This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Battlefield of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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How can your criticism of others harm you? What if you left judgment to God instead?
If you find yourself feeling lonely and unhappy, it may be because Satan is attacking your mind and leading you to sabotage your relationships. Joyce Meyer explains that Satan tries to convince you to judge and criticize others, thus causing you to alienate people.
Continue reading to better understand how criticism harms—not just others—but you, as well.
How Criticism of Others Is Harmful
No one is perfect, and since we’re all imperfect, Meyer urges us not to worry so much about what is wrong with other people. God can work on our faults with us, and He can work on others’ faults with them. By curbing our criticism of others—“minding our own business” when it comes to their faults—we can make more progress on our journey with God and leave ourselves less open to the devil’s attacks.
Meyer reminds us that judging people is God’s job, not ours. When we judge and criticize, we cast ourselves into the role of God in another person’s life and set ourselves up to receive judgment later. Meyer urges us to remember that God calls us to love each other, not to judge. When we love people, we automatically look for the good in them, which is the opposite of judgment. Seeing the good rather than the “bad” in others keeps us in a positive mindset and sets us up to have more positive relationships.
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Here's what you'll find in our full Battlefield of the Mind summary :
- How the Devil makes it his mission to corrupt our minds with negative thoughts
- How to recognize the signs that Satan is attacking your mind
- How to thwart Satan’s attacks and find happiness and fulfillment
