Hating God

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their evil deeds will be exposed." - John 3:30

"I hate you!" 

Most of us can relate to this statement.  We remember saying this as teenagers when our parents grounded us, or did anything else that took away our budding independence.  Or we experience hearing this now with our own children, as they react to decisions we make for their own good, and we try to keep them on the right path through correction.

Or maybe while you wouldn't want to admit it to others or even yourself, you hate God, because you didn't have parents that cared enough to correct you.  You blame God for giving you parents that never showed love in their actions or decisions.  They hurt you spiritually and physically.  They got divorced and you felt abandoned.  Even if there is a God, you don't want anything to do with Him because He wasn't there for you when you needed Him.  You had faith for healing but saw your child die anyway.  You lost your job and are struggling to find your purpose.  You tried going to church but were hurt by church leaders and members.  You see the world crumbling around you with death, war, and destruction, and don't see how God can sit idly by while it all falls apart.

But if you hate God right now, you may be closer to Him than you realize!  Hate means to "feel intense or passionate dislike for someone."  By feeling like you hate God, you are at least acknowledging His existence and influence in your life.  You were created with a mind, will, and emotions, so God is not afraid of your feelings of anger or hatred.  He desires relationship with someone who is passionate rather than apathetic or indifferent.

Something (or someone) is whispering lies to you about who God is.  It may be yourself and your resistance to giving up control over your own life.  It may be the devil causing you to question God's goodness in an imperfect world.  Or the enemy of your soul is telling you that whatever hope there was, God would not want you now because of how you feel about Him.  It's too late, you're too far gone. 

But no matter how you feel about God right now, He has a different view of you.  He only sees His son or daughter and wants you home with Him.  He has this to say to you, taken from the song "Times" by Tenth Avenue North:

My love is over, it's underneath,

it's inside, it's in between.

The times you doubt me, when you can't feel,

the times that you question: "is this for real?"

The times you're broken, the times that you mend,

the times you hate me, and the times that you bend.

My love is over, it's underneath,

it's inside, it's in between.

The times you're healing, and when your heart breaks,

the times that you feel like you've fallen from grace.

The times you're hurting, the times that you heal,

the times you go hungry and are tempted to steal.

In times of confusion, in chaos and pain,

I'm there in the sorrow, under the weight of your shame.

I'm there through your heartache, I'm there in the storm,

My love I will keep you, by my power alone.

I don't care where you've fallen, or where you have been,

I'll never forsake you, my love never ends.

It never ends...

(Click here to watch "Times" on YouTube)

As we reflect back on how we reacted as a teenager, or when you see this today with your own children, you know it was just a matter of maturity.  When you got older, and especially when you have your own children, you can see things from your parents' perspective - that they corrected you out of love for you and to try to keep you safe from others or yourself. Or if you didn't have parents who treated you with the love you deserve, it's time to reach out to a Father who can show you what a real parent's love is like.  

If you are in a place of anger and hate, I would venture to guess that whatever you are doing isn't working, and never will.  It's time to turn from hate to something better, to love.  God is not afraid of how you feel about Him.  It may be uncomfortable and you may find resistance to surrendering to someone else, resistance from yourself or something that's holding you back.  But reach out and ask for God's hand, and discover a path to love through his son Jesus Christ, the "way, the truth, and the life."

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

Strengthen Your Position

"Strengthen your position and see what must be done, 

because next spring the king of Aram shall attack you again!" - 1 Kings 20:22

Over the last few years I have discovered the writings of several amazing church leaders that helped usher in the charismatic movement of the 1970s, including Agnes Sanford, Francis MacNutt, and Catherine Marshall.  In reading Catherine Marshall's book, Adventures in Prayer, originally published in 1975, I noticed an advertisement in the back of the book for an intercessory prayer team founded by Ms. Marshall called "Breakthrough."  

Even though Catherine Marshall died in 1983, I looked up the organization on the Internet and was surprised to see that this ministry still exists today.  Processing over 100,000 prayer requests annually, a team of nearly 4,000 intercessors prays individually for the anonymous prayer requests of six people at a time for 21 consecutive days, then rotates to another group of prayer requests. 

Regardless of whether you are on a prayer team or just spend time in prayer yourself, prayer is an essential part of the Christian walk and in strengthening the church body.  When you take time to pray, you are engaging in battle with the enemy in the spiritual realms, and you need to be prepared for battle.  The most recent letter I received from Breakthrough's Chairman, Brian Wells, was one I want to share with you here as you enter into battle through prayer:

"The stories of battles in the Old Testament aren't only historical accounts.  They also point to greater truths, showing how God works in everyday life and providing analogies for spiritual warfare.  I recently read the following admonition in 1 Kings 20:22:

Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram shall attack you again!

I noticed God gave His people three instructions that apply to praying believers today:

1. Strengthen Your Position:  Jesus defeated the devil by knowing the Word of God.  We must do the same.  We must sow God's truth into our hearts by memorizing it, and confessing it with our mouths during times of peace.  Then, when trials and temptations come, we will be equipped to speak truth against the enemy's "fiery darts" (Ephesians 6:16).  

2. See What Must Be Done:  The Holy Spirit grants us wisdom in every area of our lives.  As we seek Him and cultivate a relationship through prayer, worship, and the Word, the Holy Spirit will reveal His will in every situation, showing us His strategies for defeating the devil's attacks.

3.  Be Ready For the Next Attack:  Why should we spend time seeking God? So we won't be caught sleeping!  We must be not only ready for the enemy's attacks - and they will come - but we must proactively prepare for them.  Don't wait for the test or trial to come.  "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," Jesus tells us, His disciples (Matthew 26:41).  Get on the offensive, and take back what the devil wants to steal from you!  Decree the spirit of slumber and stupor is leaving now!"

I hope this will encourage each of you in your prayer life, or help you begin to seek God in prayer if you aren't doing so today.  And if you are looking to make an even bigger impact on others through prayer, I would encourage you to join your church's prayer team, or visit intercessors.org to join the Breakthrough team!

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." - James 5:16

- Adam Gellert

adamgellert.com