Category Archives: Hate

Bible, Disobedience, God's Will, Hate, Hatred, Scripture

HATERS OF GOD

ROMANS 1:30

“slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,”

I have known some people who truly hated God. They blamed Him for every bad thing that happened to them. They couldn’t love a God “that allowed that sort of thing.” The fact of the matter is, we were all haters of God until we came to salvation. Living lives opposed to His law makes us haters, according to Scripture. I could have taken any one of the words mentioned in today’s verse, but this one really explains them all.

Paul says these individuals he has been discussing for the past several verses were indeed “haters of God.” The word for “haters” is theostygḗs and is used only here in Romans 1:30. HELPS Word studies says it is “derived from theós, ‘God’ and stygeō, ‘abhor’ – properly, to abhor God (His will). This rare term refers to people who totally turn against the Lord.” A person who fits this category is capable of any of the words mentioned in verse 29 and 30.

APPLICATION

In John 3:20 Jesus says this about these haters of God. “‘For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.’” Darkness is used to try to hide our behaviors. I can name all kinds of sin that are done in the cloak of darkness. But God sees through the darkness, does He not?

Jesus tells us in John 7:7, “‘The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil.’” When we expose the deeds done in the darkness, the evil will come against us with fangs bared and snarling. Our ministry has seen that all over the world as we have taught men how to come out of the darkness and live in the light. The haters of God do not want this. They want to keep us enslaved to our sins and in their camp as haters of God.

In one more verse from John, Jesus warns us in John 15:18 that, “‘If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.’” Don’t be surprised if you get called names and attacked for living a godly life. Don’t be shocked at the behaviors of others, even some in the church who are living according to God’s will, when you confront their sin. We have a responsibility though to share the truth and let God do the convicting. Their hatred of Him does not surprise Him, nor does it lessen His love for them. We should respond likewise.

Father, allow me to be Your vessel in this ongoing battle against those who hate You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Access, Battles, Bible, Deliverance, Evil, Fear, God's Will, Hate, Love, Scripture

JACKALS EVERYWHERE

MALACHI 1:3

“‘but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.’”

I was leaving my home the other night, when out of nowhere this coyote ran across the street. Mind you, I don’t live out in the rural area of town. I live in a very urban area, surrounded by interstates and houses. Where did this little bugger come from? Better yet, where did he go?

In verse 3 of chapter 1 of Malachi, the Lord is pronouncing a judgment on Esau. Remember him, the twin brother of Jacob? The word “hate” is a strong word which we take in a very negative way. The fact is God had chosen Jacob in the womb to be the father of Israel. Esau could have done nothing to change that. His region and people would be destroyed five years after the Babylonians defeated Jerusalem.

APPLICATION

We make choices in life. Esau chose to go in another way. But after the story of him reconciling with Jacob, there isn’t much mentioned of him. It’s almost as if he just wandered into the wilderness where those jackals lived. The Hebrew word for “jackal” comes from the Hebrew tan, which means hideous monster or land creature. Are you living among the monsters? You don’t have to.

1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” The Lord wants to bring you in from the wilderness. There is no reason to fear. There is no reason to live among the jackals. He has made you a home, a safe home, a refuge.

I love Psalm 18. Verse 2 says, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my savior, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” So, come in from the wilderness of sin and strife. Put your full trust in Jesus, Who came to give you peace.

Father, You are my rescuer. You have delivered me from the wilderness and the jackals.

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Bible, Commands, Evil, Godliness, Goodness, Hate, Rebuke, Scripture, Truth

THINGS I HATE

ZECHARIAH 8:17

“‘“Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these things are what I hate,” declares the LORD.’”

Hate is a strong word. I know, I know. But there a few things in this world that I hate. I hate searing, hot days when you can’t get any relief. I hate it when my truck breaks down, and I can’t fix it. I hate brussel sprouts and spinach. Yep, I said it. Sorry, moms out there. Most of all, I hate sin.

The Lord listed a couple of things He hates in today’s verse. He says He hates hearts that have devised evil against another, and He hates perjury (telling lies). Of course, the God of truth is going to hate those things. We should hate the same things God hates. If He hates them, they are worthy of hate. The Hebrew word here for “hate” can also mean something that is odious, that stinks.

APPLICATION

In the first part of Amos 5:15 the prophet says, “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate!” That’s good. Then Paul says this in Romans 12:9. “Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.” I think you get the picture. There are some things that it okay to hate. In fact, we are commanded to hate evil.

The problem today is that the world has totally changed the definition of what is evil. That can be confusing if you are not in the Word and spending time with the Lord every day. If you listen to the Social Media influencers, you will definitely be led astray. Most of them applaud the things the Word says is evil.

Let me encourage you today to be a hater. Yep, a hater. Hate those things that pull people away from God. Notice I said things, not people. We need to love everyone because God does. But He hates the sin. So should we. We need to be bold and point out those sins without demeaning the person. You’ve heard it said, “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” Practice that today.

Father, I do hate those things You hate. Help me be bold to point out those things to others.

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