September 02, 2013
MALICE
Dag Heward-Mills
READ: Ephesians 4:22-32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice...
Ephesians 4:31,32
According to Ephesians 4:31, one of the signs of unforgiveness is malice. According to the dictionary, it means, "a desire to harm others".
When Brother "A" does something against you, and you have the desire to harm or hurt him, that is malice. The desire to harm others shows you that you haven't forgiven the offender. When you have truly forgiven, you won't desire to harm the person. Do you think God desires to harm you? Can you imagine what would happen to you if God should decide to harm you?
If you are a wife and you have a secret desire to harm or punish your husband, then that is malice. Sometimes wives punish their husbands by denying them sex. Some women cannot "commit" love with their husbands because of something he did. Once you feel this way, you have not forgiven.
One way you can tell that you have not forgiven, is when you feel uncomfortable at the mention of the offender's name.
At the point when you can say, "Lord, I let him go," or "God will take care of it," then malice is gone. When you curse the offender, wish him ill or plan how to hurt him, then malice is still lingering.
You might complain and wonder why people hurt you so often. That is not the point! God expects us to forgive. Malice must go away!
MALICE
Dag Heward-Mills
READ: Ephesians 4:22-32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice...
Ephesians 4:31,32
According to Ephesians 4:31, one of the signs of unforgiveness is malice. According to the dictionary, it means, "a desire to harm others".
When Brother "A" does something against you, and you have the desire to harm or hurt him, that is malice. The desire to harm others shows you that you haven't forgiven the offender. When you have truly forgiven, you won't desire to harm the person. Do you think God desires to harm you? Can you imagine what would happen to you if God should decide to harm you?
If you are a wife and you have a secret desire to harm or punish your husband, then that is malice. Sometimes wives punish their husbands by denying them sex. Some women cannot "commit" love with their husbands because of something he did. Once you feel this way, you have not forgiven.
One way you can tell that you have not forgiven, is when you feel uncomfortable at the mention of the offender's name.
At the point when you can say, "Lord, I let him go," or "God will take care of it," then malice is gone. When you curse the offender, wish him ill or plan how to hurt him, then malice is still lingering.
You might complain and wonder why people hurt you so often. That is not the point! God expects us to forgive. Malice must go away!