When People Treat Us Wrong Do We Treat Them Accordingly—R Fritz
I have seen over the years where people start to treat me wrong, but I do not say anything to these people. It starts to be a habit as I notice more of the same behavior with nothing changing. I also know that after a while we tend to treat them a little differently and they will notice. If we do not pray for these people, we will treat them slowly worse. It has happened to me. Our prayers need to keep going out for God to change this situation. Matthew 5:44 says with Jesus’ speaking “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;” Although these people are not our enemy, they do not know God and do not necessarily know God’s rules or follow his commandments. We have a fleshly battle until we are reminded this is a spiritual battle. It is a fleshly battle because it is personal for us. Many times, I have learned fleshly battles are lost until we bring the battle into the spirit.
In my case, I saw the battle in the spirit before I met the people I was going to see. What I saw was conflict, arguing and was not going to let that happen. What I saw I believed was the prayer I had asked for but not how I wanted it to happen. That is our problem, we want our prayer done the easy way with no conflict our way. Of course, I want the same thing except I know God does things his way however he wants because he knows the outcome and what it will take so all participants learn and understand we need to ask God. Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” When I see things happening for my prayers, I wait to see how God has prepared what is about to happen because my words will be spoken how the Holy Spirit wants them. We learn to let God be God and follow his lead. The conflict I had seen in the spirit came out and I could not stop it. It was the Holy Spirit that dealt with the conflict, and I just wait for the results. That is the reason I tell people that many believe God has not answered their prayers. The answer is he answers them, but we do not notice because the answer does not come the way we expected. My experience lets me see what is happening plus my spirit sees what is coming. We try to figure out God by our wisdom, not going to happen.
Forgiveness is the product of love because it comes from God who is love and he forgives us when we sin when we ask for forgiveness. Our flesh and our feelings are offended by their words or deeds and these people are not guided by the Holy Spirit they would see what they are doing or saying or maybe do not care. It gets back to us being in the flesh and when we are not treated right and most of the time those who do things against us do not know they have done something wrong. So, these same people keep doing the same or similar things. Sometimes we are supposed to say something to these people that depends on the Holy Spirit giving us the words to speak for these people to understand but whatever we do it needs to come from the Holy Spirit. When we take issues into our hands God will not get involved and we get whatever we get. That probably will not be the best result for us.
Jesus gave us a rule on forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-22 says with Jesus speaking Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Our expectation should be forgiving always. We need to let God deal with the sin. We need to forgive what has been done against us or God will not forgive us. We forget we have treated God badly in several ways before we knew him where we repented for our sins, and we were forgiven.
Jesus showed us he forgives us so we must forgive others and the reason he forgives is because he loves us, that is why he never gives up on us. It is the love that was given to us through the Holy Spirit that moves us to forget what other people have done to us. God’s love is powerful, that is what changes our hearts. I hear people tell me I can forgive but I cannot forget. That statement tells me about their heart by making that statement. Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour (outrage), and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” When God forgives us, it is forgotten automatically, it is not brought up again. When I have an issue with somebody my prayer or my conversation with the Holy Spirit is to help deal with the person and to change my heart. We cannot forget because this person hurt our feelings, I have been there, so I get it. The truth is we are not going to forget because Satan using our feelings will not let us forget so not forgetting what somebody has done is not forgiving, they are tied together. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to forget because we see things in a different light, we need to choose those to whom we are listening.
People are going to treat us badly; we need to choose to forgive and forget even if takes time. That is what is expected of us from God. Forgiveness is a choice it requires us to partner with the Holy Spirit to change our hearts. Choose love. God Bless.
