Why Haters Hate
Why Haters Hate
by Creflo Dollar
Have you ever known someone who seemed to hate you for no viable reason? I have discovered that often people hate others and they are not even fully aware of why they feel the way they do. Through study of God's Word, however, we can locate the answer to the question: ‚¬"Why do haters hate?‚¬ When the blessing is operating on your life, and others can see that blessing, it often results in a spirit of envy, which provokes hatred. Envy is a tactic of the enemy that is specifically designed to steal, kill, and destroy. As Believers, we must guard against this demonic spirit and refuse to give it place in our lives.
To understand how envy can be provoked in a person, let's look at Genesis 26:3-6. In this passage we see a man, Isaac, receiving God's blessing, which is an empowerment to prosper. It says:
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto they seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto they seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Isaac was blessed because of his father's blessing, which came as a result of Abraham's obedience to God. The blessing on Isaac's life resulted in him having great material wealth, which could be seen by his enemies, causing them to envy him (vv. 13-14). The envy they felt moved them to try to stop Isaac's blessing by filling his wells with dirt! (vv. 15)
Envy is a fear-based emotion that is demonic in nature. When people have an envious spirit, it will move them to go to any means necessary to stop the object of their envy from being successful or obtaining any more than they already have.
Envy is what moved the religious leaders of Jesus' time to deliver Him up to be killed (Matthew 27:18), and it also drove Saul to try to kill David (1 Samuel 18:5-29). When envy is present, the spirit of murder is following right behind.
The Apostle Paul also had to deal with envious leaders who were angry about the success of his ministry and the fact that people from all over the city came to hear him preach the Word of God. ‚¬"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming‚¬ (Acts 13:45).
The Bible is very clear about how Christians are to deal with envy‚¬€we are not to operate in it at all. It is a work of the flesh that blocks our blessings and opens the door to a host of demonic activity in our lives. First Peter 2:1 says we should, ‚¬"lay aside‚¬ malice, envy, jealousy, slander, and evil speaking. Envy, when allowed to go unchecked, will absolutely destroy our lives. Galatians 5:19-21 lists it as one of the works of the flesh that will prevent you from inheriting the kingdom of God.
The primary way to guard against envy is to purpose in your heart not to ever compare yourself to anyone else. Comparison opens the door to a spirit of envy. Also, we must recognize it as a work of the flesh and immediately deal with it when we feel envy trying to creep into our hearts toward someone. Walking in the love of God and purposing to develop the fruit of the Spirit are also vital. When you feel the enemy trying to attack you with a spirit of envy, immediately rebuke it and refuse to yield to it. And, if someone is envious of you, keep in mind that the blessing in your life is what the enemy is attacking, not you as a person.
God has given us every tool we need to be victorious over the enemy. We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit helping us every step of the way. Though the weapon of envy may form against us, it will not prosper when we continue to walk in love and refuse to compare ourselves to others. Haters may hate, but when God's blessing is in operation, success is an inevitable result.
by Creflo Dollar
Have you ever known someone who seemed to hate you for no viable reason? I have discovered that often people hate others and they are not even fully aware of why they feel the way they do. Through study of God's Word, however, we can locate the answer to the question: ‚¬"Why do haters hate?‚¬ When the blessing is operating on your life, and others can see that blessing, it often results in a spirit of envy, which provokes hatred. Envy is a tactic of the enemy that is specifically designed to steal, kill, and destroy. As Believers, we must guard against this demonic spirit and refuse to give it place in our lives.
To understand how envy can be provoked in a person, let's look at Genesis 26:3-6. In this passage we see a man, Isaac, receiving God's blessing, which is an empowerment to prosper. It says:
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto they seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto they seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Isaac was blessed because of his father's blessing, which came as a result of Abraham's obedience to God. The blessing on Isaac's life resulted in him having great material wealth, which could be seen by his enemies, causing them to envy him (vv. 13-14). The envy they felt moved them to try to stop Isaac's blessing by filling his wells with dirt! (vv. 15)
Envy is a fear-based emotion that is demonic in nature. When people have an envious spirit, it will move them to go to any means necessary to stop the object of their envy from being successful or obtaining any more than they already have.
Envy is what moved the religious leaders of Jesus' time to deliver Him up to be killed (Matthew 27:18), and it also drove Saul to try to kill David (1 Samuel 18:5-29). When envy is present, the spirit of murder is following right behind.
The Apostle Paul also had to deal with envious leaders who were angry about the success of his ministry and the fact that people from all over the city came to hear him preach the Word of God. ‚¬"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming‚¬ (Acts 13:45).
The Bible is very clear about how Christians are to deal with envy‚¬€we are not to operate in it at all. It is a work of the flesh that blocks our blessings and opens the door to a host of demonic activity in our lives. First Peter 2:1 says we should, ‚¬"lay aside‚¬ malice, envy, jealousy, slander, and evil speaking. Envy, when allowed to go unchecked, will absolutely destroy our lives. Galatians 5:19-21 lists it as one of the works of the flesh that will prevent you from inheriting the kingdom of God.
The primary way to guard against envy is to purpose in your heart not to ever compare yourself to anyone else. Comparison opens the door to a spirit of envy. Also, we must recognize it as a work of the flesh and immediately deal with it when we feel envy trying to creep into our hearts toward someone. Walking in the love of God and purposing to develop the fruit of the Spirit are also vital. When you feel the enemy trying to attack you with a spirit of envy, immediately rebuke it and refuse to yield to it. And, if someone is envious of you, keep in mind that the blessing in your life is what the enemy is attacking, not you as a person.
God has given us every tool we need to be victorious over the enemy. We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit helping us every step of the way. Though the weapon of envy may form against us, it will not prosper when we continue to walk in love and refuse to compare ourselves to others. Haters may hate, but when God's blessing is in operation, success is an inevitable result.
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