Dealing With CriticismSample

God showed me that even though King Saul threw spears at David, David did not retaliate by throwing stones or spears back at him. 2 Samuel 15-16 tells the story of when David’s son, Absalom, rebelled against him. During this low point in David's life, he walked barefoot crying because of his son, and Shamai threw rocks at him (2 Samuel 15:30-31). David was surrounded by his brave men and they could have easily killed Shamai, had David told them to. However, David did not attack Shamai by throwing stones back at him.

There's a difference between defense and retaliation. When we defend ourselves, we may correct a false narrative or address an issue. When we retaliate, we are hurt and we strive to defend our image.

Secondly, If you stop being criticized, make sure you don’t become a critic.

Do not build your Christian life or ministry around arguments and attacks. I would really encourage you to be someone who walks and lives in revival creating and being used by God. Don't let critics rent space in your mind by giving them too much attention.

Train your team to not feed you garbage, and train yourself not to be curious about what others say about you. Once your well is poisoned, your ministry will be polluted. One of the ways the enemy poisons our wells is by causing curiosity in us about what people say or think about us. Do not focus on criticism and ignore it, and forget the past and move forward. I want to encourage pastors and leaders to be careful not to give critics all of their attention.

One of my favorite verses regarding criticism is said by Nehemiah. When he was criticized, Nehemiah continued building the wall. In Nehemiah 6:3, he says, “I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down...” In other words, he was saying, “Sorry critics, I am busy doing a great work.” He was not being arrogant or proud, he was simply being honest. Nehemiah was busy with the wall and did not have time to stop working. He continued building and outlasting his critics.

The only reason we know about his critics is because they were a footnote in Nehemiah’s story. History does not remember critics; the only way critics are remembered in history is in your story as a footnote. Be a person who walks after God and walks like Jesus.

Let's Pray:

Father, I will encounter criticism and maybe even persecution in this lifetime, but help me to follow David’s example toward critics and Nehemiah’s response to critics. I thank You God for empowering me to serve You and live for You. I want to walk like Jesus and bring honor and glory to Your name.

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