Dealing with difficult people is a major turn-off that can threaten our Christian faith. We face difficult people almost everywhere (at work, church, grocery stores e.t.c it’s even worse when they are members of your family (sigh, because you are in contact with them constantly).
Experiences with difficult people can play our emotions in different ways. There is a tendency to feel angry, frustrated, hurt e.t.c
These feelings can lead to grudges, exchange of unpleasant words, offences, unforgiveness and resentments. It is important to analyse how to avoid or manage situations like this.
UNDERSTANDING WHO YOU ARE HELPS TO SHAPE YOUR DECISION
• You are the light of the world, an ambassador of Christ (Your actions should reflect how Christ will act).
• You are filled with the Holy Spirit, therefore, you are led by the Holy Spirit, not your emotions.
• You are the precious daughter of the highest God, seeking to please the father. He has instructed us to follow peace with all men without which no one can see God.
Haven mentioned all these points, I know it’s a bit challenging to deal with in real life, I say that because I have encountered difficult people too.
•It’s hard when you are being taken for granted.
• It’s hard when you’ve been disrespected and pushed beyond your limits
• It’s hard when someone is so mean and insensitive
The list could go on!
We hear phrases like “I have lost my patience” “I can’t take this anymore”…If you are at this point, I want to remind you today that with God nothing is impossible and that you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you.
PRACTICAL STEPS TO TAKE IN DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
1. Avoid them if you can Proverbs 22:24-25, Proverbs 20:3
“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared”.
2. Give Soft answers if you need to Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 17:14 Avoid insults or abusive words.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”
3. Pray for them (Luke 23:34a) Jesus prayed for those who persecuted him. One way of loving them unconditionally is to pray for them. Sometimes these people are hiding hidden pains from the past or present, betrayals and challenges. They become bitter and just pour out their aggressions and frustration on you.
4. Consider them to be a test of your Christian faith: How do you exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit if you’ve not been tested. We can only pass an examination after a test. Situations like this build us up because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:3-4
5. Be kind to yourself: In Ephesians 4:26 we see that being angry is not a sin, how we react is what can make it become sinful. Acknowledge how you feel, talk to God about it. Experiences are a part of life, don’t blame yourself or condemn your actions. Learn from your mistakes, dress up and stay cheerful.
“In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Ephesians 4:26
5. Seek Help: When it seems like it’s beginning to affect your mental wellbeing, seek help. Talk to your support system, Talk to experts, Talk to your pastor or trusted spiritual leaders. Do not bottle things up.
6. Set healthy boundaries by communicating: I am a firm believer that communication helps a lot. Prayerfully seeks God’s help and leading. Invite them for a peaceful dialogue (Be real and direct), you can go out for a meal if it’s visible. Let them know what you can tolerate and not tolerate, try to find out why they act the way they do, apologise to each other if necessary. That way it hopefully won’t repeat itself again.
In conclusion, how we handle difficult people is peculiar to each situation (the person’s temperament and values come into play in making our decision. Prayerfully seek God’s guidance.
Favoured Daughters Faith 
I love how you talk about them being a test to the faith. I can’t imagine what the world would look like for me if every person I encountered I treated like I was on a mission for God instead of a mission for self!
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Absolutely, it’s an added colour to the world 😀 Thanks for reading Jessie ❤
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These are great lessons to learn and walk with. Leveraging on the Holy Spirit helps us work with the best as He would want us to.
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Very true sis. Thanks for reading ❤
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After all these years of following Christ, I am still taken by surprise by rude people. I have to go into hiding with Jesus to see how to handle each and every case in a very different way because God knows them better than me. He knows why they are acting the way they are and what hurt them to begin with. Thank you for this much needed post and discussion. God is so good to us … ❤
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Thanks Donna ❤ for reading. Rude people still exist 😀, I like how you stated that God knows them more than we do, talking to God is the ultimate solution.
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Well, I actually thought I was living in denial because I would still be shocked by behavior. But God has helped me by helping me to realize in those moments when I am caught off guard and ‘surprised’ was because I was focused on Him, not ‘looking’ for the possibility of rudeness in others. So somehow, He has me in this place of having to trust Him while keeping my heart soft and teachable for Him. I don’t know if that made sense lol. ❤
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It made lots of sense Donna, you are a woman of great wisdom. I like how you point out that God is our ultimate help, I also liked how you broght out the positives in situations like this (An opportunity to get a soften heart and a teachable spirit).
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Lots of great tips here! I am still working on quite a few of them! But as you mentioned, difficult people are all around us. It is on us to learn how to deal with those situations.
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Absolutely! By God grace and help we will be able to act Christ-like when situations like this arises. Thanks for reading sis ❤
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Thank you for your list and the scripture references.
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Thanks for reading 🙏
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Beautiful blog and post! This is an area that can be very challenging. I appreciate the tips on How a Christian Can Deal with Difficult People; especially number six & three, set healthy boundaries and pray for them are two I practice the most when faced with this challenge. Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks sis for reading ❤
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This is very helpful for me as my son and I have a very complicated relationship. And he is the most difficult person I have ever had to deal with.
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I pray for you Summer that God will restore your relationship with your son. I pray that he will give you great peace and joy over your son. Stay encouraged sister, God is in control ❤🙏🙏
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There is so much wisdom here about how to deal with people from a Biblical perspective. I like that you used scripture to back up each and every piece of advice.
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Thanks sis for reading! ❤ I love scriptural backings because the word of God is true.
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This is so timely in my life. I was just speaking to my therapist tonight about a very difficult person in my life. Thanks for your post!
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Thanks for reading sis ❤ I’m glad you found this post helpful, I pray that God will grant you peace all round IJN, I know it can be tough, stay encouraged, Jesus will work it out for your good 🙏
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Thank you! God bless! ❤️
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This is a great reminder that we represent Jesus in everything we do and say. Your tips are excellent. When we’re aggravated, we should step away and pray. Because we are always a witness and people are watching.
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Absolutely, we are the Bible some people read! Some will intentionally hurt you to test you…when we display an attitude that is not Christ like…we hear them say “I thought you claimed you were a Christian” Ir “Is this what your Bible teaches you, come of it pretender”. May God help us all. Thanks for reading sis ❤
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This is important right now with tensions running high for most people! Boundaries and staying humble in tough conversations so we can forgive and ask for forgiveness really are great points on dealing with difficult people! Definitely help us set a kind and loving example in our relationships.
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Very true, everywhere is tensed 😀 May God help us all. Thanks for reading sis ❤
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This is such a great topic right now. We all deal with difficult people sometimes and with everything going on in the world right now tensions are high. This was great reminder that God is with us even when we deal with difficult people and I loved all your tips on how to manage it all.
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Thanks Collene 🤗❤❤❤
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Very good topic on how to deal with difficult people. It can be very hard to deal with people sometimes and you provided some good tips. Posted on Tumblr
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Thanks for reading and sharing sis. God bless you ❤
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Such great advice! I have had to deal with some challenging people in the past and it was a real test for me. In the future I will refer to some of the verses you shared here!
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Thanks sis ❤
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A dear friend of mine is working around many difficult people – even during this pandemic time. We have created a prayer circle and have been praying for months about this. This friend has followed the steps you outlined above, and we have seen answers to prayer. The people are still difficult but the situation has been eased in other ways.
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Thanks Teresa for sharing this practical testimony, it’s great to have godly friends who can pray for you when challenges arises. Continue to shine the light and love of Christ, I pray that God will complete what he has started in the life of your friend and he will grant her all-round peace.
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I think when we encounter difficult people, we need to discern if the issue really lies with them. Maybe the negative emotion points to something that is wrong with us – after all iron sharpens iron, and that’s certainly not a pleasant experience! But then there are those who genuinely are dangerous to be around – e.g. manipulative or domineering people. We either need to learn to stand up to them, or avoid them altogether. When it comes to people – we need a lot of discernment for sure 🙂
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Thanks for this great contribution! Discernment is indeed key, may God give us the grace to discern rightly at all times 🙏
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Dealing with difficult people is inevitable as long as we are on this earth and that’s why I appreciate this post. You have highlighted different ways to handle the situation including prayers. Thanks.
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Thanks for reading sis ❤
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Thank you for your insight in this matter. This is something I struggle with so it is good to have a friendly reminder of who I am in Christ and how I should carry myself as such. Thank you for your tips on how to overcome this problem I’m sure many of us face. Blessings, Joni
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Thanks for reading sis ❤ This is truly a struggle a lot of us face. May God give us all the grace to act Christ-like whenever we find ourselves in such situations.
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Great blog post on a topic I deal with all the time! I have a short fuse and have been trying to lean on the verses you mentioned! Again, great post!
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Thanks a lot sis for reading ❤. We will continue to rely on God’s Word and help.
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Grace helps me when I am faced with challenging behaviors. I remember his challenging I have been and the amount of grace and love shown to me.
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I enjoyed reading your post. You give such good Scriptural advice on dealing with difficult people. Your post coincides with a scripture plan that I am using right now on Knowing Who I Am In Christ. God timing!
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Thanks Karen! I read your post on Who I am in Christ (it’s amazing). I loved it, God is awesome in how he speaks to us.
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