Murder begins in the heart

Today’s scripture:

“Understand [this], my beloved brotheren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God [wishes and requires].” (James 1:19-20 AMP)

When in trouble or trial to where all you can see is the hardship in it, take time out with your Father in Heaven even if you feel angry and so far away from Him. You may not directly see the mercy in this but think about how you act and what your attitude is like when your full of anger and hate and bitterness.

It creates an atmosphere around you and others will be affected by this even if you don't mean for them to. So, getting away for the moment is saving ohers from that atmosphere. Even if all you can do is just sit there and let God quiet your mind and give you peace. That in of itself is love (mercy)! It’s a form of “dying to self.”

If it is possible, stay in that place of refuge until your feelings pass by. Your feelings have an influence on your heart and your heart can be deceived. That's why you need to fight against your feelings to lead your heart to do what is right and to stand on the Rock of Jesus! Sometimes a fight in of itself looks like your doing nothing but sitting still, but on the inside is an all-out raging war against your flesh to lash out in anger. Cry out to Jesus even if all you are doing is complaining or yelling at Him. He knows your heart anyway but at least you are talking to Him.

Lets look at the sixth of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.” – This is a very commonly known and accepted part of God’s law. However, what may be not so accepted is where the murder actually starts which is in the heart. Did you know that any one human could be an Adolf Hitler or a Jeffery Dahmer? As striking as that is, that is truth (Mark 7:21-22, Isaiah 59:13, Jeremiah 17:9).

It is in our very nature to look out for #1 and to destroy anyone who gets in our way! Since our hearts are so wicked, we have to decide by choice to lead our heart in the way of righteousness by denying our flesh to do what we want and put to death our own selfish desires even if we know we are right. Vengeance is the Lord’s! (Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 32:35) If you have hate in your heart, its all over even if you haven’t acted out that hate towards another. Submit to God by denying your desire for revenge.

If anger and hate, and really, all sin starts in the heart, doesn’t it make since to to battle with it in the heart? How does a person do battle with hate in his heart? Well, to fight against something you have to come against it with just the opposite thing. And what is the opposite of hate? Love is the opposite of hate. Because this love has to come into the midst of something against our nature it will require us to deny our flesh and our own will of what WE THINK is right or good.

We truly don’t know what is good for us, only God does. He has given us the answer which is LOVE! More specifically, AGAPE love. No matter what our circumstances are or what we feel in the depths of our soul, we need to ignore it and push through and lean into God and DO MERCY for whom you are angry at.

Reflection:

Anger is a very strong emotion. So strong, that which is conceived in the heart will come out in exposing its ugliness of what God already has seen in us. We must submit to do mercy to be set free. We will reap mercy when we give out mercy. Remember that mercy is an action.

Challenge:

Stop, be still, take a very long deep breath and then pray for that situation or who you are angry with and offer up the mercy prayer found in the tab at the top of this blog labeled MERCY.

-Doug McGowan