"Don't Be a Player Hater"

I heard a preacher say something on Sunday morning (we had a special speaker at church) that really stuck with me. He said, “Don’t be a player hater.” Of course he said it with the urban twist that a sweet southern gal like me just can’t quite portray.

I was thinking about it yesterday and I kept being brought back to the saga of Saul and David in the Bible. If ever there was a “player hater” in the Bible, it was Saul. Saul could not stand David’s success even though David’s success made him (Saul) look good!

Mark Batterson said it best is a recent post, “Who was Saul's greatest asset? David. But if you are insecure, your greatest asset will become your greatest threat. And it will short-circuit your ability to surround yourself with a great team. And it will limit your influence.”

“Player Haters” are insecure, they are generally negative and try to push others down in order to get a leg up. They will always tell you that something can’t be done or why change cannot occur. Their focus is on weaknesses in your life. To sum it up, “player haters” tolerate the “Davids” in their life, they don’t celebrate them.

With that said, it is important for all God’s “players” (I am using this term in a positive way- NOT negative as it is sometimes perceived!) to realize that although being tolerated can be, well, “tolerated” for a while, it is also important to know when enough is enough. A time comes when being tolerated can result in your life being in danger! Saul tried more than once to kill David even though David had saved Saul’s life! David had to know when it was time to take off and ultimately things never really changed until Saul was dead. Things will never change as long as they are “tolerated.”

In our lives, there will always be someone who seems to be more blessed, anointed, called and successful. We have a choice, we can either celebrate with them or we can hate on them. Hatin’ on them will drive us into a paranoid state like Saul. Saul wasn’t always such a hater. He was anointed too. He just allowed insecurity to rob him of his ultimate destiny.

In closing I’d like to challenge you…

If you find yourself being “hated,” don’t give up, but most of all, don’t tolerate those that despise the greatness in you. There are people you have been assigned to that the greatness within you will touch and change for the glory of God.
The longer you tolerate hatin’ folks, the more likely they will rub off on you. Don’t forfeit your destiny because someone is intimidated by the hand of God on your life.

Now onto the “haters”… don’t become a modern day Saul. Instead, recognize that you have a destiny in Christ just like everyone else. God desires for you to fulfill your destiny in Him just as much as everyone else! He LOVES you, He CREATED you to be YOU! Repent of your “hatin’” behavior and focus on the path before you!
When we ALL receive that powerful revelation of the LOVE of God and the fact the HE created each one of us individually and separately to do His will on earth our focus will go from being all about “me” to being all about HIM!

“I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. “When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." GOD's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"—GOD's Decree—"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it. Jeremiah 29:11-14 (The Message)

Love & Blessings!