Hate is extreme dislike, extreme displeasure directed from one person to another. A person can hate someone they know or even someone they do not know. It is an inner state of no love for the other person.
It can be triggered by the other person’s words or actions, it can be triggered by what the other person did not say or did not do, it can be due to how the other person is – their personality, it can be due to jealousy, it can be due to failure of a person getting what they wanted from the other person, it can be due to failure of a person getting their way with the other person, it can be due to the other person pointing out wrongs in the said person, it can be due to the other person excelling and triggering hatred in other people; it can be due to anything. It is defined as “feeling intense or passionate dislike for someone.”
There are people who will meet you and decide they do not like you even if you have never done them any wrong, there are those who will hate you even when they have never met you or talked to you.
There are those who form their own opinion about you and then use their own opinions to judge you. There are those who will hear gossip and slander about you from people who do not like you and then they hate you from that point on even without trying to find out if what people are saying is true or false. There are those who just see you and then start treating you with contempt. There are those who form their opinions about you and then approach you with their flawed mindset, they then start trying to prove to themselves that what they believe about you is right; they will subject you to all sorts of tests and manipulation to drive you to fall and so that they prove themselves right.
We live in a world where people are selfish, people want to preserve their image regardless of the cost. People will come into your life and leave you in ruins just because they want to preserve their image and because of their selfish gains. People will manipulate and lie to you on your face. We live in a world where love has grown cold. We live in a world where people look out only for themselves.
We live in a world where people will do and say things and then later deny what they said or did to your face. We live in a world where people will do the wrong thing and then project themselves falsely as the victims and even go to the extent of blaming the innocent person. We live in a world where a person will manipulate you into doing or saying something and then use that against you. We live in a world where people will come into your life to gain information about you and then later on go stab you in the back.
The Bible tells us that hatred stirs up conflict but love covers over all wrongs. Hatred leads to divisions and ruined lives. Hatred and love cannot coexist.
We are either of God or of the enemy. God is love, He is light and in Him there is no darkness. Hatred is a condition of the heart; a person can use good words with you yet they hate you, but with time their fruit comes out in the open. A person can only put on a mask for so long. We are told that if we claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 1 John 2:9.
If we claim to love God yet we hate others in our hearts, then we live a lie. We are told to get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
We are not meant to hate people, we are to hate sin.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 8:13.
When we are proud, we cannot recognize sin in our lives and need for repentance, we will only see others as bad and we will consider ourselves as better, which is a lie.
In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. Psalm 36:2.
Hatred towards others comes from a heart that has elevated itself, a heart that tells itself that it does not deserve what other people have done or said. When people hurt us, we will go through all sorts of emotions, but eventually, we have to reach a point of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not an option, it is required of us. If we do not forgive offenses, roots of hatred and bitterness will start growing in our hearts and eventually bear fruit.
Every seed planted has to bear fruit, a bad tree will bear bad fruit and a good tree will bear good fruit.
We are not better than others, we are saved by grace through faith. There should be no room for hatred in our hearts; any thought that comes to us that is against the Word of God we should take captive and make it obedient to Christ. We have been forgiven much by God, and because of that, we are to forgive much. Any moment we fail to forgive and hold on to hatred and bitterness, we are automatically saying that we are better than others. We have all sinned and fallen short. Salvation is a gift through faith and not by works lest any person starts boasting. God is our Source. We are to love others and leave the rest to God.
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 97:10.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9.
We love God because He first loved us. God is love.
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