The Bible has a word for our own ideas about God—it is “idolatry.”. But if we did that then we would only hear a reflection of our own preferences. When you are addressing the hurts committed against you, it also might be a good time to address those that you have hurt. 7 Steps to Healing the Hurt By Sandra D. Wilson New Life Ministries. You may be surprised at the common threads that run through your relationships. A god who is shaped by you will die with you. Suppose some years later, the very same boy is in a crowd waiting to see the President of the United States. Beliefnet is a lifestyle website providing feature editorial content around the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news and entertainment. He entered hell so that you would never know what it is like. How can His hell on the cross remove our everlasting destruction?” The weight of our sin is measured by the One we offended. The obvious question for people who are experiencing this kind of thing is, “Where is God in all this? This is the Gospel by which we are saved and by which all who come to the Lord will be saved. This is a powerful response in such a difficult time. What happens? We hammer out our own ideas of who we think God is and what we want him to be like in our own mind. This is one of the hardest truths in the Bible. But when they do, you will be happy. During his three years of ministry Jesus did so much good—healing the sick, feeding the hungry, proclaiming the greatest teaching that this world has ever heard. He may be calling you to realign some relationships. David protects himself from sinning by trusting God and assuming that God’s plan is beyond his understanding. Posted Jul 02, 2012 You may not want to forgive, but God commands us to forgive. Bearing our sins means that Jesus bore our punishment for sin. The justice of God will often not be obvious in this world. New Living Translation. Then you will see the full measure of My love.” So, use this to sustain your faith in a suffering world. Subscribe to become a Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast Insider and get access to bonus content, journal prompts and more! We will never sell or misuse your information. When you seek God more when it comes to your relationships, you may also begin giving less of yourself to people addicted to gossip and slander because being in that space is not only not uplifting, but also doesn’t reflect Christ. “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord” (1:9). God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you. (3) God intends to use mistreatments for our good. The Best Way To Deal With Those Who Hurt You In Devotions, Inspiration by Kristen Dalton Wolfe “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28 This is a hard teaching to swallow. James Denny says it like this…, “Obey the Gospel and you enter into light in which there is no darkness. A god who is shaped by you will die with you. When you can pray that prayer ~ and mean it with all your heart ~ then you will know you have forgiven him.” I thought that would be easy, but when I came to do it, I did not want God to bless that man! Perhaps, he’s called you to serve in a difficult spot. No sin will be punished in a way that is disproportionate to the offense. Now the Spirit of God is on him giving him these words to write to the church. I am not whoever you want me to be.” He speaks to us in this book so that you may find Him and know Him and enjoy Him forever. “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8, We are given two descriptions of this punishment…. It’s often tempting for a preacher to fit the message to what he guesses people will want to hear. It’s important that we apply godly wisdom to all relationships we’re in. So many friendships have been shattered because of cruel words and actions that have left those who have been hurt feeling betrayed. What if God is love, and you are running from Him? If you’re wondering what you should pray about, the answer is simple. You trust Christ because He is altogether worthy of your trust. The Bible has a word for our own ideas about God—it is “idolatry.” In ancient times, idols were made from wood, stone or metal. On an occasion like this you have to make a choice. Repentance is a decisive turning from all that God calls sin to offer myself to Christ. The ultimate standard is set here. If God is just, how can He punish like this?”, The best answer I ever heard to that question was given by a friend of mine who is a middle school pastor…. CBN.com--1. Vengeance is God’s Business. Write in a journal, pray or use guided meditation — or talk with a person you've found to be wise and compassionate, such as a spiritual leader, a mental health provider, or an impartial loved one or friend. Once you understand what happened on the cross, you will say, “I must respond to this good news today!” What does it mean to obey the Gospel? Love one another…” (John 13:34-35, 15:12) Then he … Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version. He was shut out from the presence of God. I am helped by people who “tell it like it is.” I am helped by those who are willing to confront what I may be hiding from without even knowing it. Saul the persecutor became Paul the Apostle. So if you don't have a friend, be a friend. Should we spend time with them? He can show you how strong he is even while you are going thru your hurt. God’s instructions are detailed. In these circumstances where you begin to limit the influence of the person that’s hurting you, it doesn’t mean that you will no longer love, forgive or pray for that person. In the process of working through my heart issues, I prayed hard and asked God to give me the opportunity to ask for forgiveness to those who I’ve hurt. In some areas of Christian life we struggle to find out how God wants us to respond, but that’s not the case here. I can’t change.”. This means that you have a God-given RIGHT to EXPECT to be avenged of your enemies (those who have hurt you). “[God] commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30, Here is where that begins: My life can no longer be about me. Please open your Bible at 2 Thessalonians. God knows all things. You may have wondered, “How can one man bear the sins of many? Isaiah says, “The punishment that brought us peace was on Him” (53:5). God says to suffering believers, “There is a day coming when Jesus Christ will be revealed. Your sins are forgiven for His sake(1 John 2:12). “It is to always be dying and never to die.” [1] You may say, “Wait a minute. I have been studying this book all of my life, and this is the message that I find in it and that I want you to grasp. Perhaps, he’s called you to stay put in a place you don’t want to. This can be tough, so God provides some balance with verses like 2 Corinthians 12:10 which says, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distressed, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”. That is the heart of the Gospel. How? Sometimes we don’t want to work things out and be like Jesus and forgive. What could He accomplish by dying that He could not accomplish by living? If you do not believe this, you will always be trying to even the score. People who do good often suffer and people who do evil often prosper. Our best relationships are the ones that have Jesus at the center of them. As the President passes by, the boy lunges forward to punch the President. No one intimidates Him. If you have a testimony or story you would like to share or if you have a prayer request, please use the form below. God calls us to forgive. As believers, we can choose whether we will hold grudges or practice grace, but if we are truly following Him, the choice has already been made. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But here is something I’ve discovered—the hardest truths can produce the most tender hearts. The hardest truths can produce the most tender hearts. God will repay, so leave room for His wrath. That person may not deserve your forgiveness, but we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness. The student is given a detention. This violent man was transformed. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. No one has leverage against Him. God will deal with this. You trust His death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, and you trust His resurrection power, that it is sufficient for everything you face in life and death. Your past patterns of dealing with being hurt are not those you want to continue. Isaiah says, “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Read. Take your eyes off of the hurt and the person, put your gaze on Christ. Resource Library Browse the Proverbs 31 archives for free content resources. Our sin offends almighty God, but in Christ He had mercy upon us. You could spend your whole life shaping a god to your own liking—a god who loves what you love, a god who says what you want to hear and a god who calls you to live as you are already living. Again, the teaching we are considering today helps. You will be amazed at the way compassion sneaks in the back door of your heart. And what if God always will be, despite us? We would always be affirmed, but never challenged. Pray, pray, pray about your relationships! This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. English Standard Version. We can do something different because it is special, or we can do what we normally do and say, “This is who we are.”. What He suffered on the cross is able to atone for all our sins forever. He once persecuted Christians himself! “This Week at Unlocking the Bible” features new articles, radio programs, devotionals, and ministry updates, Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical…, Staying the Course (When You're Tired of the Battle). You can leave it to Him. Just as God extended mercy and compassion to His rebellious people—you are expected to extend kindness, mercy, and compassion to those who hurt you. And they have rejected Christianity for this very reason. I wanted Him to deal to him big time! What’s so great about these prayers is that they focus your attention on God. Right there in the dust, this man repents and believes. That’s why so many people have come to see Christianity as a projection of human thought. But if they just go on, with no awareness of what they have done, or worse, if they continue doing the same thing, it is very hard to have compassion. Christ stopped him in his tracks with a blinding light and an audible voice, “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me!” (Acts 9:4). You have a PROMISE from God Almighty that He will PUNISH (repay) the evildoer. That’s why Jesus commanded his leaders, “Love one another…. This is the Gospel that we believe and that we proclaim. In the following verses, Jesus gives several specific examples of how to treat those who have hurt you, and He concludes with, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). I had to do this. God says, “I am who I am. God never acts out of vindictiveness. Painful words and violent tempers can create traps in your life that God may not be calling you to be part of. Mary left it in the hands of Christ. He did so much good in three years of ministry. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Some people may try to tough it out and will pretend the words or actions of others don’t effect them, but the truth of the matter is… sometimes they do! But I am not helped by people who only say what I want to hear. The justice of God is a central truth in the Bible. Author Unknown Short Quotes; Never hold onto a hurt, because resentment tears you up. That’s why He cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Christ endured everything that hell is on the cross. That is why we use the discipline of working through a book of the Bible, so that we can listen to what God is saying, without us deciding what the topic will be. Just as a god who is shaped by me will die with me. But God says to let Him take care of it. I know myself. Then you will see the full measure of My justice. [He will repay those who persecute the church,] with an everlasting destruction…” 2 Thessalonians 1:6,9. The more we are centered on God’s truth spoken in love (Ephesians 4:1–16), the more we will grow up into maturity and the more resources we’ll have at our disposal to heal from hurt ourselves and to avoid hurting one another. He is shot dead by the secret service. You may say, “How do I do that? Were you hurt because your sin was exposed? When I tried to pray out loud for him, I heard myself praying, “Dear God, would you b-b-b-bl-bl-bl When we are feeling angry about betrayal, the natural thing you might want to do is hurt them back and seek revenge. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.”. No matter how hard or strong we claim to be, the actions of others can sometimes hurt us to our core. Ask yourself if the relationships you’re in really reflect God. Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). It just means that you no longer allow them to take up so much space in your life. That means you can have confidence in the absolute justice of God. You must also avoid the temptation of withholding your goodness from those who hurt you. When someone hurts you, your immediate and natural instinct will be to want to hurt them back. No one will escape from the justice of God. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44, Anyone who has suffered at the hands of another person, as we all have in some way, will hear this and say, “Love him? You don’t need to take it into your hands when you know it is in His. Where do you begin in loving your enemies? But how does God want us to respond to people who hurt us? We saw last week that this letter was written to encourage Christians who were being persecuted (1:4). There are times when we will allow ourselves to endure unnecessary pain in relationships because we believe it’s our duty or because it brings us to a place of meekness that honors Christ. I use the word surrender because it best describes our act of handing over to God something that truly belongs to Him—the right to hurt back. Here are 3 Reasons You Should Let God Deal With Your Enemies: 1. Perhaps, he’s called you to love a difficult person. What we do here week-by-week is take a passage of the Bible and place ourselves under it. What happens? As I said earlier, the beginning of change is calling a thing by its right name. And when we finally get to the end of the movie, we cheer the hero’s revenge as we passionately feel the evil person deserves it. How do you restrain the desire to even the score? But God is just, and even though His justice may be hidden now, it will become obvious when Jesus Christ is revealed (1:8). Pray that God will help you to see the good things He wants you to do for this person. Paul went to Macedonia saying, “God had called us to preach the gospel (in Macedonia).” (Act 16:10) “Salvation is not only a gift, but a vocation; we enter into it as we obey the voice of Jesus, ‘Follow Me.’” [3]. What happens? But such a god is only a projection of you. What happens? Dear friends, never take revenge. Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Beliefnet’s Partners, From time to time you will also receive Special Offers from our partners. In big blockbuster movies, we often see the story line – the hero of the movie is hurt or a victim of injustice, and throughout the movie seeks to recover what is rightfully his or hers. Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of L.I.F.E. If you have suffered at the hands of other people, or if someone you love has suffered as these Christians did, you will face with this great question: “How can I really believe that God is a loving God and God is a just God when so often good people suffer and those who do evil prosper?”. When you think about everlasting destruction, and what it would mean to be shut out of the presence of the Lord forever… you would not wish that on your worst enemy. At the end of the day, what use is a god who was designed by you? And the mercy of God has transformed my life! I deserve this judgment, but God has shown me mercy. A faithful partner can help you deal with the issue! If Christianity was only a power play by the church, then they would be right to reject it. We don’t come to the Bible to evaluate it. King David demonstrates this many times in the Psalms he wrote, speaking of the betrayal of friends and enemies – calling on God to punish them. It is good news, not only for all of us here today, but for every person in this community. I’ve chosen the latter. Last summer, long before we knew the date of this public launch, we planned to listen to God through 2 Thessalonians, and the verses that were read were set for today! Begin thinking about God as Jesus. After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, (Romans 12:19) When we have been hurt by someone, we naturally want to hurt them back. They brought you down, and you find a certain pleasure in bringing them down. When you obey Jesus and respond to your enemies with love, prayer, forgiveness and blessing, you take yourself out of satan’s line of fire and make room for God to handle justice as only He can. However, if you realize that God is a best friend that stands beside you when others cast stones you will never be afraid, never feel worthless and never feel alone.” – Shannon Alder. When people hurt you, sometimes it’s easier to just walk away and don’t look back. Listen . While God instructs us to take up our cross and follow Christ, it’s important to discern what God is really telling us through the pain we’re experiencing. Recall the mistreatment that Joseph endured at the hands of his own brothers. To be shut out from God’s presence and from His power means to be without hope and without love forever. Nothing is hidden from Him. Talk to God about every relationship you invest time in. Many times we are not in a place to force the other person to stop their hurtful behavior. Think now of the person who hurt you. It tells you that you have not yet seen the end of the story. Saul of Tarsus was the terror of the early church. What if God is, without us? It would be very easy to come to the Bible, picking the bits that we like, and ignoring anything that makes us feel uncomfortable. The closer you become with the Scripture, the more God will speak to you about the relationships you’re in. Matthew 5:11-21 "People will insult you and hurt you. The conflict that’s going on in your soul is a fight against Me!”. Pray before you go to visit/chat with a friend, pray during your visit and pray afterward. God is with us even in our darkest hour. Christ laid down His life for you and now He lays claim to your life for Him. This will happen when Jesus Christ is revealed. 4 Steps to Dealing with Those Who Hurt You 1. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7), When the Scripture was read, you may have thought, “This is a strange message for a weekend when we are welcoming large numbers of first- time visitors at the public launch of a new campus.” You may have wondered, “Is he really going to speak on these verses from the Bible?”, I have to tell you, I had the same question. To God's people, I say in the strongest possible terms: Beware of those who make light of sin, who trivialize holiness, who throw a wet blanket on the fires of conviction, who minimize repentance, and who brand others "legalistic" and "religious" because of their devotion to the Lord. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. You don’t have to worry about your enemies. This is what was happening at the cross. God simply tells us to pray for them. If you grasp this most difficult of doctrines, and place yourself under this truth, God will use it to soften your heart today. He always acts with justice. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:18-20). since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, Berean Study Bible. This is the Son of God! Luke 6:27-36 speaks to this issue in great detail. The temptation will be to avoid God’s word. Suppose on the way home, the same boy punches a policeman on the nose. Forgiveness is that important to God that He is willing to hold back His hand if we choose to not forgive those who have wronged us. God enters in, stays with us, and make a way in our hurt. That means your gifts, talents, time, money, the strength of your body and the affections of your heart. “They will be punished with everlasting destruction” (1:9). Loving the leaders who hurt you is an essential ministry in the Body of Christ. How are we supposed to stand up under it?” This is the kind of thing the people in Thessalonica were experiencing and this letter was written to give the answer. Do that commanded His leaders, “ saul, your immediate and natural instinct be... Even if for just a few minutes each day go to visit/chat with a friend be. 1:9 ) ’ ll think about it today power to change them, but we do the! Him take care of it reactions when their feelings get hurt: they deal your. 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