Tempted to Hate!

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If we say we are his, we must follow the example of Christ.  My dear friends, I am not writing to give you a new commandment. It is the same one that you were first given, and it is the message you heard.  But it really is a new commandment, and you know its true meaning, just as Christ does. You can see the darkness fading away and the true light already shining.  If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark.  But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don't cause problems for them.  If we hate others, we are living and walking in the dark. We don't know where we are going, because we can't see in the dark.

1 John 2: 6 - 11

 A very common sin that causes many followers of Jesus Christ to stumble along the way is “hate!”  You simply can’t walk in the light while harboring hate in your heart! 

One tactic of the “Powers of the Air” is to use our electronic media to graphically present the people that are easy to hate.  When you see and hear the stories of murderers, rapists, child abusers and terrorists, it is the normal human response for you to hate them!  If you allow yourself to respond as a “normal human” instead of viewing the situation as a child of God, you take one step into the Darkness!  

Some try to avoid indulging in hate by hiding from the world.  They reason that if they don’t know about the evil in the world around them, then they will not fall prey to the temptation to hate!  But how can they “Go into all the world” and preach the message of Jesus without knowing those who need to hear?  

So here is a simple idea.  When you watch, read or listen to the news today, make that a special time of prayer.  Pray for all those you would normally be tempted to hate!  Certainly, you can pray for the victims of the terrible crimes you hear about, but also pray for the ones who are guilty.  Remember, you will see no sin that is bigger than the Blood of Jesus.  

“Lord Jesus, show me today how to love those that I am tempted to hate!  May I walk in Your light as I declare the message of Your Salvation to all men.  Praise Your Holy Name forever.  Amen.”