Shouting at Abuse

Even as I sit typing this I feel like a part of my heart is just beating with God-touched emotion and I can’t hide the tears that are falling from my eyes. A few minutes ago my husband and I arrived home from a wonderful day. We were blessed to be the Hands and Feet of Papa today as we drove over to a human trafficking safe house to deliver loads of donated clothes from young ladies to the ladies who are survivors. My heart was touched with the Holy Spirit and just the beautiful presence of Father so deeply ministering to my heart. Just as we arrived home and settled down, we heard the new neighbours downstairs come home. They moved in over the weekend and I got an uncomfortable discernment when we were introduced to them over the weekend. Nevertheless, we stay in a complex so we all mind our own business and just greet in passing. Until just now....

We were settling to watch the cycling when we began heaingr shouting and screaming that was so intense that we jumped up and ran outside. We heard these two neighbours shouting in their house at one another, the woman’s voice was so loud and the man’s was so filled with aggression. We stood still until things began breaking and doors began slamming. I cannot tell you what was happening but they were both attacking one another in fits of rage. Let me pause and shed some light on my own feelings here, I worked with abused women (and occasionally men) for over 4 years and I wrote my Master’s thesis on the reality of abuse in the lives of women. I hate abuse and I hate abusive relationships. I am under no cloud of deception regarding abuse, no matter how hard you try and fool me. I am also under no delusion that many times women abuse men, people abuse one another, which seems to be the story of many people’s lives. But it is not going to happen so close to where I live without it stopping. I am not saying that proudly, I am saying that because God compels us not to allow sin to prevail and He also compels us to stop injustice. As I stood outside hearing people screaming, I did the one thing I could in the situation – I began shouting “hey! Stop!” It was my natural reaction. I screamed at it because there is just too much silence. I will say it again – I hate abuse! I am not insensitive to the sensitivity and the complexity of abuse, its super complex and fragments our deepest place, it fragments the soul, the spirit and the physical. I also know that abuse that stems from rage and anger, has opened up a door to the demonic and the demons rage! I have seen this firsthand, not from witness accounts but with my own two eyes. I will not stand for it because I cannot, because God does not. In my honours presentation a few years ago, I used a video that was made by the organisation POWA to show South African’s reactions to abuse, I am including it in this post, so that you can see the stark reality.

We have lived in a quiet complex of solace for years, the enemy will not prevail and he will definitely not prevail with evil because I am standing up and when God’s heart is fiercely against injustice, so is mine! Let's stand together for all who have witnessed abuse because the witness of abuse is incredibly traumatic and let us not stand for abuse in whatever shape or form it occurs!
Video Link - People Opposing Women Abuse

Things to reflect on:
- How do you respond when someone tells you they are being abused?
- How do you respond to acts of violence that occur around you?
- What do you think Yeshua (Jesus) feels about abuse?
- Study Time; Find scriptures in the Bible that point out abuse and meditate on them. Ask Father what you can do about abuse and how you can stand against it. 

(I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth!)