The word "phoebes" as in "homophobe" is a narcissistic manipulation used to silence us when the perps don't like what we say or do. It is used for many things along with "don't judge" mantras, natural and deliberate ploys to create feelings of shame in us, when no shame is warranted.
When we know we have been informed by God about a matter, it is important to remember that the world will come against it the same way a child fights to avoid taking their castor oil, even though it is good for them to be healthy, they will do anything to get out of ingesting it.
In the case of worldly people, there is a natural and insatiable fight or flight response to any form of instruction or correction. The more right we are about something, the harder they fight. The world as a whole, at the present time, is in a state of complete and volatile rebellion against anything that smacks of rules, standards and limits on anything they want to do or be.
There is no reason to believe we will not encounter this rebellion in every area of our lives, the work place, the mall, spouses, extended family and everyone else. As the 2 Timothy 3 scenario plays out, and we are in the middle of the throws of it, we will see an unstoppable increase in this state of affairs.
The exciting element of all this mess is knowing we are born again, waiting for the return of Jesus Christ, not unaware of the prophetic nature of what we encounter. There need be no surprises when we know the Word of God, therefore all the nastiness that is thrown at us is not only expected but we also have the power to diminish its' effect on us through the working of the Holy Spirit.
We don't have to be like the world, we don't have to buy into their relentless emotional and verbal attacks on us, we can slide through with confidence that Christ will give us all we need when we need it.
Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
We have no reason to be fearful of the sorry little elf’s who come to diminish and demolish us through their devilish tactics, they are nothing more than pawns in the hands of an evil father, their father....the devil.
Ephesians 1:15-23 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Next time we encounter the trolls sent by the devil to harm us, perhaps we could remember that they are not the ones we fight against, it is their father and his minions we battle and we do that in prayer, fighting the tactics with God's principles as outlined in the word.
2 Timothy 3 tells us to get away if we should, guided by the Holy Spirit as to when.
Luke 6:28 and Romans 12:14 tells us to bless those who curse us when we must be in contact with them.
2 Corinthians 6:17 tells us to limit contact with those who are rebellious as led by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 12:19 tells us to never take revenge, leave that to God.
When we obey God, seek Him for His wisdom, we will be led by Him as situations arise, we don't have to figure out ahead of time what to do, we just need to know His Word and His heart, which will guide us in every situation.
May the Holy Spirit be your guide in all things all the time!
