Dealing With Hate
Hate can be easily defined as a strong or intense dislike. It can also be defined as the opposite of love. While the Bible commands us to love one another, circumstances around us may tempt us to develop hate amongst one another.
God doesn’t expect us to harbor hateful feelings as that is sin.
1 John 3:15
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
If we harbor hateful feelings in us, no matter how hard we may claim to be believers the Bible says that we will be termed as murderers who have no eternal life abiding in them.
It will be a wasted life if we continue living in hate confession to be Christ followers and eventually at the end up in hell. Hate is compared to walking in the darkness.
1 John 2:11
But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
On the other hand, believers should be prepared to receive hatred due to their faith.
Mathew 10:22
And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Jesus Christ was also hated for no reason.
John 15:18
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you
Having this knowledge that there would be hatred in the world we should be prepared on how to deal with it. It would be unwise for us to counteract hatred with hatred.
How to deal with hatred.
Praying for those that persecute and hate you.
Instead of fighting back to those that hate you, you should reciprocate by showing love to them and more so praying for them that God may open their eyes that they may not again be used by the devil.
When Jesus Christ was hated by the people who later on handed Him to be crucified, instead of Jesus Christ paying back with hatred, He opened His mouth while hanging on the cross and prayed that Father would forgive them for they didn’t know what they were doing. We should desire to emulate this character of Jesus Christ.
2. Doing good to those who hate us.
What comes into our minds when we find people hating us is how we can pay back by hating them also.
But if we do so as believers, what different will we be from the non believers? Instead of paying back with hatred just as our Father in heaven who is always gracious to anyone let’s do good to those who hate us.
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father we thank you because of your love and grace, that you loved us even before we loved you. Thank you for the love you demonstrated by sending your Son Jesus Christ to come and pay for our sins.
We pray that you may help to show the same love that you showed us and not paying back hatred to the people who hate us but instead show love to them. We praise you and we Worship you and it is in Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
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