Lies the Devil Told Me: Resentment
John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
A lie that the devil told me before I came to love the Lord was to resent others. This sin became very easy for me because I would feel justified if someone wronged me.
Before my heart was softened to the Lord Jesus, I can tell you that if you gave me a dirty look, you’d get one back. If you crossed me, I wouldn’t forget and I definitely wouldn’t forgive. The devil’s lie convinced me that it was natural to harbor bitterness in my heart because people had done me wrong in some way or another. So little by little over the years I was bitter. First against coworkers, then friends, then family members at times. One by one people would let me down, injure my pride, or do me wrong, and that strike would go against them in my book. It did begin to affect my overall outlook so that I was much more pessimistic and had very little trust in people.
If you’ve ever fallen for this lie before like I have, then you’ll understand how crafty it is. We can feel justified for being unforgiving and bitter. Why shouldn’t we be angry with them? Why shouldn’t we hold a grudge against them? They did the wrong!
The Lord asks that we forgive one another. We see in Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” If we are asking for the Lord’s love and forgiveness, then we have to let go of the resentment towards others.
However the evil one doesn’t want us to let go of the grudges. It’s not just to make our lives miserable, but because it has a far more devastating effect on our souls. Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Again we see this same warning repeated in Matthew 18 with the wicked servant who sought forgiveness of a great debt, but chose not to forgive another who owed a much smaller debt to him.
Let us not give Satan the opportunity to mock us in the judgment day for being unforgiving and resentful. Let us turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:38) and learn to love our enemies. Let us seek to forgive them in our hearts and show the love of Christ to them so that others will know we are His disciples.
John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”