This post is about being obedient to God and man and also when and when not to apologize to man. Being obedient to God results in unending benefits. Being willing and obedient to the laws of the land according to the Word will enable you to eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1: 19). Obedient to man has a question mark attached to it because man is so unstable.
My encounter
I worked in a place that was not interesting and quite stressful for me. I always complained about the place but one evening, on my way to work God told me it will do me no good to keep complaining rather the situation would be worsened if I keep at it. When I obeyed God, things seemed much better and I began to see the wonderful things God was doing for me.
Normally the M.D will complain about this, that and all kinds of irrelevant things. Sometimes he would scold me in front of clients (which is so unprofessional) and should naturally get me angry. God always helped me ignore his shenanigans and focus my attention on other things. Several occasions he will expect me to respond but if I had to, it would be on an entirely different subject. The Bible teaches us that there is time for everything under the sun. There is a time to be quiet but there is also a time to speak out.
Still on my encounter
One fateful day, he did his usual scolding in front of the client accusing we wrongly. I confronted the client right there and asked her some questions which she couldn’t answer. The M.D still maintained his message on clients are always right (even if they lie and frame you up) and wanted me to apologize for actually helping the client. Because it’s a private organization and one is expected to be at the mercies of the client.
Unfortunately, cases like this are seen all around the world. People are being manipulated and stepped on. Some have lost their dignity because they need the money to feed their family. God’s plan is not for you and me to be grounded or relegated to the background. Even though He puts us through tests to mould us for His purpose, it’s usually for a while. Many are still in that situation because they haven’t found time to seek the help of God in that area. When we seek His face, He will always show us a way of escape.
Encounter continued
After making me feel worthless and incompetent in front of the client, he then called me to his office and started “preaching” to me. Asking me to apologize to the client. He then said something in the line of, “if you had problems with your husband and his family, is that how you will handle it”? At this point, I fled up and told him that I will never have any problem with my husband and his family (I believe this is what is called holy anger because it’s been long I saw myself act that way). He was surprised by my reaction and was also very angry. Now let me pause here.
Some people have accumulated curses because of their carelessness. Some people believe that it’s a form of respect to keep quiet when men or even superiors curse and abuse you. Others are too scared to talk for the fear of losing their job. If you look at this encounter, you will notice there was a time I was quiet but when the man took it a step further to declare negativity into my life, I had to react.
What the Word of God says
The words you don’t confront have the right to remain. Angels are everywhere around us. Once something is declared, they execute it. They don’t understand the meaning of error (Ecc. 5: 6) that’s why the word of God tells us that we would give an account of every idle word we say (Matthew 12: 36). Also remember that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18: 21). We create our future by what we declare now.
Furthermore, I don’t remember any place where the Word of God tells us to apologize for doing something right. I don’t ever remember Jesus apologizing to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were always after him. I believe the devil uses this as a weapon against believers. People will tell you, “just apologize so that peace will reign” they forget that as much as God is a God of peace, He is also a God of justice. The Word of God tells us to forgive when someone sins against us whether they apologize or not which is very important if one wants to make Heaven. We should always be quick to apologize when we’ve wronged people but pray for those people who have wronged us, not apologize to those who have wronged us because doing so would mean one is a liar and a lie is a sin.
Concluding my encounter
At the end of the day, people got angry with me for speaking to the man like that, not apologizing to the client, they believed I was being disrespectful. This is the world we live in right now. People will surely talk and have their own opinions which in most cases is wrong.
Unfortunately, this happens because it’s only as far as their eyes can see. Those who don’t have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, I don’t know how they cope in this dark world. If I didn’t have him, I don’t think I would have had the mind/ boldness to stand up to d M.D and even quit. I was able to do this because I knew the mind of my Heavenly Father and was 100% sure He was with me on this matter even though the majority of people were against. Years have now past and I don’t regret my action but rather I’m thankful to God for all He has done for me.
Being obedient is not the same as being respectful. Our obedience should only be complete in God. Some of those who decided to obey man have landed in hell, jail, or in unfortunate circumstances. It’s no news that people will call you names for doing what is right. At the end of the day, it will pay off and the difference will be clear for the world to see.
Sure you have enjoyed this post, to access the previous post check here. You can also join our Facebook community.
Stay Blessed.
Oluchi.
Leave a Reply