Seven Things that God Hates, and We Should, Too

Sometimes sickness may glorify God. Andrew Murray, a dear old saint, wrote:

“In times of trouble the trusting child of God may say, ‘First He brought me here, it is by His will that I’m in this great place. Next, He will keep me here in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child. Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn and working in the grace He means to bestow. And in His good time He can bring me out again. How and when—He knows.’”

Many a time we feel so overwhelmed by our shortcomings and past mistakes that we feel stuck, unable to move closer to God. How can we begin a journey that seems so long and so difficult, one with a destination that we will probably never reach anyway?

Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” These words hold true for many situations, and they are especially helpful when we take the first step in repentance. We don’t have to know how we will succeed or when, and we don’t need to worry about how far up we have to climb. God will help us make our way to the top. We need to take the first steps and head in the right direction, but God will come out to greet us and meet us halfway.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Satan always defines your life based on your past; God defines you by your future.

"You're never going to change!" "You always do that!"

Perhaps you've heard such words. Words can define us if we let them. Failure can be a warning sign that motivates change or it sends us into self-sabotage and shame. The cross paid the price for that. Have you accepted the payment on your behalf?

When you allow others to define who you are that is contrary to who God says who you are, you've made them an idol in your life. You've allowed a spirit of rejection and shame and performance to define you.

When we come to know Christ our spirit is 100% redeemed. However, our soul requires regeneration. This is a long-term process. The Bible calls it sanctification. "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21). It is God's responsibility to guide our maturity process as we yield ourselves to Him.

Seven Things that God Hates, and We Should, Too

 “There are  six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and  hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who  breathes out lies, and one who  sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19, ESV).

1. Haughty eyes, Proverbs 6:17a

A. Refers to a proud look suggesting arrogant ambition

B. Willful rebellion against authority, (Daniel 11:2)

C. Goes before destruction, (Numbers 14:40-45)

2. A lying tongue, Proverbs 6:17b

A. Means deception in speech

B. It’s harmful, (Proverbs 26:28)

C. Christians who lie will never enter God’s kingdom, (Revelation 21:8)

3. Hands that shed innocent blood, (Proverbs 6:17c)

A. Shedding human blood is prohibited. People are made in the image of God, (Genesis 9:6)

B. Shedding innocent blood is considered a more serious offense.

C. Imagine the blood guilt of abortion doctors!

D. Imagine the blood guilt of the judges and politicians who allow the shedding of the blood of innocent, unborn babies!

4. A heart that devices wicked schemes, (Proverbs 6:18)

A. The heart represents ‘the will” most often

B. Here it plots evil.

C. God early on declared that the human heart is capable of this, (Genesis 6:5)

D. God has given us a free will. Exercise it to bring glory to God

5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil, (Proverbs 6:18)

A. Refers to The enthusiasm and complete involvement in activities that bring pain to all concerned.

B. True child of God doesn’t rejoice about evil, (1 Corinthians 13:6)

C. Bible speaks of Christians who rejoiced in evil, (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

6. A false witness who pours out lies, (Proverbs 6:19)

A. OT law required 2 or more witnesses to be presented before accusing someone, (Deuteronomy 9:15)

B. The law institutes a penalty for false witnessing also, (Deuteronomy 19:16-19)

C. God hates those who do harm and disservice to His system of justice and lie about other people.

7. A man who stirs up dissension among his brothers, (Proverbs 6:19b)

A. Refers to contentious men

B. These are tale bearers

C. Some times Christians carry tales to others in authority to gain favor.

If you allow small sins to find a place in your life where you are comfortable in them, they will fester there and begin to destroy your walk with God.

Everyone needs to be reminded they are not better than anyone else every now and then. Conceit is a killing vice in the Christian life. God created us all equal. His image rests equally with every human being. Sometimes God needs to bring us back to earth when we get too puffed up. Those exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted.

But the bottom-line is:

We are always likely to have hidden sin in our lives, sin we don't even know about because God's standards are so high, and our performance is so imperfect. If we put our trust in God, however, all our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross on our behalf (Romans 5:1; 8:1). And even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20). His forgiveness and cleansing are sufficient; they overrule our nagging doubts. The Holy Spirit in us proves that we are forgiven even though we may feel guilty. If we, like Job, are truly seeking God, we can stand up under others' accusations as well as our own nagging doubts. If God has forgiven and accepted us, we are forgiven indeed.

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju