The Transformation of Hate

"Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God."

(3 John 1:11)

This is a strange verse! While John refers to a person who does good, he says "is of God". But when he refers to a person who does evil, he does not say he is not from God. He changes the playing field and says - "has not seen God". He does not say they are fundamentally not of God, which would sound like a permanent, unchangeable caste. Instead, he diagnoses them as spiritually blind, implying a temporary state. 

However, when we encounter destructive behavior—whether in someone else or deep within our own habits—our instinct is often to label it as permanent. We look at pride, hostility, or selfishness and assume, that person is just broken beyond repair.

Yet the Apostle John deliberately chooses his words with breathtaking grace. In the original Greek, when writing about the one who does evil, John notes that they "has not seen God" ($οὐχ\ ἑώρακεν$) using the perfect tense. 

The Diagnosis of Blindness

Spiritual blindness explains destructive behavior without excusing it. Someone acting out of ambition or malice is walking in the dark; they simply cannot see the truth of who God is. But blindness is a condition that can be cured. By framing evil as a lack of vision rather than an irreversible state of being, John leaves the future open. Diagnosis is not a final sentence; it is an invitation to healing.

God Made Visible

How does a spiritually blind person receive sight? Because God is an invisible spirit, people frequently encounter and "see" God's character through the visible lives of believers who reflect Him.

John illustrates this in his letter by contrasting two men:

Diotrephes, who acts out of pride and division, offering a distorted mirror of faith.

Demetrius, who embodies goodness and carries a testimony rooted in truth.

When someone practicing evil encounters a person living a genuinely self-giving, godly life, the invisible character of God becomes tangible. As 1 John 4:12 reminds us, "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us." Our moral witness serves as an eye-opener. Unmerited grace and quiet righteousness break through a blind person's categories, casting light into darkness and offering a compelling glimpse of the Father.

Who are such people? Here are some we can use as role models: 

A. Dr Stanley Jones. E. Stanley Jones (1884–1973) was a master of breaking down ideological, religious, and political hostility without resorting to defensive arguments or aggressive confrontation. Rather than attempting to debate people out of spiritual darkness or moral opposition, he used relational and experiential approaches to make the light of God visible to them. In early 20th-century India, traditional missionary work often relied on public debates, lectures, or top-down monologues aimed at refuting other worldviews. Recognizing that intellectual debate usually hardens opposition and creates defensiveness, Jones pioneered Round Table Conferences.

The Rule of Engagement: He invited Christians, Hindus, Muslims, secular intellectuals, agnostics, and critics to sit together as equals. The single rule was that participants could not debate theology, criticize other doctrines, or trade theoretical arguments. Instead, everyone had to answer one question: What has your faith (or worldview) actually done for your personal life in practice?

The Result: By stripping away defensiveness, participants shared their real struggles, heartaches, and spiritual limits. In this humble atmosphere, Jones didn't force a doctrine; he simply shared the living presence and reality of Jesus in his own life. The sheer transparency broke open closed minds, allowing skeptics and opponents to "see" the reality of God through lived experience rather than argument.

E. Stanley Jones brought light to people in darkness not by attacking their darkness, but by exhibiting a superior alternative. Through respectful listening, disarming vulnerability, practical civil action, and disarming dialogue, he made the character of God visible to those who had never seen it before.

Angela King and the Founders of "Life After Hate"

Angela King was a prominent leader in the American white power skinhead movement during the 1990s, filled with rage and hostility toward minority groups. In 1998, she was arrested and sentenced to prison for an armed robbery of an adult video store.

While in federal prison, King expected the non-white inmates to attack her. Instead, a group of Black women disarmed her by treating her with warmth, sharing food, and extending genuine human compassion. They held her accountable for her hate, but refused to treat her as an enemy.

This experience shattered her worldview. Upon release, King co-founded Life After Hate in 2011 alongside other former extremists (including Arno Michaelis and Sammy Rangel). The organization uses non-judgmental empathy, peer support, and compassion to help individuals exit violent far-right and neo-Nazi hate groups.

In each of these modern cases, the pattern mirrors the principle of 3 John 1:11:

• Hostility and evil grow in environments of isolation, dehumanization, and blindness.

• Transformation occurs when someone steps into that darkness bearing light—refusing to reduce an enemy to their worst actions, offering unmerited grace, and giving them the space to "see" a better way to live.

These two are of many examples and stories.

Lets pause and reflect here: 

Are there difficult people in your life whom you have written off as permanent "evildoers"? How might shifting your perspective from permanent condemnation to temporary spiritual blindness change the way you pray for them?

Arrow Prayer

Lord, heal our spiritual blindness and teach us to walk in Your light. Where we encounter darkness in others, help us to be steady mirrors of Your love, grace, and truth, that they might truly see You and be transformed. Amen.

Healed. With Scars

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted..."

Isaiah 61:1

How do you keep praying when you don’t see God’s healing? Or when the healing came but the mark stayed and you don’t know what to do with a God who heals you and leaves the reminder. Why?

It is unsettling to walk through life carrying the physical, emotional, or spiritual reminders of a place that nearly broke you. We often ask God why He healed us only to leave the scar behind. We wonder what to do with a God who delivers us, yet leaves us with a permanent reminder of the pain.

The Hebrew Promise of "Chavash"

In Isaiah 61:1, the prophet announces the Messiah's mission: "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted."

In original Hebrew, the word used for "bind up" is chavash (חָבַשׁ). It literally means to wrap, bandage, or hold tightly together. It is the physical action of a compassionate caregiver wrapping strips of cloth around torn skin to stabilize it, protect it, and keep it from falling apart.

Scripture never promises that the wound will leave no trace. It does not say God will erase the history of what happened, nor does it guarantee you will walk away completely unscarred.

What chavash promises is this: God Himself becomes the One holding you together while you heal.

He wrapped the bandage: The healing didn't happen by your own strength or sheer willpower; it happened because His hands were tightly holding the shattered pieces (shavar) of your heart until they reconnected.

He marked your survival: A scar is not proof that God failed to complete the job; it is evidence that the wound did not defeat you.

Even Jesus, after His resurrection, kept His marks. When He appeared to the disciples, He did not present an untouched, unblemished body. He presented His hands and His side. His scars were not evidence of defeat—they were the very proof of His victory, His love, and His authority over death.

What to Do with the Reminders

If you are carrying a mark—a memory, a scar, or an enduring limitation from a past battle—it can serve three sacred purposes:

Every time your eyes fall on the mark, let it remind you not of the trauma, but of the bandage. It is proof that when you were at your breaking point, God’s hands wrapped around you and held you intact.

A Shift from Expectation to Presence: Praying through long seasons of silence requires shifting your focus from what you want God to do, to Who God is to you while you wait. He is not a distant doctor issuing quick fixes; He is the tender Shepherd sitting in the ashes with you, wrapping your wounds.

A Ministry of Comfort: Your scar gives you a credibility that unblemished comfort never could. When you sit next to someone who is currently bleeding, your mark speaks without words: "I was broken here, too. God held me together, and He will hold you, too."

Reflections for the Journey

Where You Are	What We Expect	What Chavash Promises
In the Waiting	Instant removal of the pain	God actively wrapping and protecting your shattered heart right now.
In the Aftermath	Complete erasure of the history	A scar that stands as proof of life, survival, and divine grace.
In Prayer	An answer dictated by our terms	A God who stays close, holding you together when you feel like falling apart.

A Prayer for the Wounded and Healing

Lord God, We confess that we often want You to erase our stories rather than redeem them. We ask for quick relief, and when the mark stays behind, we wonder why You left us with the reminder.

Thank You for being the God who binds us up (chavash). Thank You that when our hearts were broken in pieces, Your hands were the ones holding us together. Give us the faith to keep praying when we cannot see the resolution, and give us the courage to wear our scars as testimonies of Your sustaining grace.

When we look at our marks, let us see not the pain that caused them, but the hands of Jesus that brought us through.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

How Not to Be Stupid!

Today's interesting post is taken from the Blog Life, Hope and Truth by Tom Clark. It addresses a very common problem we have - taking correction, accepting it and implementing it. Problem is - most of us are averse to it , which is stupid. My thoughts are simple: If we don't know how to stand corrected and do a course correction in our life, how can we claim to learn from Jesus? And therefore, how can we even claim to be Christians? 

Tom Clarks words ring true for every one of us so here it is: How do we course correct the Christian way: 

"We can all think back to when we were children and were corrected by our parents—and it was never enjoyable! No matter how gentle, loving and even merciful they may have been, it still stung to be corrected.

Does it get any easier to accept correction as an adult? If you can honestly answer “yes” to that question, then you are a rare individual!

Most people still find it quite distasteful to be corrected, and yet virtually everyone is corrected in one way or another throughout life. Perhaps correction comes through the words or example of a spouse, a neighbor, a boss or supervisor, a coworker, or a brother or sister in the faith. Not all of these times are deliberate, and sometimes the person giving the correction doesn’t even know he or she is doing so. But when it hits us, it stings.

At that point, we have a decision to make.

Hebrews 12:11 tells us, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

It stings to be corrected, but if we respond well, it will lead to good and positive results.

So, how do we respond to correction? William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary brings out several possible reactions to correction, and I believe his thoughts bear consideration. I want to share his categories along with my own thoughts too.

When corrected we may . . .

Resignedly accept it. This is the stoic “stiff upper lip” type of response. No rebellious action is taken, but neither is it accepted with an open heart. The correction is seen as coming from a person in a position of power, and there is no choice but to assume a kind of defeated acceptance. Very little can be truly learned this way, and there is little if any growth.

Accept it with a grim sense of just getting it over as quickly as possible. I can’t tell you how many times I saw this reaction in my children as they were growing up. They weren’t interested in learning so much as just being done with the punishment. With this approach, there is never any gratitude for pointing out something wrong or potentially harmful, only some resentment combined perhaps with embarrassment. The result is a conspicuous lack of learning anything from the correction!

Accept it with an attitude of self-pity. I would refer to this as the Eeyore approach to life. You may remember that ever-discouraged donkey in the Winnie the Pooh stories. No matter what happened to him, it was always tragic. When another character greeted him with a cheerful “Good morning!” he would respond, “If it is a good morning, which I doubt.”

With this kind of approach to correction, all we can see is ourselves, our hurt and how we are just being beaten on again. As with the first two reactions, there is no positive growth, or even a mindset that allows for seeing the positive or the potential for learning and growth.

View correction as a punishment that is greatly resented. The basic question seems to be, “What did I ever do to deserve this?” Often this approach generates open anger and opposition to the correction. It views the correction as unjust or over-the-top or even just plain mean and vengeful. It is very difficult for a mind with this attitude to ever ask, “What does God want me to learn from this?”

Each of these four responses easily comes from a carnal and selfish mind. And none of them will bring about the results that are intended by the correction, nor will they bring peace of mind and happiness to us.

But there is another and much better option available:

To accept the correction as ultimately coming from a loving Father who only wants the best for us. To do this will require seeing God’s detailed involvement in our lives and having a living faith that He always has our best interests in mind. Even if someone spews angry emotional vomit all over us—95 percent of which isn’t even true—chances are there is a point or a lesson we can learn from the whole thing. This approach gives us the ability to see that everything can be used to make us a better and wiser son or daughter of God.

So, how do we respond to correction? It’s something to think about".

For a short study on this from the book of Proverbs, see “Taking Correction, or How Not to Be Stupid.”

The Hedge Of Protection

Expanding further on the concept of a trouble filled world and Gods hedge of protection,

A core tension in Christian faith is acknowledging a fallen, broken world while still believing in a God who is both powerful and loving. That is quite a dichotomy.

​The answer lies in understanding the difference between God guaranteeing a trouble-free life and Him providing a hedge of protection within a troubled world.

​Praying for a "hedge of protection" is a powerful act of faith that is rooted in several key theological concepts:

​1. Acknowledging God's Sovereignty and Power

​The phrase "hedge of protection" comes directly from the book of Job. In Job 1:10, Satan complains to God about Job, saying, "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?"

​This passage teaches us that God's protection is not a passive force; it is an active, deliberate, and sovereign act. When we pray for a hedge of protection, we are not demanding that God act on our behalf. Instead, we are acknowledging that He alone has the power to place a barrier between us and the forces of evil and harm. It is an act of submission and dependence, a recognition that our safety ultimately rests in His hands.

​2. Acknowledging the Reality of Spiritual Warfare

​The Bible teaches that there is a real, unseen spiritual battle taking place. The "disaster and death" that came into the world through Adam's sin are not just random events; they are often the result of spiritual forces of evil seeking to harm humanity and thwart God's purposes.

​Praying for a hedge of protection is a recognition of this reality. It is a specific prayer for divine intervention against spiritual attacks, temptations, and the schemes of the enemy. It's an appeal for God to restrain the influence of evil in our lives, our families, and our communities.

​3. God's Promise to Intervene and Provide in the Midst of Trouble

​While God does not promise to remove all suffering from our lives, He does promise to be with us, strengthen us, and often intervene on our behalf. The prayer for a hedge of protection is a way of appealing to this aspect of God's character. It is a prayer for:

• ​Physical Safety: Averting accidents, protecting us from violence, and providing healing.

• ​Emotional and Mental Health: Guarding our minds and hearts from despair, anxiety, and fear.

• ​Spiritual Protection: Shielding us from temptations and attacks on our faith.

​In this way, the prayer is not an escape from reality, but an act of hope within it. It's a statement that while the world is broken, God is still a loving Father who actively cares for His children and is willing to intervene in their lives.

​Summary:

​The prayer for a "hedge of protection" is not a contradiction of the reality of a fallen world. Rather, it is an essential part of living in it. It acknowledges that the world is dangerous due to sin but affirms that God is greater than the danger. It is a prayer that seeks God's active intervention and provision in a world where trouble is inevitable, trusting that His presence and power can and will shield us from harm according to His sovereign will.

A Broken Life

                                          

Many people, including Christians, often ask - "when God loves us why does He allow bad things to happen to us? Why is there so much suffering, death and disaster in the world, affecting mostly everyone?"

The answer lies in the fall of Adam and Eve, a fact we gloss over as a story in Sunday school but is in fact the very foundation of our lives today. It highlights the seriousness of thier act of disobedience and rebellion. It all comes down to choices - what we choose to do as opposed to what God would like us to do.

Christianity teaches that God created humanity with free will—the genuine ability to choose between good and evil. This freedom is considered a necessary component for true love and a meaningful relationship with God. However, with the gift of free will comes the possibility of choosing sin, which introduced evil, pain, and suffering into the world. How?

Human Choice: Many theologians argue that a significant portion of the suffering in the world is a direct result of human choices, both on an individual and a collective level. God could intervene to prevent every instance of harm, but doing so would essentially negate free will and turn humanity into robots, incapable of genuine love, morality, or relationship with Him.

The biblical story of the Fall in Genesis describes how humanity's first choice to disobey God brought about a brokenness that affects all of creation. This is the origin of a world we made - where natural disasters, disease, and other forms of suffering are present, not because God wills them, but because of the consequences of that one act of rebellion.

God did not remove His hedge of perfect protection: we chose to walk out of it. Reason: curiosity, ambition, selfishness, greed,

So now we have to prove ourselves

As a consequence of Adam's disobedience, God "cursed" the ground (Genesis 3:17). This is a metaphorical way of saying that the world was no longer in its pristine, perfect state. It became subject to futility, decay, and disorder.

​Think of Adam as the CEO of a company. When he makes a disastrous decision (his act of disobedience), the entire company (the human race) suffers the consequences. The company's future is ruined, and the effects of that decision (like bankruptcy) affect every employee, even if they had no say in the choice. In this analogy, the "bankruptcy" is the reality of spiritual death, physical decay, and suffering that now defines the human experience.

​In summary, Adam's act of disobedience brought disaster and death into the world not as a simple, individual punishment, but as a fundamental, corporate change in the state of humanity and the world itself. His one choice corrupted the nature of all people and the world they inhabit, making all of us vulnerable to sin, suffering, and death

Then why do we pray for His hedge of protection?

The answer lies in understanding the difference between God guaranteeing a trouble-free life and Him providing a hedge of protection within a troubled world.

Word Power

Words hold immense power. They can build up or tear down, comfort or hurt, heal or harm. In Mark 11:21, we see the power of Jesus's words when He cursed the fig tree and it withered away.

Similarly in our daily lives, the words we speak to ourselves and others hold the power to shape our reality. We must be mindful of the words we use and the impact they have on others.

Its easy to cover our "rude" words by terms like, "I call a spade a spade" or "I say it like it is"; by all means speak the truth but the truth can also be spoken gently, mindfully, empathetically. Its also easy to get caught up in negative self talk or gossip about others, but this brings only negativity into our lives. Instead, let us choose to speak words of encouragement, love and positivity. For example, instead of saying - "Don't lie" to someone, we can say - "it may be better to tell the truth". Small change, same meaning but positive words. Let us lift others up and bring encouragement into their lives.

We must also be mindful of the words we speak to ourselves as well. we often hold ourselves back with negative self talk, or be overly critical of ourselves. But we must remember we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Let us speak words of affirmation and believe in our ability to overcome and accomplish great things through Him who gives us strength. Try and see us and others as God sees us and speak words of affirmation over our lives.

(Based on a KJV Devotional)

Changing Reality: Power Prayers

Prayer is more than just words—it’s a spiritual invitation for heaven to intervene in earthly circumstances. Here's a deeper look at what it means:

✨ What Is Power Prayer?

• Divine Intervention: It’s when you call on God’s unlimited resources to act in your situation—whether for healing, guidance, protection, or transformation.
• Spiritual Authority: You’re not just asking; you’re declaring, binding, and loosing as Jesus taught in Matthew 18:18–20. It’s prayer with conviction and alignment to God’s will.
• Faith-Fueled Action: Power prayer is rooted in faith, not self-reliance. It acknowledges that only God can truly change hearts, circumstances, and outcomes2.

🔥 Why Is It So Powerful?

• It Connects You to God’s Power: The power isn’t in the prayer itself—it’s in the God who hears and responds.
• It Transforms the Pray-er: Who you become is shaped by how you pray. It’s a refining process that aligns your heart with God’s.
• It Impacts the World: From calming storms (Psalm 107) to healing the sick and raising the dead (Acts 4), Scripture is full of examples where prayer changed reality.

Priscilla Shirer calls prayer “kryptonite to the enemy,” and Mark Batterson says, “Prayers are prophecies.” That’s the kind of bold, expectant posture power prayer invites.

Here is an example of a Power Prayer for healing- 

Almighty God, Jehovah Rapha—my Healer and Restorer—

I come before You not in weakness, but in the authority of Christ, who bore my sickness and carried my pain. By His stripes, I declare healing over every cell, every organ, every thought, and every emotion. Let Your resurrection power flow through me now.

I renounce every lie of the enemy that says I must remain broken. I reject fear, anxiety, and infirmity. I declare that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and it shall function in divine order.

Let healing rise like the sun—swift, complete, and undeniable. Restore what was lost. Renew what was worn. Revive what was dormant. I speak life to dry bones, strength to weary limbs, and peace to troubled thoughts.

I thank You, Lord, that healing is not just possible—it is promised. I receive it by faith, and I walk in it by grace. Let this testimony bring glory to Your name and hope to others.

In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray—Amen.

🙏 Verses on Power Prayer

• Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” → Faith is the fuel of power prayer.

• John 14:13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” → Prayer glorifies God when aligned with Christ.

• Luke 18:1 “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” → Persistence in prayer is a mark of spiritual strength.

• Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” → God draws near to sincere hearts in prayer.

• John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” → Abiding in God empowers our prayers.

• James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up…” → Prayer can bring healing and restoration.

• Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” → Prayer sustains us through every season.