Overcoming Rudeness
Rudeness is a big problem in the world today. We live in a world full of rude people, including Christians. Rudeness refers to lack of courtesy, lack of manners, disrespect, incivility, impertinence. Rudeness is when a person treats another in a manner that degrades and puts down that person. It is aimed at hurting the other person or getting even. Rudeness can be expressed in words, actions, or attitudes.
A rude person is a person who is yet to fully submit their life to Christ.
Rudeness destroys your witness as a Christian. When a person is rude, that is a reflection that their heart is not right. It is a fruit of the flesh and is a sign of deep-rooted heart issues. Maybe that person is hurt and is speaking from an unforgiving heart, maybe the person struggles with low esteem and they try to compensate that inner void by being rude.
When people are wounded or have deep inner struggles, they tend to put on masks or develop defense mechanisms, one of them being rudeness. A rude person is a wounded person, it is a person struggling with sin, it is a person with deep voids. Sadly, instead of surrendering to God and seeking Him for healing and restoration, many people use carnal methods to deal with their struggles.
Love and rudeness do not go hand in hand. The Bible tells us that love is not rude.
When you act in a rude manner, it shows you do not know love and neither do you know the source of love, that is, God. God is love, He is the author of love, and if you are truly a child of God, you will walk in love, and you will be able to love even your enemies. Acting out in a rude manner shows that you have issues in your heart that are yet to be fully surrendered to God.
Regardless of what people say to you or how they treat you, you can choose to respond in love. Just because people have sinned against you does not give you an excuse to be rude. Do not be a rude Christian; do not be the reason that the name of God is blasphemed among the people of the world. Choose the high road and never repay evil with evil.
Never do unto others as they do to you, instead, do to them as you would like done to you.
Deny yourself and crucify the flesh. Crucify that part of you that has made you act out in a rude manner. Search your heart and pray for God to heal any wounds that are still lingering in your heart. Pray for God to transform you from the inside out so that you live your life in a Christ-like manner. Do not copy the behaviors of the world. Learn from Jesus Christ and follow in His footsteps.
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed. 1 Peter 2:21–24.
Pray for God to deliver you and set you free from the spirit of rudeness. Set a guard over your mouth and watch your actions and attitudes. Do not behave in a manner that ruins your witness as a Christian. Do not be proud, haughty, or arrogant. Stop engaging in carnal wars and realize that the battles we fight are spiritual.
Spiritual battles cannot be won in the flesh. If you want to win, then put on the full armor of God.
Nothing good comes out of being rude. People will just look at you and laugh, and start wondering if you are even a Christian. There are people who will provoke you intentionally in order to see how you react. Then when you react in a carnal way, they will go and gossip about you and start calling you a hypocrite. Some will say that if that is how Christians act, then they do not want anything to do with Christianity.
Beware. Do not fall into the traps of the devil. The enemy will use people to provoke you so that you end up falling into sin. Do not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy; do not underestimate the extent to which the enemy can go in an attempt to make you fall. That is why you need to be firmly rooted in Jesus Christ at all times. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Regardless of how much people try to provoke you, choose to respond in love while establishing firm boundaries.
Do not fall into the trap of behaving in a rude manner. Tame your tongue, be careful about how you act and respond, and beware of your attitude at all times. Do not slumber because the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Choose to be kind, gentle, humble, and tenderhearted. People may think that you are weak, but always remember, that is not weakness, it is strength. Being rude, arrogant, proud, haughty is the easy and wide path to take, but its end is destruction.
On the other hand, being loving, kind, gentle, and humble requires a lot of denying yourself and crucifying the flesh; it is a narrow and difficult path but its end is eternal life with God. You have a choice; choose well.
Blessings.
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Originally published at https://www.vickysforum.com on February 26, 2022.