5 Bible Verses about Dealing with Difficult People

I know we have all been there before; dealing with difficult people. Whether it is at work, in your family, or out in public, difficult people are hard to avoid. Sometimes those difficult people are those we love the most. Dealing with them can put a dent in your mood or cause you to dread going into certain spaces.

Working as a Travel Registered Nurse, I have come across people who honestly made my job hard for me, mentally and emotionally. There have been times when I looked at the assignment sheet, saw a coworker’s name, and knew my shift was going to be rough. At one point in my career, it got to the point where I had to give myself a quick pep talk in the bathroom before doing my work, just so I could make it through my shift.

Even if someone is difficult, should I react this way? No. Did I make it through the shifts? I did even with no conflicts! It is pretty easy to automatically put yourself in a bad state of mind when a difficult person is around us, but we shouldn’t let someone have that much power over us. We shouldn’t let someone’s attitude, bad day, narcissistic tendencies, micromanaging, or controlling behavior make us compromise our character even if it is for a quick second.

Guess What??!!

We still let it get to us because that is just our human nature. Sometimes we try our best to keep our composure and we fail. Or maybe you don’t try at all and let it rip every time you run into someone difficult. No matter the case, why not try a different approach?

We can learn so much from the Bible about how to deal with people who give us a hard time. Before getting into that, let’s look at some reasons why someone can be difficult.

• Bad day
• Someone just treated them badly prior to seeing you
• Exhaustion
• Control issue
• Narcissist
• Stress
• Abuse
• Negative self-image
• Envious
• Anxiety

There are plenty more reasons why someone can be difficult, but I wanted to highlight a few. Nonetheless, does that give that person the right to be that way toward you? No, it doesn’t. I want you to reread the reasons again but this time think about a time when YOU were difficult toward someone because of those same reasons.

Related Post: 5 Powerful Bible Verses to Help with Anxiety

Even though you are here because you want some Biblical guidance on how to deal with difficult people, just think for a minute. Someone can be here reading this post because of you! You never know! Regardless, I will be providing verses that help with dealing with difficult people and also help you to not be that same difficult person.

1. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

When dealing with someone who is giving you are hard time, I know sometimes we would like to say something negative back to them. Obviously, that isn’t the best choice. When you do not yell back, or say something rude to the person, it can sometimes defuse the situation or may spark a bit of conviction in the other person.

2. “Be Completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Philippians 4: 2-3)

Let’s go back to the reasons why someone can be difficult. Being patient with someone and showing them love can not only help them but help you as well. How can it help you? It helps you to display love in situations where love is not present; Something Jesus wants us to do. Jesus has mentioned how we should “love our enemies”, why not start implementing that now?

3. “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9)

I have been in a similar situation before at one of my travel assignments where a patient was giving me a hard time. However, instead of being the mean nurse, I continued to give that patient the best care I could give. Toward the end of my shift, the patient apologized to me and thanked me for the care I gave them. The patient acted that way because of a previous bad experience they had another time they came to the hospital. What good would have been done if I gave the patient a hard time? Doing the opposite, even though it can be hard, can really soften the situation.

4. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Let’s talk about the people who generally enjoy being difficult; we are not going to pretend like they do not exist. Some people like to stir people up to get a reaction out of them. For example, there can be a family member that likes to make you mad and then when you blow up, they play victim. Now you look like a bad person. They feel like they won (even though they didn’t). However, when you realize that you are not just dealing with the person, but something much deeper, you have to put on the full armor of God. Try your best to wear it as often as you can, you need it in this World.

5. “So Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

Now let’s get to you. Those times when you have been difficult to others (me included) and you thought that was the right thing to do in the situation, keep that verse in the back of your head. Would you want someone to be difficult with you? Of course not! So treat the people you see every day, how you would want to be treated.

I am definitely not telling you to befriend the people who are difficult on a daily basis. You can show love during quick interactions and go on with your day. You do not have to take abuse from these people either. If keeping a paper trail at work and reporting a coworker to the higher-ups does the trick, do it. If it is a family member or friend, distance yourself from them as much as you need to.

However, I just encourage you to show love and not give them the reaction they may want. Just think about it, what would you think if you saw someone being difficult to someone and the other person just stayed calm and gentle with the person? Nonetheless, in those difficult moments, show love and pray for the other person. You never know what that could do to that person.

Here are some more tips on how to deal with difficult people, just so you can have even more resources!