Matthew 6:14-15 – “And when you pray, make sure you forgive the faults of others SO THAT your Father in heaven WILL ALSO forgive you. 15 BUT IF YOU WITHHOLD forgiveness from others, your Father withholds forgiveness from you.”

During a recent rain shower, I was reminded of the refreshing of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more nutritious for plant life than rainfall, and nothing is more nutritious for Spirit life than the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He makes God’s Word come alive and brings the transforming nourishment we need.

Recently, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about hate.   He caused me to focus on hate in the church and in the hearts of people who identify as His.   In Matthew 6, we find what we call The Lord’s Prayer.   When embraced and implemented, it is revelatory and powerful, simple but succulent and transformative.

Jesus followed that up with a revelation that enables us to understand how His Kingdom operates and gives the key to answered prayer and peace of heart. Matthew 6:14-15 speaks directly to that!  There is no justification for hate!  I was reminded in verse 21 – “For your heart will ALWAYS pursue what you esteem as your treasure.” He reminded us of the pervasiveness and problem of a heart that blocks out God’s light. Hate blocks it.

In Matthew 7, we discover God’s pathway to peace, life, and interpersonal relationships. We are and always will be judged by the same standard we use to judge others. We see their flaws and ignore ours, which allows us to justify our hate. God offers no loopholes. He hates hate!

Hate has no place in the heart.  It is a spiritual cancer that is terminal and metastasizes from the heart to the whole person.   If we allow hate, we negate Grace to us and through us.  Hate separates.  There are no loopholes.  There is no justification.  God will never accept it.  If we compare our hurts to the sacrifice of Jesus, we realize that truth.  Hate is easy, although hard, whereas love is hard, although easy.

Remember Matthew 10:26 – “… God will bring everything out in the open, and every secret will be told.” Our seemingly justified hate will be exposed, and our victim status will be demolished. Only through the Blood of Jesus as we FORGIVE can we escape the eventual humiliation of judgment.

Therefore, “Show Hate the Gate.”  Don’t hesitate, don’t debate, give no place to hate of anything but sin.  God is love! Forgiveness is healthy and makes us whole. Hate is a gate to destruction. It is the wide gate where too many enter.

There is peace, power, provision, and presence in love, but chains await those who hate.  Your victory is ready. Receive it, believe it, and enter into it!

Have a fantastic day, and keep looking up; Jesus is coming soon!   Fill your heart with love, not hate!