“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12
If there is one thing I dislike, it's conflict. Whenever conflicts would arise in our household, anger would flare up, hurt words would be spoken, and lasting resentment would remain in the heart of the person being yelled at. Similar to many families, my family never knew how to handle conflict. Rather than talking things out, there would only be hate and anger.
Back then as well as now, I have a strong dislike for anger and hate. I have seen how hurtful it can be when a word is spoken hastily. More than feelings being hurt, there have been permanently broken relationships within the family because of angry outbursts. Whenever I think of these unneeded escapades, I wonder what it would look like if my family chose love over hate and anger.
Choosing love over hate and anger is needed for every situation and with every relationship. If we want to preserve our relationships with family, friends, and loved ones, we must let go of hate and anger. Within the Christian walk, there is no room for hate and anger. Hate and anger will not bring about the righteous life that God desires (James 1:20).
Anger and hate will eventually cause you to become destructive. A heart full of anger will only lead to worse problems, hurting people emotionally, spiritually, and, sometimes, even physically. Refrain from anger and choose to give these feelings over to God. When we are feeling angry and hate rises in our hearts, we need to give these feelings over to God.
Give all feelings of anger and hate to the Lord. Extinguish these negative feelings by replacing them with Scripture. Remind yourself of what God says about anger and how it will not bring about any positive outcome. The Bible tells us, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27).
As Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:26-27, we do not need to allow anger to lead us into sin. Anger is an emotion, but it can cause us to sin. We should not allow the sun to go down while we are angry, nor do we need to give the devil a foothold.
As Christians, we need to quickly release anger and hatred. Allow yourself to notice and process the emotion, but then let it pass. Take deep breaths and try to turn your anger into something positive, such as artwork, music, or writing. Use the negative energy built up inside of you to turn into something beautiful and amazing.
Proverbs 10:12 points us to the truth that hatred will stir up conflict, yet love will cover all wrongs. Hatred and anger will only result in conflict. There will be tears, yelling, and hurt feelings. Rather than allowing our lives to be consumed with hatred and anger, we need to choose love. Even if the other person doesn’t return the same love, we must live our lives with a heart of love.
Loving others is what God commands of us (John 13:34-35). If we are truly loving others as God commands, there will be no bitterness toward others. Hate and anger have the power to cause endless problems for you and ensure others stay away from you because they are afraid of how you will respond to a situation. Rather than being open with their feelings, they might start hiding their true feelings.
In order to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world, we have to be a safe place. A safe place is someone you feel you can share your concerns, worries, and stresses with without fear of them getting upset with you or judging you. A hot-tempered person will never be able to be a safe place for someone if they are always ready to yell or fight back.
Turn to God and ask Him for His help when hatred and anger are knocking on your door.
Let’s pray together:
Dear Jesus, I need You now more than ever. I am feeling very angry and hateful right now. I need You to calm down this anger, rage, and hate. I don’t want to be an angry person anymore. I want to choose love over anger and hate every time. Please help me to make the right decision in every situation. I give all of these feelings into Your hands, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
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Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Tuesday, 21 May 2024.
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