HANDLING PROVOCATIONS
Text: Mathew 18:6-7
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in
me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck,
and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of
offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom
the offense comes”
As long as we live in this world, we cannot but offend one
another. There are people who have abandoned faith in Christ today just because
they were provoked by some other fellows in the Church. It is not a light issue
that a sinner finds a refuge in the Church but that through the action of
someone the same person is provoked to leave the Church. We can help people
gain better understanding on how to handle aggression.
Provocation, from the root-word, provoked, means an act or
something deliberately or non-deliberately put forth to incite, stir the
feelings/emotions of the recipient and thereby elicit a reaction or response,
which can be negative or positive. Provocation can however be either positive
or negative. When it is positive, it stirs or encourages the
recipient towards the right response. When it is negative, it incites the
recipient to react and respond negatively.
POSITIVE PROVOCATIONS
1 A person can be provoked positively to take some positive,
expected actions. Examples include
2 1 Kings 3:4 Kings Solomon’s exceptional offering
provoked God’s exceptional blessings
3 Heb. 10:24 Believers are to provoked one another
into love and good works
4 Rom. 11:14 Apostle Paul provoked the Jews to
jealousy so as to save them
Provocations, similar to temptations, are mostly negative.
They act like stimuli geared towards eliciting physical, emotional or moral
reaction from the one receiving them.
According to the above text (Matt. 18:6, 7) uttered by our
Lord Jesus, provocations can be seen as offenses. And provocations, or
offenses, must come! Meaning that, provocations are inevitable, at whatever age
and stage in life, and at some degree of frequency during everyone’s life-time,
as a believer in Christ Jesus. But we are not meant or expected to stumble or
fall from grace and faith through provocations, offenses, or call it
temptations,.
There are peculiar provocative actions, events, sight, words
and other experiences which everyone will be exposed to. It is not as sin when
we are exposed to provocations. However, the way we react to or handle
instances of provocations will determine whether we sin or not
EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE PROVOKED IN THE BIBLE
1 Adam and Eve provoked by the serpent into lust (of
the eye, flesh and pride of life) Gen. 3:1-16; 1 John 2:16
2 Cain provoked by jealousy into murdering his brother Abel.
Gen. 4:3-8
3 Joseph provoked by Potiphar’s wife, but successfully
resisted fornication. Gen.39:7-9
4 Hanna provoked by her rival Penninah for being
childless. I Sam. 1:6,7
5 David provoked by King Saul, but wisely resisted
killing the anointed of God I Sam. 24:4ff
6 Abner provoked into killing Asahel, and Joab’s
wicked revenge of his brother’s death. II Sam.2:19-23,27
7 Our Lord Jesus was also provoked by the people’s
profaning of the Temple Matt.21:12-13
TEN (10) KINDS OF PROVOCATIONS COMMON TO BELIEVERS
1 provocations through offenses, such as taunts from fellow
believers (see the case of Moses versus Miriam/Aaron in Numbers 12:2ff;
Matt.18:6,7). “Are you the only born-again Christian in this Church?” syndrome
2 provocation towards inordinate ambition. II Sam. 14:25ff;
15:1ff
3 provocations towards sexual impurity. Gen.39:7-9
4 provocation of temperament towards into lerance,
quarrelsomeness and loss of self-control/testimony. I Sam.25:2ff; (Nabal/David)
II Sam. 2:19-23; 3:26:26,27 (Abner/Asahel/Joab)
5 provocation through wrong counsel to further perfect evil.
II Sam.13:3ff (Jonadab’s counsel
6 provocation from Satan towards pride and haughtiness. I
Chron. 21:1ff
7 provocations through worldly pleasures, ungodly
entertainment, dressing/wears, and so on, that lure Christian away from loving
or walking with, and serving the Lord faithfully, II Tim.4:10;5:6
8 provocations through lack, delay of legitimate things,
outright denial of one’s right as a worker in an establishment, or citizen of
the nation. Prov.30:9;1 Sam. 25:2ff
9 provocation to compete and compare one’s self with others
10 provocation to deny God/the faith Job 2:9,10
OVERCOMING NEGATIVE PROVOCATIONS
1 Be not the channel/agent of provocation. Do not allow the
devil to use you as a tool to provoke others to stumble. Matt 18:7
2 Study yourself well. Identify your weak areas that are
easily provoked into ungodly behaviors or reactions
3 As much as possible avoid sights, events, places,
discussions, peers or ‘friends’ and associations, and so on and so forth, that
easily bring provocations
4 Do no overestimate yourself-ability
5 Consciously discipline yourself Heb. 12:4,12
6 Learn when to talk and when to keep quiet. Isaiah 53:7b;
Prov. 17:28
7 Subject your thoughts/reactions to the obedience of Christ
1 Cor.10:4-5
8 Focus on Christ. Desire to react to situations as Christ
would. Heb.12:1-4
9 Pray earnestly and constantly for grace (CACGHB 633)
10 Abandon yourself to God and to doing His pleasure. Psalm
37:4
CONCLUSION:
The giant anyone fails to conquer will eventually defeat
that person. Provocation/offenses will inevitably come to our doorsteps. They
are not meant to master us, or make us fall. We are to master and rule over
them. Therefore, let us move on to maturity. Proverbs 24:10 stressed that “if
you fail in the day of adversity your strength is small”. Always
remember that Satan the evil one rejoices whenever he has successfully
facilitated a provocation that eventually sends a Christian out of the Church
is reduced, and brethren may be discouraged. In this resurrection season
therefore, may we receive new strength from the Lord, and overcome all
provoking giants that are after our fall from grace and faith, in Jesus’
wonderful name. Amen.
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