è We are in a War (Ephesians 6:10-18). We must always dress in our armor. We will face opposition and we need to know how, when, where to engage. Sometimes, we need to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” [2 Chronicles 20:15-20]. Other times, we are to engage in righteous confrontation. Prayer and worship and the Word are always essential, because those are our connectors to the Lord’s wisdom and ability to resolve!

è James 1:19, 20

è Wisdom reveals who, when, where, how to confront. (Proverbs 9:7,8; Proverbs 15:12)

• “Scoffer”: jeer, mock, disrespect

• If you engage with a scoffer, you will get rejection, pain

• “You can win an argument but lose a person.” It’s possible to win a battle and lose a war!

è Wisdom discerns “how much” to say! (remember James 1:19, 20)

• Proverbs 10:19 …. Too many words lead to sin. (See also Proverbs 17:27, 28)

è Wisdom discerns when to instruct, share and when someone is not able to receive! (Mark 4:35; 1 Corinthians 3:2) Instructing when someone is not ready/able to receive is wasted, even harmful energy, words!

• We must “stay in our lane”! If we keep getting in another’s lane, they will veer away from us. (Proverbs 26:17, 20)

• If you are in leadership, Proverbs 22:10 will ring true!

è We should not run from confrontation, but we should always approach with prayer, wisdom, self-control, and love!

è Forgiving our enemies is required. The Lord will enable us to do so. However, forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean that we “join forces”. We do not need to affirm or endorse choices, behaviors that are out of order!

• Always ask the Lord to go before the confrontation and bring His presence and Grace to bear on the situation, and trust Him that He is at work.