Okay it's reality check time, search your feelings. No, I mean really send some time honestly searching your feelings. I'm not talking about "I feel good" feelings, I'm talking about the feelings we try not to think about. The feelings we try to bury deep down in our heart. You know those feelings that make us uncomfortable. Those feelings that make us squirm in our seats. Those feeling we do not want to admit we have. Those feelings we tend to lie about. Those feelings we do not want to deal with, let alone admit. You know what I'm talking about. When I mention the word, right away you will deny it. "Oh no! Not me! That is not a word in my vocabulary." Wanna bet?
HATE! That nasty four letter word that causes so much turmoil, so much stress, so much sadness, so much violence and so much disease and death. This nasty four letter word has destroyed families and friendships for many years. This nasty four letter word has ruined lives and changed the course of history. This nasty four letter word we tend to use so easy to describe how we feel about food we don't like, we use it to describe our jobs, we use it to describe the condition of this world. Let's be honest, we use this word without even stopping to think.
Our children have yelled it at us when we discipline them. People yell this at us when they can't have their way. We use this word in anger, yet when we are questioned about it, we deny it. "That's not really what I meant, I was just angry." Really? I don't think so. I have heard people who profess to believe in God, utter words of hate. They sit in church every Sunday and while listening to a message about love, they think about their ex son-in-law who is happy with his new wife. Even though their daughter is the one who left him, they hate him for being happy when their daughter is now miserable. I know others who profess to believe in God yet hate their former boss for getting fired because they got caught stealing from the company.
Deny it all you want, make as many excuses as you like, but the truth about our words, come directly from our heart. If we say the word "hate" than that is what our heart feels. Our words echo what our heart feels. Jesus Himself, said this very thing.
Matthew 15:18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
As believers, we are held to a higher standard. If we truly have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, than the word hate, should not flow from our lips. And if it does, we should not deny it, by admit it and deal with our heart issues. Confessing our hatred and asking God to forgive us, then asking God to remove this feeling of hate, is the only way I know how to get rid of it.
1 John 2:9-11 Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
To be honest, one version of the Bible calls us liars if we claim to live in God's light yet hates a brother or sister. A liar, really? Yes really! We cannot walk around saying we believe and still have hatred in our hearts. It makes a mockery of Jesus. Look at Jesus when He was dying on the cross. he had every right to hate those who crucified Him, yet He didn't. In fact He asked God to forgive them. Oh if we could learn to be like Jesus. As believers that is what we are supposed to be trying to do. So today, take time to do a reality check of your heart. See if there is any once of hatred in there. If there is, deal with it, pray about it, confess it and release it.
Lord, I want to live in your light. I want your light to shine through me in this dark world. Free me from the hatred that lingers in my heart and heal the wounds that caused this feeling to fester. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
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