“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”(1John 4:11)
Last week’s post No one pokes at a fruitless tree got me thinking: So what does one do if (s) he has haters? For most people the immediate response is confrontation, then revenge. Others prefer to just let the person be but hate that person for life. When people poke at us we normally get angry, and the Bible says it is ok to be angry but do not let the sun go down on your anger (Ref Ephesians 4:26) because the more you bottle up that anger it turns into bitterness and bitterness short circuits the power of God in your life.
So what is the best way to deal with these so called haters? As I studied the Bible, I came across two wonderful scriptures that answered my question:
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” (Lev 19:17-18) and “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”(Mat 5:43-44)
So someone steals from me or spreads lies about me that cost me my job, yet I am not supposed to revenge or even hold a grudge against him/her. In fact, I am actually supposed to love them, bless them, do good to them and pray for them! It seems rather impossible doesn’t it? Well, remember God loved a sinner like you and me. Think about the worst thing you have ever done, God forgave you for it, because He loves you. Love, therefore conquers all.
In conclusion make up your mind to walk in love. Love does not keep a record of wrongs that others do, is hopeful and never fails. (Ref 1Corinthians13:4-8 CEV) . 
Stay Blessed
“And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.”(Act 6:13-14)
The book of Acts in Chapter 6 narrates how there were murmurings over how the widows were neglected and not being given assistance by the disciples. The disciples ordained seven chosen men to the deaconship. Among the seven men was Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost who did great wonders and miracles among the people. Some men began to argue with him but were no match for his wisdom and for that reason hired some locals to tell lies about him to the council.
It is interesting to note that the reason why Stephen was arrested was because he outshined the Libertines, the Cyrenians, the Alexandrians and those men who came from Cilicia and Asia. I assume they had expected to outnumber him and bombard him with questions and attack his work in the ministry so as to completely silence him. But one man’s wisdom outshined theirs and they were irked to the point that they conspired with the locals to take him down, for good.Think about this, had Stephen been a normal person, doing mediocre things in his society, would these men even have noticed him? I believe not. No one pokes at a fruitless tree because the fruit is what they want.
I happened to stumble upon a talk show the other day and they were talking about a new term (but not new phenomenon):- HATE CRUSH , that is, when you hate someone so bad that you practically stalk them because you want to know their every move.(Confused???? No need to be, just digest it the way I have put it, that’s all!) From one guest to the other , they all explained to us how they hate this person or the other for this or another reason and have gotten to a point that they spend most of their day “obsessing” about that person. I however noticed something common about all the guests. They all hated people who had something that they wanted and were stalking them to (subconsciously) to learn how they can also get the same thing.
Maybe that’s the same thing you are facing at the office, at school, in your social circles or wherever you spend your time. Maybe when you pass by in your nice suit they whisper to each other who does he think he is, Mr Louis Vuitton? Or maybe your team leader disregards your ideas and then puts them forward as his/her own. Or maybe some people are always starting rumours about you to ruin your reputation. Someone once told me, “If you are behind no one will see you, but they talk because they can see you ahead of them.” Always remember, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Mat 5:14)
Stay Blessed
"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,which are not written in this book." John 20: 30
The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are filled with various extra-ordinary things Jesus did during his walk on earth. The Bible makes it clear that these are not the only miracles Jesus performed,for, "...if they should be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." John 21:25
However,these miracles were written so that by believing,we may have life through Jesus. Ref John 20:31. Also remember, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 11:8) therefore miracles can still take place today.
Do you need a miracle? Get to God's Word, as you read about what Jesus did, your faith is stirred making it a conducive environment for your miracle to take place. Always remember the Words of the Master to the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:22) or the blind beggar( Luke 18:42) or one of the ten lepers (Luke17:19) : THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE!
Stay blessed
