“Rid yourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” RATHER, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:8,12)
How many of us are guilty of allowing anger to control our actions? 🙋🏻♀️(Me!)
How many of us have faced betrayal and felt ourselves become bitter because of other people’s deceit? 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️ (Double me!)
As I was reading my Bible earlier this week, there seemed to be an on-going thread of humbling ourselves, forgiving others, and treating people with kindness rather than rage and gentleness instead of slander.
We often read Scriptures about being loving and forgiving and we teach our youth to be respectful and kind; but, how do we react when people turn on us as quickly as Mia’s facial expressions in the gif below? Are we caught unprepared, become defensive, stay silent, grow angry, exact revenge, or pray for the Lord to direct our response?
When we become born again, we are called to live like Yeshua and no longer react with hatred, slander, or disrespect. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Yeshua in Elohim…You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of such things as these…” (Colossians 3:3,7-8)
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2-3) The walk of faith is a way of life, and it takes time for us to learn and understand the difference between the actions of our flesh and Godly attributes. Our worlds are flipped upside down, we witness incredible miracles, and feel God’s presence when we become saved; nevertheless, our lives do not become sunshine and rainbows once we decide to walk with the Lord. In fact, if anything, a target is placed on our backs for the devil to test our faithfulness.
Following in the steps of Yeshua (1 Peter 2:21) is no easy feat. Just like Yeshua, we are going to be accused of things that we are not guilty of, and we will suffer and have insults, reprimands, lies, and deceit thrown our way. It says in 2 Timothy 3:12-15, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach.”
Yeshua said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), but He never promised that we’d have an easy life; actually, He said the opposite. In Matthew 10:22, Yeshua said, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Reading these verses is easy to do from the comfort of our home, but what happens when we come face-to-face with this hatred and persecution?
Believers can go around looking for words of encouragement or inspiring Scriptures to help them through their day, but if we are not creating a solid foundation and strengthening ourselves for the spiritual battles ahead, we’re going to be among the first to fall. A time will come when people’s true colors will come out, or our reputations will be thrown in the mud, so we need to be ready for battle. Yeshua says that if a person slaps you on one cheek, turn and give him the other as well. (Luke 6:29)
Walking in the Spirit and living a life after Yeshua means remaining kind, gentle, loving, patient, and restrained when everything in our fleshly body is telling us to scream, defend our honor, and take revenge on the people who are spreading lies about us. For these reasons, my prayer for this coming week is that the Lord will guide us as we walk through each day and teach us restraint. I also pray that He would help us shed out of our old selves so that we can clothe ourselves in God’s word, to begin living by the Fruits of the Spirit, and to arm ourselves with the armor of God!
Put your faith in God. People are inconsistent and change as frequently as the weather, but the Word of God and our Messiah will NEVER change! He is always with us and will never leave you or forsake you! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow! (Hebrews 13:8) Lean on the promises Yeshua has made to you, and walk in the strength He has given you!
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua Ha’Mashiach.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us this day. We call out to you, right now, and ask that you search our hearts and reveal the parts of our lives where we are still holding onto our old selves. Guide us this day, and when we feel our flesh reacting to the world around us, help us to remain calm, kind, loving, and Yeshua-like. Satan has no foothold on our lives and is not welcome into this day! We rebuke the assignments the enemy has on our lives and pray that you will strengthen us to continue on this path you have led us on. Show us where we are to go, whether we’re stuck at a crossroads or feeling like there is something more you have called for our lives. Speak to us, today, Father, and reveal the wolves in sheep’s clothing that we might be aware of the hidden enemy amongst us. Clothe us in your grace and tell us when it is time to speak, time to act, and time to stay quiet and pray. Help us not to be on-the-surface Believers or pray safe prayers. May we know our identity in you and not be afraid to surrender our lives into your hands so that you can lead and direct us. In Yeshua’s name, we pray. Amen!
