Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for putting certain people in my life to help me grow in Christ, even when they are only in my life for a season. Every person that is in our lives, or has been in our lives in the past, has given us an opportunity to be a blessing, to plant a seed, and to learn something we didn’t know before. I’ve learned through my short journey that not everyone we come across will be a pleasant encounter. Some will not be a blessing but will try to interrupt our peace and hinder our relationship with You. Please help us to open our eyes and to better discern when relationships and people are beyond their expiration date and will not aid our journey further.
Your Word tells us in 2Timothy 1:7(NLT), “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Heavenly Father, please help us through Your precious Holy Spirit to learn patience and self-control. People have taken backbiting, malicious wrongdoing, and revenge to a whole new level. They don’t want to see Your children prosper and live righteously. They have a very deranged sense of what is right. It is very easy to sink to their level in retaliation, especially when it comes to the people we have trusted most. It cuts so deeply when someone we love betrays our trust. It can also make us very angry, but Your Word tells us in Ephesians 4:26-27(MSG), “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.”
Resentment and bitterness are not the way of Christ. We can’t afford to hold grudges, because holding grudges keeps us from receiving Your blessings. You tell us in Hebrews 12:15(NLT), “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” Bitterness is poison, and our goal as Your children should be to never let it take root in our hearts. Regardless of how mean-spirited people are, we should never be spiteful. We must wipe the dust off us and keep it moving. No human being that has ever lived has been treated as poorly, violently, and horribly as Jesus Christ. He was betrayed on every level, yet he responded with love. He gave his life on calvary for our sins and prayed for those who did him wrong. Father, You want us to live up to his example, to love like he loved and forgive others as he forgave everyone.
Dear Father, please help us to remember that we have the light of Christ within. We belong to You and You belong to us. You are our King, the Most High God, the Creator of the entire universe, and we are Your children. We should wake up every morning with a song in our hearts, eager to walk with You through Jesus Christ daily. We should greet each new day with, “Father, what would you have me to do to bless your Kingdom today?” This is a Kingdom mindset of love, forgiveness, humility, and service, and we need to have it so that we please You with everything we do.
Thank You for helping us to be a blessing to others, and to live a life of love through Jesus Christ. Thank You for delivering us from all hurt, harm, and danger. We put all our trust in You, for You are faithful to Your Word and Promises. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Be Angry, But Don’t Sin”, written by K. Lizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.