Kick Hate and Other Strong Emotions Where They Belong

Twenty-Six years ago, my 60-year-old Dad was “helped” to die. He was murdered—shot through the heart during a robbery. The unexpected evil catapulted me into a horrific nightmare. Several days after his death, the three suspects were captured. After pleading guilty they were sent to prison in Atlanta, Georgia. The man who pulled the trigger was sentenced to 25 years for murder. Last year he was released on parole.

Although a blur, I remember coming out of the nightmare and into a dream, totally surrounded by God. He began to show me what to do with all my emotions, specifically “hate.” I wrote this shortly after:

Tears puddled upon my Bible as I read 1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

“I don’t hate anyone — I strongly dislike!” I said to God.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments,” God whispered to my heart. (John 14:15)

“They deserve to be hated for the terrible things they’ve done,” I said.

My justifying rant went on for several minutes. Then my love for God moved me to sorrow, and I fell to my knees in the middle of my kitchen floor. That early morning before sunrise, God began changing my heart.

I knew what I had to do.

Loving God means obeying Him. And that means loving and forgiving all people — even the ones who treat us badly, and worse.

I wondered, Is dumping a wrong attitude possible?

Yes. For the believer, there is power to overcome all sin: “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3).

God has made a way for us to escape hate. Maybe you have experienced:

• betrayal of a spouse or best friend
• devastating gossip
• jealousy that led to hate
• a loved one taken or evil that prevailed over justice

These are horrific experiences and God does not overlook evil.

God also knows hate is a toxic emotion. For the sake of our health, we must diffuse it.

To love people means that we don’t wish them any harm. We don’t rejoice when they suffer pain or misfortune, and we don’t plot or plan vengeance. We can leave all that to God who sees everything! God’s justice is sufficient.

God showed me that the real enemy is Satan who is the mastermind of all evil in this world.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

I finally got it! We can transfer our hate to Satan — where it belongs.

After God opened my eyes and showed me who the real enemy is, my hateful thoughts became less frequent, and over time the hate dissolved completely.

There is no evidence that God changed the murderer’s heart. But God changed me.

Hate is one strong emotion among many. But God is stronger. We can admit the truth to God … all the crazy emotions that consume us. God loves us so much and He will help us kick hate and other sinful emotions to the curb!