Recently in dealing with a client I experienced the wrath of a critical spirit…

“The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.”
Proverbs 28:25

Insecurity, bitterness, “ME mentality”, negativity and choosing to be offended, can all lead to a critical spirit. Being self-focused keeps us so myopic that we can’t see “the forest from the trees”, or “the plank in our own eye”. Growing up under a heavy spirit of criticism and being healed of it by the blood of Jesus has given me keen insight and perception of it.

In the past I would allow it to tag into me and cause me great insecurity and low self-worth. Through the healing blood of Jesus, I have learned to “call it out”, confront it and expose it . Ugliness hates exposure to light! The situation will either be worked/talked out or it will be dismissed and go underground, interestingly there is no grey area when confronting wrong/evil/darkness.

There is a vast divide between constructive criticism and a critical spirit. I am completely open to constructive criticism, even when it is painful, because it is meant for my good and will help me grow. A critical spirit, however is designed to tear down with no intention for good, often grounded in irrational thinking, only seen by the one criticizing and usually has little to do with what is being focused on. In fact, a critical spirit finds fault in others to make themselves feel better or cover-up emotions in another area of their life.

In this recent scenario, I chose to call this individual out, not allowing their berating to continue. I remained calm and diplomatic with my words, even though my heart raced. In the coarse of our conversation the client revealed that there were family dynamics going on that we’re upsetting her. I prayed about this overnight. The next day the client addressed me first thing, apologized , asked forgiveness and wanted a hug to seal the reconciliation, she even asked me to quote on several other future jobs in their home…
God is so very GOOD!!

Praising God for the Blessing of emotional healing, which helps us grow in HIM and have greater GRACE for others.

Abundant Blessings!
Heidi Wilt