Fight or flight

Dear friends

Isn’t it true that there is always just the very right and also the extremely wrong thing to do in a situation, and the only problem about this is that most of the time, we cannot know in advance…?

Except GOD knows.

Take all the battles in the Old Testament for instance.

Countless times did the heroes and prophets of these times ask GOD if they should go into battle against this or that tribe, take this or the other city, conquer this or that land, form an alliance with this or that kingdom… and GOD answered them and told them what to do!

Or take Elijah, when he was scared for his life, because Jezebel was after him and wanted to kill him, and he fled and THE LORD had ravens come and feed him whilst he was hiding in a cave in the wilderness…

All of these things still happen today.

Literally and metaphorically.

In our everyday lives.

As usual, I will give you a backstory out of my own life:
I am currently struggling with a witch in the work place – in fact, more than one – and this situation is absolutely not new to me.
I’ve even written articles here on this blog about this before – more than 3 years ago, I got fired from a job I had just started 3 weeks before – without having done anything wrong!! – just because my manager was a witch and she hated the spirit in me! She even almost managed to ban me from working in prison, as she had also lied to the vetting clearance department and they had denied the clearance for my next prison job, I then had to appeal, the appeal was rejected and only by GOD’s grace and with GOD’s help did I muster up the strength to write another letter, to complain against the outcome of the appeal, and then I was given the clearance and was allowed to work in prison again – and I’ve done so joyfully, as I believe this is where GOD wants me, I believe this is my ministry, and I am even training for ministry, so that I can become a prison chaplain one day.
This is something which gives me great assurance, because if this is where GOD wants me, nobody can remove me.
But I also know MY GOD, HE never minds to let me suffer so that I will grow…

However, in regards to this possibly being my ministry – this will always bring demonic opposition, for whenever we are stepping into our calling, there will be agents of the enemy who are not happy at all about this and who will do all they can to eject us, drive us out and spoil everything for us.

This is now once again happening to me… or let me say, more than usual and in a more direct and more threatening way…

Not that I am scared.

I know GOD has my back at all times and HE is good – even getting fired without a cause has not harmed me or my career in the field – it wasn’t pleasant at the time, and it took me 8 months to get over this, but in the end, I came out better than before – as usual with GOD – and she may have even dug her own grave, as many people have complained about her for the very same reasons, because she did the same to them as well…

Back to my current situation:
One of my previous colleagues – who always gave me the chills from the very first time I saw her, as she is so obviously a witch – she had left the team a few months ago – I was SO relieved when she had gone!!
She had started working for a service which is closely connected to ours and our service manager was still her manager – and the project she was involved in didn’t really kick off, so she applied for the Team Manager role we had advertised in our team – and guess what:
she got it.
And as if that’s not bad enough news, they even put me in her team.
The first manager I had there, the one who had interviewed and hired me, who was pretty much the best manager I ever had in my life, she left, she got promoted… and now, I have a witch again – and a truly wicked one, too!
I asked not to be in her team, but the service manager, who is also like that and extremely demonized, simply ignored me.

And now, I am in the same situation as Elijah.
If I stay, she will make my life miserable, destroy my reputation, annoy me, micromanage me, boss me around, interfere with my affairs, steal all my joy at work and probably even still get me fired in the end – I got stressed out already from one week with her!!!

And I am wondering what I should do, asking GOD about it.

I truly like this job and I love working in this very prison, I have people there whom I love chatting to, working with, I like the atmosphere, I even moved house closer to the job immediately after I started!

But if I don’t do something, she will demote me, defile me, demotivate me, she already started doing that and she is a wicked one!

I could start looking for a new job – I have, and I’ve sent out a few applications, and of course, there’s other stuff I can do for a living and will most likely also enjoy doing – but I think this time, GOD is telling me to fight!

I have already drafted an email to the regional manager, who is a Christian.
She and I connected last summer, we deeply spoke about our lives on one occasion at a team lunch… she also knows that everybody used to praise me and that I was a top performer in the team all the time under my previous manager… so she will know that it cannot be entirely my fault.
However, I also know that it will be immensely difficult for her to simply remove the new/old witch… and she probably also approved of hiring her back…?

What I am trying to say here is this:

I will not be able to figure out the right thing to do in my own head and from my own strength.
ANYTHING could be the right thing to do!
Keep quiet and stay calm, but that could also be the very worst thing to do, because then, I would not have any evidence to my defense once she will start attacking – and she will!
They always do!
And the outcome is entirely in GOD’s hand anyway!
In the past years since I have become born again, I learnt that no decision is the right decision unless GOD recommends it.

Here’s what I will do:

I will seek HIS face intensely in prayer.
I will give this matter over to HIM (in fact, I already have, but repeatedly) and ask for divine intervention, divine protection and divine guidance.
“Shall I go up against them and overtake them?”
And I will also ask HIM to hide me and to feed me in the meantime – perhaps until GOD will grant me a new job, or until HE shows me a solution.
I will retreat into my prayer closet and listen.
To the still small voice.
Will turn on my perceptions, my listening, will look out for signs, revelations and will watch for PEACE when the right instruction comes.
I will thank HIM for preserving and protecting me so far, will thank HIM for provision so far, even through this difficult time when I had to appeal…
And I will worship HIM.

Because I know HE will bring me through and will upgrade my situation somehow – I will learn stuff, encounter help, have revelations and I will become more intimate with HIM along the way – this is what ALWAYS happens when GOD is taking us through a crisis.

I will be instruct-able, teachable, sensitive to the spirit, humble, kind and I will watch my mouth and be careful so that I cannot be provoked to say something for which they can punish me.

GOD is with me.

THE LORD is my shepherd.
I shall not want.
HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
HE leadeth me beside the still waters.
HE restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of THE LORD forever and ever.

How about you, my friend?
What do you do in a dangerous situation to decide whether to fight or to flight?
How do you receive instructions from GOD?
Would you like to share what happened?
And do you perhaps even have a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge from GOD for me?

I hope and pray that this will inspire, heal, encourage and bless you.

And that THE LORD will bless you abundantly in all areas of your life, that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you PEACE. in JESUS’ name I pray. AMEN.