1 Samuel 1:6
“And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.”
Hannah nearly allowed her adversary to destroy her. You see some tragic steps she took that very nearly caused her to become a bitter woman in the end, but through the guiding hand of God she took some good steps that allowed her to come through her time of opposition with the blessings of God.
How you deal with an adversary will determine whether or not you will experience the LORD’s blessings upon your life. Your greatest desire should be to have the LORD’s blessings. Your adversary will oftentimes do what they can to get under your skin, but you must always remember that how you react will determine the degree of the LORD’s blessings on your life. Let me show you three steps that Hannah took when dealing with her adversary which resulted in the LORD’s blessings.
First, she acknowledged the truth of her adversary. Hannah had no power over what her adversary was using to provoke her, but she acknowledged the truth of what she said. You must realize that there is always truth in what your adversary uses to antagonize you. You can either ignore what they are saying about you, or you can take the truth of their antagonism and let it become your source of motivation to change your circumstances. The whole reason an adversary will antagonize you is to keep you from taking the proper actions to change your circumstances. Don’t let their actions keep you from taking the proper action. Acknowledge the truth of antagonism and take action.
Second, she found that trust is the antidote to worry. She initially allowed her adversary’s antagonism to move her to fret and worry, but she also found that the antiserum to dealing with worry is trusting in the LORD. You can worry about what your adversary is saying and doing, but worry wastes invaluable time and energies that could be used to change your situation. You must stop worrying about what you cannot change and start trusting the God Who can change your situation. Trust is the sword that puts worry to silence. Worrying all day about what you are going to do will not change your situation, but trusting the LORD is the only key that keeps worry from destroying your life.
Third, she avoided bitterness through prayer. Hannah very nearly became a bitter lady who let the antagonistic spirit of her adversary destroy her, but the greatest action she took was pouring her soul out unto the LORD. Friend, the only One Who can help you deal with the antagonism of your adversary is God. Talking about it, worrying about it and fighting back will not change your situation. You must find yourself going to the LORD and let Him turn your bitterness into victory.
I don’t know what your adversary is trying to do to you, but let me encourage you to not let their antagonism destroy you. Your source of strength to deal with an antagonistic spirit is the LORD. If you are going to have the LORD’s blessings on your life, then you must learn to trust Him and His timing. In His time you will see the LORD silence your adversaries if you will continue doing the right thing.