“That we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:2-3).
The dictionary defines unreasonable as not listening to nor accepting a reasonable opinion and the result is inappropriate and irrational behavior.
Every one of us has encountered people who have predetermined opinions that will not listen to reason. For decades after it was proven that the world was round, there were those who insisted that the world was flat and that if you would travel to the end of your sight, you would drop off the edge.
Although some scientists listened to reason and accepted the fact that the world was round, there were highly intelligent minds of the day who argued the flatness of the world until the day they died. No evidence, no proof could be offered that could convince them otherwise. They would not listen to reason.
They were unreasonable men.
Without a doubt you have encountered unreasonable people in your life. It doesn’t seem to matter what the facts are, or what the truth is, the evidence is irrelevant. In the end you cannot reason with them.
While it is true that the wisdom and reasoning of man on an earthly level profits little, we must always be reasonable so that when we hear the truth, we will understand it and know it and be set free.
So the question is: What do you do when you encounter someone who is so stubborn and locked into a mindset so deeply that they are unreasonable? Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say.
When Jesus sent thirty-five groups of two into the cities to prepare for His arrival, He instructed them in what to say. Also He instructed His disciples that if the people of the city would not receive the message, that they were to shake the dust from their feet and move on. I think it is interesting that Jesus didn’t instruct His disciples to stay and try to convince the people, or to argue the truth until they got it. He simply said, if they won’t listen, move on. (Matt. 10:14)
Your most valuable commodity on earth is your time. Time is the currency of life. As an employee, you exchange your time for money. At the end of your pay period when you receive your paycheck, it not only represents what you can buy, but it represents so many hours of time that you exchanged.
Jesus said that Satan is a thief. (John 10:10) Satan wants to steal your time. He can fill your time with regret from the past or he can fill your time with the worries of the future. But he can also steal your time by using unreasonable people who will not change. These people tempt you to believe they can change and thus you spend hour after hour, day after day, and sometimes year after year working on a project that’s not fixable.
Of course, there are those who can be fixed, and we should be led by the Holy Spirit and do whatever is necessary to resolve their issues of life. However, too many people are led by compassion and guilt or the pride of believing that they can fix everything, when in reality they should shake the dust from their feet and move on.
So the next time you encounter an unreasonable person, pray in the spirit and seek the counsel of God. Yield not to your own understanding, but acknowledge Him and allow yourself to be guided by the Spirit. You may be the one person who can fix what everybody else thought was not fixable. But don’t allow the enemy to steal your time through unreasonable people with hardened hearts who will never change.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of eight books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.