices that were covered under the color of law that allowed them to be targeted and barred from things like employment.

They were excluded from key trade networks. There was the loss of social mobility. There was legal vulnerability because sin was baked into the system. And so, they were not treated equitably or fairly. And so, not only are they dealing with slander, not only are they dealing with separation, they're dealing with systemic sinful and oppressive behavior.

And it is in the midst I'm almost done. It is in the midst of this context that Paul says these words. Bless those that persecute you. Oh, that read different now. That reads different now, doesn't it? Somebody just put wow. Put that in the chat. Wow. It's in the midst of this context that Paul says bless those that are slandering you.

Ooh. Bless those that are separating from you. Bless those that are using the color of the law to systemically oppress you and sin against you. Now, they're being mishandled and Paul says this is the third way to handle being mishandled. Now, watch this. Here is Here's I think too.

I think it's important. The way something is characterized impacts the way you execute it. So, if you see it wrong, you're not going to be able to do it right. Does that make sense? So, blessing those that persecute you, like if you've been slandered, you've been you doing separation, you've been systemically sinned against, to bless those that are doing that, that's not weak.

That's strong. Cuz if you see this is if a person sees this as weakness, it's just illogical. Do you know the spiritual strength it takes to do this? Now, someone in the chat needs to be honest and just admit I'm not there yet. >> [laughter] >> No, no. Not that you don't agree like you got to agree.

You got to submit your opinion to God's truth. This is best. This is what's wise. This is not what's weak. This is what's right. This is what's strong. So, you got to you got to submit your opinion and perspective and preference here to the truth of scripture. But, look at me, please.

But, look at me. Your spiritual formation journey is what's going to determine whether or not you actually become the kind of person that can really do this. Cuz you know what this word bless mean? This word is active. It's not passive. So, sometimes when we think bless those, it means okay, I'm not going to do to you what you did to me.

No, no, no, no, no. That's passive. That means I'm not going to do something. Bless Bless literally eulogeo. That's the Greek word here and it means to speak well of, to speak favorably toward. And so this is why I do like funeral services, people use the word eulogy.

And so I do what's called words of comfort. There are sometimes where I eulogize, but really speaking, technically speaking, I don't know why I'm getting on this anyway. This is probably should be for the third way pastors collective, which if you're not aware, I lead this collective now of pastors who want to lead third way or what we call inside out churches.

Um so it means that the growth is not from the outside in. There's nothing wrong with that. I think that's actually biblical, but then there are different there are different approaches to growing to um uh to growing the souls, to growing the people in God's kingdom and growing the kingdom itself.

There are different approaches that I see in scripture. So, one might be the outside in approach, but um my calling and our church is the inside out approach. And that is not how many people can I reach from the outside and get them in. It is how do I so radically impact and revolutionize the lives of people that are on the inside.

Those people become evangelists and spread the word and they reach people that are on the outside. But like technically when people come up and give remarks about the person, that's that's technically that's the eulogy. Cuz they're speaking well of the person. And some of those people know the person better than the pastor that's speaking.

But anyway, nothing to do with nothing, but it means to speak well of, to speak favorably toward, to invoke blessing upon, and to call down God's goodness on someone. So, when the Bible says bless those that are slandering you and separating from you and systemically oppressing you, it is saying to speak well of, to speak favorably toward, to invoke blessing upon, and to call down God's goodness on someone.

Now, notice it never said feel good. >> [laughter] >> It says pray good. This doesn't mean you don't expose what's untrue, right? Like we don't Thanks be unto God that people like Moses in the Bible did not just submit to uh the systemic oppression and sinful behavior uh that Israel was subjected to in Egypt.

He just didn't sit passively. Um Am I making sense [clears throat] there? Thank God for people like Dr. Martin Luther King who who didn't just sit passively and do that. But but the point is the best way to handle being mishandled when people are slandering you and misusing you and attempting to exploit you and betraying your trust, Paul says the best way to handle that is to invoke God's blessing upon, to call down God's goodness on them.

And then he says this, rejoice with those that rejoice and mourn with those that mourn. This is a blanket statement that that speaks to doing this with everybody, but it also speaks to watch this, the people that he's talking about in verse 14. Paul is calling believers to radical emotional empathy.

He's not calling us to just politeness. It's the practice of living with compassion, suffering with, entering into the suffering of someone else. And so here's the truth of the matter is I just talked about this not too long ago in a teaching I was doing. Um when the Bible says um rejoice with those who rejoice, um that's probably more difficult for a lot of people than mourning with those who mourn.

Most people are See, when someone's mourning, you don't get jealous of their suffering. People aren't jealous of your suffering. People get jealous of your success. >> [laughter] >> Come on, guys. So, this is I want you to understand how radical this command is cuz it's like okay, mourn with those that mourn.

It's like okay, we get that. Let me enter into Let me live with compassion. Let me enter into the suffering of someone else. They taking L's. Let me suffer with them. But, rejoice with those that rejoice. That can evoke envy and insecurity and comparison and it can make genuine celebration difficult.

And Paul said the best way to handle being mishandled is to rejoice with those that rejoice and mourn with those that mourn. And then he goes down to verse 16 and he says live in harmony with one another. Wait a minute. Now, I don't know I can't sing, but I know what harmony mean.

If you can't sing, you need to admit it cuz some of us some people You know what? This is the area where a lot of people lack self-awareness. And you know the reason I know this? It's because I've seen shows like American Idol and The Voice and all those kind of shows and I and I'm saying with some of the people on there, God bless you know, here's what they used to say in Mississippi, bless their heart.

Cuz I know nobody told you you could sing. Nobody told you that. >> [laughter] >> You can't tell me nobody told Even a liar didn't tell you you could sing. You can't You can not tell me you heard you and you thought you should go on that show. And the people that let you on that show knew you could sing either.

I can't sing. I know I can't sing. But I do know what harmony is. Ooh. Harmony's not you Watch this. Harmony's not uniformity, but it is unity. We all don't sing the same. Some sing uh alto. Some sing soprano. Some sing tenor. But when we sing our notes, we blend together in unity.

So, it's this idea of be having unity while maintaining our distinction. Am I making sense? It's almost like, you know, I know what people mean when they say this and I think it's well-intended. When someone says I don't see color. I I That's well-intended for most people. That's well-intended.

I get it. 100% I get it. Um the sentiment is I am not making judgments on who you are by the amount of melanin in your skin. Like I I I I don't I don't see it. That that doesn't determine who I love. That doesn't determine who I marry.

That doesn't determine how I treat people. That's that's what they mean. But, God has no problem with color. It's his idea. Right? So, it is this We can be you There can be unity while we maintain our distinction because even though God is one, there's differentiation even inside the Trinity.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Even when we look at creation now, humans are God's children, but animals and trees, that's God's creation. We were created by God, but they're just creation. Like animals aren't children of God. Y'all following me? But trees are different and animals are different. So, this isn't losing your distinction.

But it is operating in unity in the midst of it. And in order to do this, there has to be the latter part of the verse, which says, "Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position." You cannot have harmony without this part.

So, Paul is basically confronting something that was first way and that showed up second way. And that's what's called social stratification. What does that mean? It's like class-based pride. You feel what I'm saying? It's like So, if I am of a certain socio-economic demographic, then I only want to associate with people of that socio-economic demographic because people who are not in my socio-economic graphic demographic are not worthy of me.

Rome had a very honor-shame culture where status mattered immensely. And so, what Paul is instructing believers to do is to say, "Hey, don't you be sec- don't you be first way. Defy those social norms. Embrace the marginalized, the poor, and the socially insignificant." Watch what he says here. "Do not be conceited."

Pride is an overestimation of oneself. Then watch what he says in verse 17. "Do not repay anyone evil for evil." He he says, "Okay, you got to break the cycle of revenge and retaliation. The natural response to to injury is revenge. And Paul actually encourages a supernatural response here.

Do not match the energy. Hold the standard." Thank you, Ryan Leak. What an incredible If you hadn't heard Ryan Leak talk about that, what an incredible insight. As believers, I don't match the energy this week. I'm going to hold my standard. You know, as a leader, there are times I get I get I get as a leader as a leader, you're going to have to deal with side eyes.

I get a lot of side eyes as as a leader from time to time, meaning people questioning Sometimes, it means people question like, "Okay, how is he Why is he handling that person that way? Does he not see who that person is? Or does he not know?" Da da da da.

Because because I have a standard of honor, people can confuse the standard with naivety. It's like, "There's no way he could know what I know and he still" I don't match the energy. I hold the standard. There's a standard, which is a non-negotiable in terms of how people are treated.

Does that mean that we enable people? It doesn't mean we condone what God doesn't condone or endorse what God doesn't endorse. It doesn't mean that we don't put boundaries in place to protect ourselves and others from people that are unsafe, but it does mean we handle people with the grace that God's handled us.

And some people who are upset with you handling people a certain way don't realize if that were your standard, they had reason to handle you differently. It's like, "Oh, so you want me to be to them what I what I'm not to you what I could be to you what I should be to you."

So, he says, "Do not repay evil for evil." And then this is important, Christians. "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone." In the eyes of everyone. This is really, really important, guys. It is not saying be controlled by the opinions of other people, but realize and recognize that your optics the optics do have implications.

This is something that's incredibly important. This is why I think I I think this like this is what makes the Bible so rich. It is it is it is it is truth that is timeless. Like I want you to think about how long ago this was written and how relevant it is for right now.

Like when you think about like believers and something like social media. I'm like, "Okay, now how did you just post church post church on Sunday and then you just posted that Sunday night?" You didn't even have to post that if you was doing that Sunday night. You didn't even have to post that.

I mean So So, it's not >> [laughter] >> And I think I think I think what happens is first way, which when I say that, I mean culture's way, the way of the world, confuses This is important, guys. It confuses authenticity with irresponsibility. I'm being real. You're being irresponsible.

You're at a certain part in your sanctification journey where maybe you're still engaging in some of that same activity. Uh maybe in some activity and maybe that is something God is working with you through and developing you in. That's called being human and imperfect. Broadcasting that to the entire world is irresponsible.

Anyway, all right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. Leave it alone, Daris. Leave it alone. Leave it alone. Be careful to do what's right. Verse 18 says this. "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Watch this. Paul this I love this. This is so real. He says, "If it's possible." He realizes certain people make it impossible. "If it is possible," then he says, "as much as it depends on you." You cannot control others' activity. You can't control their responses. You can't control your own.

So, your responsibility is to properly manage you. He says, "Hey, I want to live at peace. I'm going to do the things that help us live at peace, but I can only do what I can do." So, Paul says, "You're not held responsible for the volatility and the impulsiveness or the whatever whatever else of other people."

And Paul's not saying when he says peace, man, Peter Scazzero does this amazing teaching on like false peace and authentic peace. And what many people do like relationally, um they they engage in avoidance. And avoidance always leads to false peace. That's inferior peace. And that is not the peace that Jesus promises.

So, that's first way peace. But third way peace, Jesus says Jesus says to his disciples, he says, "My peace I leave with you, not peace as the world gives." So, he makes a distinction between the peace you get from the world and the peace you get from doing things my way.

First way peace and second way peace. And sometimes people first way peace is like, "I'm just going to avoid it. I'm not just going to say anything." That's completely different. That leads to inferior peace. But superior peace, that's connected to the ways of Jesus, is not avoidance. It's engaging conflict biblically and redemptively with the goal of restoration, not the goal of victory.

First way, you I want to win. We I want to win the argument. >> [laughter] >> Some of you know you want to win. Somebody just put in the chat No, everybody put in the chat, "He's working on me." Yeah, God's working on me. Some of you know you you with you know, you get a little little little thing, you want to win.

The goal is winning. Third way, the goal is restoration. I don't have to win. You don't have to lose. You don't have to lose. I don't have to lose. You don't have to win. I don't have to lose. The goal the the issue is the enemy. You're not my enemy. "So, do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath.

It is written, 'It is not It is mine to avenge or vengeance is mine. I will repay,' says the Lord." Here it is. I'm just going to put this this way. This is important, guys. When God says reven- vengeance is mine, he's saying you need to entrust justice to the only one who knows enough to administer it accurately.

Did you hear what I just said? He says, "I'm the only one that knows enough to know what they deserve. I'm going to handle that. But I know everything. You don't. You just know what they did to you, but you don't know everything. I know everything about them.

I know everything they've done. I know everything they're getting ready to do. I know their strengths, weaknesses, ups, downs." And he says, "When you and I take wrath into our own hands, we're sitting in God's seat of judgment. You're sitting in the judge's chair. You're the victim. But you just went up to the judge's chair and you sat in the judge's chair.

And God's like, "That's my seat." And then he says in verse 20, "On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Your radical love, your feeding, your drinking, your meeting needs.

This is important, guys. This is important. Uh Here's what Paul is doing. He's using an Egyptian reference here. So, this is this is um where a a an individual carry burning coals on their head as a sign of contrition. And it is speaking to how your love creates conditions for their repentance.

It is Does that make sense? It's not like God's about to burn them up because you do good things. It's like your love creates the conditions for repentance. Right? So So So, that's that is that is that's view and here's what happens. Also, in addition to that, your expression of love, your expression of love, your expression of love put puts you in the position Well, watch this.

God may execute just God may act justly not in burning up the other person. Not that they won't experience the law of sowing and reaping, they will. They will. But you may not even see that. Like God may deal with them and you may never get to see what he does to them.

Am I making sense? Like even if he deals with them, he might not tell you about it. But here's what it here's what it does. It positions you for God to act justly not by punishing them, but by blessing you in spite of what they did to you.

So, it's justice. It isn't just seen in what he does to them because of what they did. It's seen in what he does for you because of what you did. And that's why verse 21 is important. Do not be overcome by evil. Don't be overcome. You may experience it, but don't don't be overcome.

Don't let it guide and govern your behavior because bitterness, hatred, vengeance, violence, they don't defeat evil, they multiply it. This family is how you handle being mishandled. And this takes supernatural strength. It's not for the weak. This is for the strong. But it is not just the right way, it's the best way.

And I know being mishandled hurts. I know being mishandled is agitating, irritating. It's trash. Trash. But when you mishandle the way that you're handled, you multiply you multiply the misery. Even when you feel justified, here's what the scripture say. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

I want you to keep that in mind. I believe God um is going to give us all the grace to handle being mishandled. I want you to drop some fire in the chat if if God through his word challenged you today to pull you in the third way, drop some fire in that chat.

My God. My God. I know this thing did a number on me. Hey, I'm incredibly excited, man, to have this opportunity to be with you. I want to as I always do close out in a time in a time of prayer. I do want to um I want to read something really quick as as we prepare to leave, man.

This is this is actually one of my favorite favorite scriptures, okay? And I think it is just just I don't know. It's it's incredibly important, but often overlooked. It is is 2 Corinthians chapter number 9 verse 6 and Paul just says to believers, remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.

Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. And um he uses agricultural analogies to describe our generosity. Uh he's not saying God's a slot machine. He is saying God rewards and honors generosity. And he uses the agricultural analogy. So, he says you sow a seed, you get a harvest.

Here's what's interesting now. A harvest doesn't look like a seed. It means that one of the ways God honors the generosity of his people is by giving stuff is by causing stuff to come into their life that may not even look like what they sow. So, I may sow resources, right?

Money. But what may come into my life might not be money because God watch this God knows watch this now. You can't eat seed and get full. So, if you've ever planted a garden, you can't eat the seed, but you can eat the corn. You can eat the tomatoes.

So, harvest isn't always money. Harvest is what you need. >> [laughter] >> And it may be in a completely different area. And so, when we create space like to give, I know Sundays like many of you do like Sunday mine is like auto debit. It is like the God first lifestyle is like automatic.

I don't think about it. It is automatically drafted out of my account each week. So, I understand like Sunday that's when we give our tithe. But on days like today, this is offering. Tithe is what we actually return. We return that first tenth of the Lord, but the but the offering and this is Lord, this is what I choose to give out of what you let me keep.

This is me ti- you borrow you borrow somebody's car, you return the car, that's the tithe. Putting gas in it, that's the offering you're saying just just out of appreciation. And um Paul even says, hey, the offering you do it how you've been prospered. So, there are times you can do more, there are times you can do less.

So, we create space, man, just for people to do that sow back into the field that you're harvesting from and so there are um ways to do that that are on the screen. We look forward, man, to just um seeing all that God's going to do. Thank you for rocking with us and uh it's going to be an incredible time.

Let me pray for you. Father, we love and thank you. And I pray for people that are in the season of being mishandled now. Would you by your spirit give them the the courage and the strength to put into practice the things that you've taught us through your scriptures today.

We do not want to multiply the misery by mismanaging how we've been mishandled. Help us, Lord Jesus, to do this third way. We'll be careful to give you the glory for it in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, blessings to you. We lift up every need that is coming through on our prayer requests.

Uh that that email's coming on the screen as well. Our blueprint prayer team is praying over these requests every single week and then getting together digitally and praying over these requests once a month. So, every week your requests are being prayed over and then once a month corporately our team's coming together and praying over them.

We love you. Take care. See you next week. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing))