FRETTING OVER WICKED PEOPLE

“Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.” Proverbs 24:1, 2, 19, 20.

Who do you consider wicked?

Think of personal relationships or of political figures. Who literally raises your temperature – causing you to burn with hot anger, to be incensed, kindled? That’s the meaning of the word ‘fret’ above.

Beware, beloved. You can end up identifying and so despising a person, that in a perverted twist, you idolize them. You may find yourself constantly thinking of them and talking about them. This is akin to an addiction. Your brain savors and elevates whatever triggers a passionate response in you. It releases adrenalin and even dopamine as you engage in this psychic fight against the enemy. This further makes you more likely to keep thinking about them.

Your life can start to revolve around them. Your reactions can start to cause problems with other people. You can end up in legal trouble on this account. You find you don’t want to think about them but you can’t stop. You spend a ridiculous amount of time reading up on them and your brain becomes increasingly frenzied. Your body starts to have physical reactions to them such as getting sick to your stomach, tense shoulders, or a pounding heart. You may become furious at the mention of their name or feel anxious and despondent.

These, among others, are signs of addiction. Ultimately, the person consumes your energy and your peace. Catch yourself in that foolishness. Don’t cast your pearls before swine. Your fury avails nothing. The Lord has this person under control and doesn’t need too much of your help. He promises to snuff them out – if they are truly wicked.

Detox yourself, beloved. Confess your tendencies to the Lord and ask for his help. Pray for yourself and ask him where you can channel your energies. Pray for your enemy. Reduce your sensory input of them (seeing them, reading about them, listening to them or to reports of them, being in their presence, etc.). Divert your attention and energies elsewhere. Detox yourself, beloved.

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