Positively Good Productions

Who are instigators?

Instigators are those who deliberately stir up trouble.

There is no rhyme, reason, or emotional 

understanding with an instigator. 

They are toxic, mean-spirited, and empty.

They are inciters, messy agitators, troublemakers, 

rabble-rousers, provocateurs, and meddlers 

who are notorious and well-practiced at

crazy-making and bullying.

We face an active enemy, every single day, who tries, non-

stop, to manipulate situations, block our progress

(physically, mentally, and spiritually), he tries to hurt us, 

destroy us, or if nothing more... leave scars he can 

attack at will, so that we become so preoccupied with 

pain, disappointment, confusion, and chaos... 

 that we are left feeling like we've had the life force 

sucked out of us. 

He wants to gain ground in our lives. Our families 

are under attack. Satan's primary goal is to kill, steal, 

destroy, divide, set us up to lose, oppress us, 

cause a whirlwind of chaos, and wreak havoc. 

We can never get so comfortable 

and let our guards down. 

Let us not be fooled. Satan is a very cunning, unfair,

evil, and deceptive foe.

He wants us to fail; he wants us to quit; 

he wants us to stumble, fall, and die.

He wants to render us as losers and 

completely ineffective.

Satan is a thief, a liar, a tempter, a schemer, 

he is notorious for twisting the truth, 

and seeking to devour us when we are at our weakest  

and most vulnerable.  

Satan wants nothing more than to enter certain areas 

of our lives so he can gain a stronghold. 

He will try anything to throw us off center, 

distract us from our focus, and render us ineffective 

for the Kingdom of God. 

Can two people walk together without 

agreeing on the direction? 

(Amos 3:3 NLT)

We may be attacked with lies from people 

we would never have believed would do such a thing... 

this is how Satan works;

 by planting accusations in the minds

 on both sides of the divide, he makes communication 

and reconciliation difficult.

Satan's voice:

“These people can’t be trusted, 

they can’t be dealt with, they are our enemy, 

and they must be fought or avoided.”

They sow suspicion in the name of Satan’s game.

He can usually ground suspicions in facts, 

at least partially,

 subtly adding assumptions about people’s motives. 

 Satan knows military doctrine like nobody else, 

and one of war’s basics is “Divide and conquer.”

Satan uses his preferred weapon,

 the one for which he’s named:

accusation (diabolos, the devil, means accuser).

Anytime a general can divide enemy forces,

he’s in a position to defeat them in detail.

The oldest living brother and I were very close. 

In the midst of all of the family drama... 

his girlfriend of over 25 years 

decided she would express how much she hated me

and couldn’t wait to see me living under a bridge.

She apparently insisted that my brother

 no longer communicate with me 

and apparently he followed her lead. 

So, now there is a wedge between us. 

We no longer communicate. 

I appeal to you, brothers, 

to watch out for those who cause divisions

 and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine 

that you have been taught; avoid them.

Proverbs 6:16-19

I was floored that my brothers, 

knowing and witnessing all of the hours of degradation, 

the scars of abuse, and almost two decades of hell 

I have gone through, and not even understanding why 

these things were happening, 

themselves, 

would shrink back into silence and not, 

at least empathetically, stand up for truth.

This is baffling. 

It is, yet, 

another dismal low 

in our family dynamics... 

to say the least. 

My brother who spoke harshly to me 

now seems to be needy for acceptance, 

from the older brother, and the klan of crabs in the barrel.

He has gone back into the barrel of crabs and 

is entertaining those, inside the barrel of crabs, 

by gossiping and making unfounded, 

slanderous remarks about me, in their presence.

This particular sort of betrayal is, in my opinion, 

treacherous and damaging.

It’s as if both older brothers, by their actions and words,

are trying to destroy my reputation 

with their slanderous remarks...

and project their pain, fears, and limitations onto me. 

They are acting more like dream-stealers, 

enthusiasm killers, and bubble bursters.

If my two older brothers would be honest... 

they would tell the truth and admit that 

I’ve been vilified... without cause.

The only sense I can make out of this is that 

they would rather quietly sneak back 

into the bucket of crabs and not get involved or...

they could be prone to believe absurd things about others 

simply because things are told to them. 

Whatever it is... 

something has been blown way out of proportion... 

and has created something much deeper than it is... 

was... or should be.

The more they conspire and spread these lies... 

the more it is spiraling into this uncontrollable 

avalanche of unfounded and hurtful allegations!

I'm still confused about the events leading up to 

the relationship breakdowns with my brothers.

I’m trying to make sense out of the nonsense… 

to no avail.

Most incredibly, these senior members of my family 

have finally caved and have been accepted back 

into the bucket of crabs.

It's as if part of the initiation, back into 

the bucket of crabs, 

is to destroy my character, my zest for life, 

and sabotage my desire to walk in my calling.

Why? 

Don’t they realize they, too... 

have a calling on their lives?

Do they not realize that time 

is running out?

Every minute someone leaves this

world behind. Time is a limited 

resource. We are living years, 

months, weeks, days, hours, 

minutes, and seconds

that we will never get back...

 and breathing air that we will never 

breathe in again.

None of us are getting any younger.

Life is very brief, we are just a mist that appears

on the scene for a little while... and then we vanish.

Let us cherish the joys and not leave this life and our 

assignments from God... unfinished.

Let us try to live each day to the fullest, 

and humbly submit to God's plan and perfect Will. 

At all times, in all situations, let us try our level best 

to do what we know is right, and live in a way 

that won't end in regret.

Life is so brief. We don't have time to make it our

responsibility to interfere or create drama

in the life and affairs of others.

Let us take the time to review and reconnect 

with our own truth and inner guidance. 

It takes a lifetime to correct and fix ourselves.

Let us take an honest look, at our own life,

to see what we are leaving behind and sending ahead.

When we know who we are and what our purpose is,

 in life... we will have no interest 

in assuming the wrong lane.  

Living in sync with God... leaves a legacy 

that will bless instead of burden its recipients. 

It will enrich us... I am certain, 

throughout eternity.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of  your

mouths, but only what is helpful for building others 

up according to their needs, that it may benefit those 

who listen.

Just because there are no visible signs of scarring doesn't 

mean that one has not been wounded. 

Let us always remember... 

God holds us responsible for the pain we cause.

I don’t understand what any of them have to gain 

in being so hurtful and negative.

I am reminded, however, that the means that man takes to

 kill the character of another... becomes suicide of his own.

 No one has ever attempted to wrong another 

without being injured in return.