1. He often thinks he is the smartest one in the room.
2. He will try to convince you that you are slow, crazy, not intelligent, etc.
3. If you are female, he may think you are overly emotional, not thinking, always lacking in something.
4. He is always critiquing, keeping score, etc. He must win.
5. He is a saint one moment and unbelievably evil the next. He puts you down. In his mind, he is far, far superior to you.
6. In his mind, It is all about image, not character. It is all about what he perceives people to be thinking of him.
7. He will do anything and say anything if he thinks this will put him at an advantage.
8. The bully is often a charmer. However, once you get past the initial charm, you may see that the bully is actually cold and calculating.
The Truth: The bully may be in a church. The bully can be single or married.
The bully often thinks he is smart. The bully may be a legend in his own mind. Meanwhile, once you get past the surface charm, you may see how thin and shallow he really is. At least some of the sexual abuse and assault that we are hearing about now has come from the bullies who have spent years looking out for themselves.
May we raise up young men who see that being a bully is not manly at all. In fact, the bully is an insecure, small boy who may be in a man’s body but who has never grown up. May we raise up a generation of young men who pursue true strength, wisdom, and godly integrity. These are building blocks for character for those who refuse to settle for the small life of the bully.