How do you respond to opposition—from the people in your life? Those folk that, no matter how hard you try to please or choose peace with, seemingly cannot rest until you are annihilated, obliterated, and eliminated in reputation or status—in ‘comparison’ to them. They ‘keep score’ on your best moves. You can feel their sizing up and tension, and you know that when they get the chance, they are likely to pull the rug out from you in hopes that you will fall flat. There are indeed spiritual forces behind people’s actions to contend with, which are necessary to discern, but how is the best way to respond to these people?
They are often friends or co-workers that are insecure and struggle with envy—of you. They are usually insecure and jealous of what you have. They don’t realize the precious extent of their own unique abilities--they want YOUR creativity, wisdom, gifting, or whatever. And since they can’t have it or control it, they don’t want you to succeed or enjoy it, either.
When you experience breakthrough or victory, outwardly they may cheer you on, because it is the nice thing to do, but behind your back, you can often catch them trying to one-up you, discrediting you, or employing subtle set-ups to trap you and keep you from moving forward.
As an intuitively sensitive person, I pick up on the jealousy easily. I do not personally struggle with it. Over the years, I have kicked myself for ‘feeling jealous’ about somebody, only to realize that it wasn’t my jealousy—it was simply a nasty feeling ‘in my radar’ coming from a particular person toward me.
Some things to keep in mind:
1. It’s not about you. Though someone’s undermining of you certainly affects you, ultimately it is their own issue to deal with.
2. When you experience someone’s adversarial approach, that usually means you have great things going on in your life. Your spirit and character is shining out bright. This is good, but it means there may also be warfare because some people are unhappy and are looking for someone to blame.
3. Get smart--guard your heart. Love the people, but do not ignore any warning signs about them, therefore confiding or sharing your deep treasures with them…this can put you at further risk. These folks may try to draw you into their confidence, only to use your information against you some day.
4. Root for your rivals! Bless them and do not curse them. Proactively compliment them and publicly point out their strengths. Pray for them—not for God to deal with their faults, but ask for prosperity for them. Your supportive intent will gather divine momentum and change the atmosphere simply by your exceptional response.
5. Of course blessing them requires some heart work within—in order to speak positively about them you will probably have to forgive them and release your own fears, angers, and uncertainties.
6. Trust in God to overcome the problem. He sees it, knows it, and can deal with the situation better than you can. (
7. Continue to shine forth brightly with all of your strength. Don’t allow someone else’s oppression to hold you back in any way. A wise woman once told me, “The best revenge is living well”.
Earlier this summer I couldn’t sleep around 3 AM, so I got out of bed and let the dogs out into the backyard. Everything was extremely quiet except for a faint humming sound. I glanced up into the doorway between the inside and outside doors, and there was a massive wasp nest, covered with buzzing critters, just inches from my face! 
Yesterday my sunglasses broke, and in preparing for a trip to a bright desert, a gal has to have good quality shades, so I headed out to my favorite designer fashion store—Walmart.
At that time, it was almost winter, and I needed a new coat. I didn’t have any other coats in my closet and money was tight, (I could choose only one), so went to Burlington Coat Factory and began to peruse the racks of coats.
Try this sometime: pick a massive creative project and ask a friend to help you with it.
--Sewing is a process of taking those pieces—light and dark, positive and negative, embracing them all, and fitting them together for the best overall effect. Contrasting light and dark colors make the finished product more striking and beautiful.
I do scan news headlines every day, but am not a fan of watching or listening to news reports, so the frequent barrage of bizarre events began to weigh me down. 
I try not to get defensive when people ask.
When someone asks me to interpret their dream, I take their request very seriously.
Often, symbols require study or research. (Like, what does a 
Every year, hundreds--if not thousands--of dreams seem to land on my desk from people wanting help unlocking their night-time messages.
I admit, I value feedback! I want to know if my insights hit the mark, or not.
Recently I dreamed that I was relaying a story to someone, and as I spoke, the person was reporting what I said to the media outlets, except they enhanced many of the details, I thought in an attempt to get headlines and more attention for their ‘news’. (I literally ‘saw’ the dramatic captions being scripted by a hand). I felt frustrated at the seeming sensationalism of my 'facts'.
Many years ago, I worked my way through college editing and proofreading…for English professors. I was trained to spot and correct grammatical errors with the fluent red ink pen, much to students’ dismay.
