Sometimes, I am caught off guard as to why I am still surprised when humans hurt me. It may not necessarily be the person who is trying to hurt me, but the spirit.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
Therefore, we have to pray for the ones who hurt us deeply. We have to work through our flesh and sinful desires and pray and love on them like Christ does for us. We are fighting against the powers of evil and darkness and spirits that want nothing to do with Christ. That's why sometimes we have to be able to discern why we're going through a certain situation. We have to pray and forgive the ones who hurt us, because in the end, they may be hurting way worse than we are. We want the love of Christ to fall upon them to heal and restore them also. Following Christ isn't a selfish thing...we always follow Christ even when it's hard.
It is a given fact that when we are living in this life, people will hurt us and we will hurt others too, because of our sinful nature. Some of us probably know this by now. I hear a lot of young people from our generation talking about how many trust issues they have and how they trust no one but themselves. Well, that may sound appealing...even for me, but when we don't trust anyone because of the hurt that other people caused and in result, we claim that we trust ourselves solely...that only leads to more hurt. Did you know that if we put trust in ourselves, we will only fail ourselves too? We need to first put our trust in Christ.
Why do we put our trust in Christ?:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8
We put our trust in Christ, because He's the only one who will consistently, whole-heartedly do right by us all the days of our lives. He's the One who knows what is best for us, that why we seek Him first above all things. But, it's hard right? To put your trust in a God whom you have never seen and have maybe never heard? I bet it's especially hard to put your trust in God when everyone else has hurt you, disappointed you, and let you down plenty of times before. I've been where you are and quite frankly, I still struggle with that...but it's always a work in progress. The good thing is, you can start today and never give up.
One thing (or many things) about God is that:
1.) He's not human
2.) He's perfect
3.) He has no sinful nature
4.) He loves us
5.) He cares for us so deeply
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5
There's plenty of other wonderful, awesome things I can tell you about Christ, but those are just a few, so you can understand where I am coming from. God won't hurt us. Ever. Now, He won't let sin go unpunished, and He will convict us, but He'll convict us in love. When humans fail you, God will always prevail. Jesus will always be there to pick you up when you fall. I understand sometimes after you've been hurt, it's hard to trust anything and anybody...God wants to restore us instead of hurt us. God will help you put all the broken pieces back together, He will restore all of the relationships and friendships in your lives. Although, if that friendship is not good for you in getting closer to God, you most likely will have to let that go. But, if it's in the Lord's will to restore and repair, then He will do so.
God always heals our broken hearts when we give Him all that we have. It may seem at times that He doesn't hear our prayers or that He's not listening, but He really is! He listens to us, because He loves us! He loves us so much!
So, the next time you catch yourself feeling down over something someone did to you, don't hold a grudge against them, for that will only lead to bitterness and the hardening of your heart against Christ. Instead, pray for them. Pray that God will come into their heart and work in them. Pray for peace in that person's heart, and most importantly, forgive that person, because God first forgave you. It won't be easy at all, but before you pray for that person, you can always ask God to give you the grace to pray for this person without any negativity in your heart.
It's not easy living in this world filled with sin and strive, and it's especially not easy living in this world when you want to live for Jesus and everyone else wants to live for the world. But take heart my dear, for Jesus has overcome the world. John 16:33.
Even when you fail, God will still prevail. So, don't get discouraged, don't lose your peace, and definitely, don't let anyone take away the joy that only Jesus can give. Others can assume what they want about you, but only the Lord knows what truly lies in your heart.
Stay beautiful y'all.
Ayanna
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