HURT BREEDS HATE!
SUNDAY’S MONDAY
A very close relative asked me once “Why am I suffering, and all those TV preachers are rich, happy, and trouble-free.” I go to church, pay tithes, and do everything the church asked of me and my life continues to fall apart. So, I immediately started to encourage the person, in small talk until they contained their composure because talking to someone hurting is like robbing a beehive of honey, things can go awry at any moment. Once the person was ready to listen, I went on to ask them why they chose TV Preachers to compare themselves to. Their reply was, I was just watching one on TV who was bragging about how they’ve had it both ways, so poor they didn’t know where the next gallon of gas would come from and so rich, they could leave $500 tips at the finest restaurants. This speaker stated he was happy being rich. He has money, nice things, no troubles, and God has him in a very happy place. They say that it is because God has blessed them for their faithful, fearless, fervent life for God’s service. I cautiously said OK while stalling for The Holy Spirit to give me the wisdom needed for this situation, and He did. I received Galatians 6:4 (NLT), Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Remember; We are the total of all the decisions made throughout our life and our present condition is our result.
Then I went on to say that one of the strongest tools our enemy has, affects us all physically, mentally, and spiritually because of our assumptions. We see what we want to see! While the truth remains the truth, our enemy distorts our perception of it through pain, pride, and people. In which, we make the decision to allow Satan to fill in the blanks and inevitably he takes us on a wild ride of anger, hate, and destruction. I explained to the person that they have no clue what these pastors have been through or what they may be experiencing when they’re not on TV. I advised an internal examination, that they might realize, they don’t really care what is happening to these pastors, they just know it makes them feel a little better to be mad at someone. Meanwhile, Satan continues to deceive you by attacking your character, building on the confusion of your present situation causing your jealousy to eat you alive while feeding your anger.
Because we allow Satan to have his way with us there is no end to what he will convince us to do. We become angry because God isn’t stopping our pain, even though we’ve prayed for Him to just take it away and stop the hurt. This is usually where we start to bend toward hating those who want to help but can’t. The hurt becomes uncontrollable and as it does our temper shortens and sharpens; meaning we cut quick and deep when we lash out. The person who asked me the original question of “why” they did what God wanted them to do and their life continues to fall apart, seemed a little confused with my scenario so, it became necessary to get blunt with him. I told the person that they were the problem! You attended church regularly, you tithe faithfully, you read your bible every morning along with a daily devotional and you pray, yet that isn’t working. Why? It is all for naught, you’re not reading the living word, you’re reading a book and that devotional is an add-on to be checked off a list. You attend church regularly to be seen and bolster your vanity, tithes are merely a record to prove you were in church and you pray, not as you should pray because you’ve never met the man you’re praying to. You are eaten up with religion and completely missed the boat that Jesus is on. Stop doing what the church says and start doing what God says and see me in a year. Look at James 4:3 (NLT), And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
Lord, help us to relinquish the attitude of self-sufficiency, show us how to use your grace to stop seeking self-pity, and to stop using others as our measuring stick of self-worth. Father, remove any malice we may harbor and help us become straight up with you. We must meet you face to face and get to know you for who you are (as our father). Abba, please grant us a complete understanding of Isaiah 64:8 (NLT), And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand. Lord, I pray we all make a special meeting place to spend time with you and enjoy a Father-child relationship. Amen
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
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