It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Posts tagged ‘hate’

God Requires Forgiveness! We Are to Forgive Everyone, Everything!


Some people may think they can be a follower of Christ, and even call themselves Christians, while they are unforgiving toward others, but they are self-deceived and living in darkness. They are not in right standing with God.  Some may ask, why is forgiveness so important to God and why must we forgive everyone for the wrong they have done to us? 

God in His love for all humanity sent His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the whole world. So that those who choose to believe in the death and the blood of Jesus as their payment for sin and accept Jesus as the Lord and King, they will have eternal life with Christ.  To refuse to forgive a person is refusing the blood Jesus shed on the cross for all humanity.

John3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  NKJ

It is man’s pride and self-centeredness that causes them to hold on to their hurt, anger and resentment and thereby refuse to forgive others while they disobey God. He has commanded us to forgive so that we may be forgiven. They want God’s mercy and grace for the forgiveness of their sins and yet they will deny others that same grace, charity and forbearance. Often it is because they are stuck in the old mindset of fallen mankind where their vanity and self-importance, rise above the blood of Christ and His death. Our obedience should be to the word of God and the call of God to forgive. 

Matthew 18:32-35 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother ]his trespasses.”

God was operating out of His true nature, which is love, when He sent Jesus to pay for our sins. He saw mankind in their sin and depravity and with great compassion He sent Jesus to be the propitiation or payment that they could not make for their own sins. The blood of Jesus and His death, is precious in the sight of God and yet He offered up His Son and Jesus gave His life that the world and all mankind could be forgiven. To refuse to forgive is to refuse the blood of Jesus, which to God our Father, was a great price that Christ paid for their offenses.

Many people have refused God’s offer of grace, His mercy and love, which is salvation through belief and faith in Jesus Christ.  To all who believe by faith in Jesus’ completed work of redemption and choose to confess Him as their Lord, Savior and King before this world, they will be reborn into the family of God and have eternal life.  

Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.   For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

1 John 2: 1b-2 And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.    

Jesus had to die for us to be forgiven of God. It was the death and blood of Jesus that allows us to be forgiven and also allowsus to be in right standing with God. If God has forgiven our sins, who is man to bring a charge against someone when Jesus has died and paid their sin debt. God has made restitution for our freedom. Who is man to condemn or hold an offense toward another when we have been forgiven such a great debt of sin ourselves. 

Romans 8:32-34 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?   Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.   Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Refusing to forgive someone is refusing the blood of Christ which was paid for everyone’s sin, that they may be forgiven. Refusing to forgive someone is not an act against that person but against God. Forgiveness has nothing to do with the one who committed the offense but everything to do with the heart of one who was offended. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of God in us that our hearts are able to be free to forgive others. To refuse to forgive is to refuse the gift of God’s love in our lives.

Some people are waiting for an apology or an acknowledgement of the wrong doing by the person who did them wrong. They think they are justified in requiring the offender to confess and give an admission of guilt. That is because their pride is sitting on the throne of their heart while Jesus and the love of Christ has been dethroned. It is the love of Christ that indwells our heart through the Holy Spirit that give us the will and the strength to do God’s good pleasure and Hisgood work of forgiveness.

Philippians 2:13-14 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing,

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Forgiveness is not an option but a directive from our Lord and King! Forgiveness may not be a prerequisite, requirement or condition of salvation, but it is the evidence of true salvation! Forgiveness is the sign, the proof and the mark of authentic and sincere salvation, with the love of God ruling in our hearts and lives through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. 

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

God requires a forgiving heart. We are to forgive everyone, everything.

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Crisis Reveals Character!

A crisis will only reveal what lies within us and what we really believe and will show our true values and ethics. Crisis does not make people do weird or abnormal things, it only provides the avenue for the true character to be exposed and uncovered. Crisis does not add anything to a person’s disposition, temperament or actions, it only creates an opportunity to exhibit what they have been embracing, concealing and harboring in their hearts all along.  

This nation is in a crisis of hate, anger and resentment. The toxic venom of hate, pride and anger and resentment has been unleashed upon this country. It has been spewed out upon every sector, city and culture and not in this nation only. As individuals, races and cultures lift their self-interest and the traditions of men above the word of God we see more disunity and divide. 

We see the fallout of that poison as it settles on every walk of life and creeps into the very fiber of our natural genetic makeup, as people rise up in fear, pride and hatred. In this crisis people’s true character and allegiance are being displayed. It is in crisis times that we see what is really important to people and at this time they display the effect and the consequences of their“little g” gods, that are really ruling their lives. 

Mark 7: 6-9 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This peoplehonors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. NKJ

This uprise in disunity and hate is just another ploy and strategy of Satan, the enemy of God to try and destroy the image of God in mankind. He is using the same coin to destroy humanity, just different sides to that coin. On one side he uses hate, pride, arrogance, entitlement and privilege to stir up hate. While on the other side he uses fear, resentment, bitterness and vengefulness to stir up hate and both sides lead to death and destruction. No matter which way the coin is tossed it falls upon self-centeredness, selfishness, self-pity and pride. It is all about self and not the love of God. If nothing changes the end result will be eternal destruction for whichever side one chosesto fall.

All these reactions are natural responses of fallen mankind as the result of sin in the garden and are the character traits of Satan which are pride, arrogance and destruction. The first reaction of fallen mankind was fear.  Fear is what Satan cultivates to get people to respond out of hate rather than lovethey were created to be.   The enemy also wants them to believe they are being personally attacked, through their life, theirfamily or possessions. Thereby, they feel they are justified in their position of un-forgiveness and hate which leads to destruction.

Romans 10:2-3 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.   For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

Mark 11:25-26 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” NKJ

Jesus came to restore what the enemy has stolen from us, the love of God, and to give us a new way of living, in the love and the truth of God’s word. Jesus proclaimed that He was the truth and the life and showed us how we are to come to God our Father through Him.

Jesus showed us that the way to the Father is through love of the brethren and to die to self. The only way, we can truly love our enemies and brothers is by the power of the Holy Spirit and dying to our self-interest, self-centeredness and pride. 

John 12: 24-25 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

God has told us what He wants from His people; to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. 1. We are to do justly: that is to do the right thing and never stop even, if we are not treated justly. 2. We are to love mercy: to forgive everybody everything,because God has done the same in providing forgivenessfor us in all things. 3. We are to walk humbly with our God: to walk in humility we must die to self and this can only be done through trust in Jesus as our Savior and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

As we die to our self-interests we allow God to use us as His instruments of change in those around us and even to those who may be persecuting and mistreating us. We can trust God with our circumstances and with the outcome. 

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy,And to walk humbly with your God?

Most people judge according to their personal affinities, sympathies, cultures and traditions. That is why some people feel justified in their minds to hate and destroy others as a way to keep their place of high esteem and privilege. While others feel justified in their minds to seek vengeance, to live-in anger,hate or resentment because of what they or their culture haveexperienced. When the natural attractions rise above the spiritual truth of God, Satan wins the battle on both sides of that coin. 

The only way out of this downward spiral of degradation of pride, hate and resentment is through the love of God which is displayed in the life of Jesus. He displayed the love God has for the eternal soul of all humanity. The soul of a person is eternal and will live forever while the natural resemblances and likenesses that are seen in the flesh will die and cease to be. We should make a priority the things that are eternal, the souls of mankind, rather than the things that are passing away, race, ethnicity with is the flesh.

Let us pray for God to open our eyes to see the truth of His spiritual kingdom so that we may walk in His love. Also, that He will create in us a clean heart and right spirit that we may show His love and bring Him glory on the earth. 

2 Kings 6: 7 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

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Fear – The True Reason for Hate

Gandhi stated “The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear.” People are naturally afraid of the unknown, what they know nothing about. It is what is different from our norm and possible change that create fear in us, things that may impact our lives, our family, and our income that causes us to be afraid. It is human nature for self to be the most important thing and those things that belong to us.

A constant state of fear speaks to what we truly believe, trust and have hope in. Our reaction to the things that are making us fearful says volumes about what or whom we hold in high esteem. If we are more afraid of losing our friends, our job or our income more than our desire to honor God, then we will compromise our values, our morals our character. It is the fear of not knowing and the fear of our loss that causes panic.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The differences, in people who place their hope in the world and the people who place their hope in God, are their perspective and response to problems. Those who are without God in this world focus on themselves, their lack and their inability to change their circumstances. They are without hope and all they know is fear and hate to move towards destruction because they do not know any other way. We see fear produce hate that causes people to attack or destroy other people, communities, even nations, just to take what think they need to live. The end justifies their means and their survival is the ultimate end, so by any means necessary they will obtain it. The people of God trust Him to provide, protect and direct their lives. Their hope is in their Creator and Almighty God Who can and will meet all their needs.

This spirit of hopelessness leaves people in a state of despair. They have no reason to try because they believe things will never get better. All they see is lack, hurt, loss and pain. When people are without hope they start looking for anything that can get them out of that bad situation. They will walk away from a hard job or difficult relationships because all they see is the bleakness of the situation and they have no hope of it getting any better. People without hope will try and do strange things even check out on life whether it is physical or mental.

1 Peter 1:21 Who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Those who trust God can look at a crisis and know they will do well because the God they serve has promised to be with them in their storm. There are a lot of people who say they believe in God but it is another story to say they trust God. This is where perspective and response differ. Those who know their God will do well in crisis because they will say what God says about the matter. We learn how to be still in darkness because God has promised day will come after night, He will turn our mourning into joy.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God[c] is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. NKJV

Those who trust God will wait on the Lord to see how He will settle the matter rather than respond in fear. We esteem pleasing our King and Sovereign Lord more important than the praises or curses of men. Kingdom people will seek the Favour of their Lord and King more than riches or the threats of this world.

Daniel 11:32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

Fear is the weapon the enemy uses against those created in the very image of God to get them to destroy themselves. It is fear of deficiency that makes people hate those who threaten their ability to get ahead and live successfully. Hate is only the result of self-centeredness, self- reliance and self-preservation. The natural man will operate out of his fallen nature to kill, steal and destroy anything and everything that hinders his lifestyle or progress. But those that know God’s word and trust in Him can be patient, longsuffering and persevere through difficult times because we know in whom we believe and know He is able to keep us in these difficult times.

2Timothy1:12  For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

We all have been dealt a hand that appears to most, life is stacked against us. But God is there, no matter what the challenge, problem or hindrance, because Jesus has provided for us a way to win with the hand we have been dealt. Life becomes the sum of our choices and what we allow to direct our decisions and choices will dictate our outcome. Everyone must choose where they will put their trust. Everyone has the option to choose life or death. But most people make life choices out of habit, family tradition and social customs. They choose out of ignorance and lack of knowledge of God’s word. Not understanding they have an adversary who is like a lion seeking to see whom he may destroy. This is his tactic, fear and hate opens the door and gives him permission to devour homes, families, communities, even nations.

Deuteronomy 30:19- 20

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

1Peter5:8 Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

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