There are three areas of sin that are prevalent in today's culture—anger, hatred and lust. According to Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship, Christians should know how to deal with these three things the right way.
"Anger and hatred are murder in the heart. Lust is adultery in the heart," he writes in an article for WND.
Laurie says there is always the proper time and place for anger. Jesus never said that Christians should not be angry, but they should be careful not to be consumed by anger, he says.
"Many people, in the depths of their hearts, have anger and hatred to such a degree that their true desire is for the hated person to be dead," says Laurie. "The word hate means to habitually despise. It isn't just a transient emotion; it's a deep-rooted loathing."
When anger turns to hate, things get dangerous because the Bible verse 1 John 3:15 says that "whoever hates his brother is a murderer."
Laurie then urges people to reflect on their anger, because most of the time, anger is rooted in envy. "It isn't that someone has done something against you personally; it's simply the fact they have been successful, and you're envious," he says.
When people don't rein in their envy, Laurie warns that it develops into something worse. Meanwhile, anger can also be the result of other people's offences.
"We have all been wronged in life. Most of us have been slandered, mistreated, ripped off and taken advantage of. Jesus isn't saying we should be the doormat for the rest of the planet. But instead of striking out at those who have wronged us, we are to love them in a positive way," says Laurie.
According to him, Jesus best exemplified this when Judas betrayed Him. Even though he knew one of His disciples was going to facilitate his arrest, Jesus still forgave Judas. Jesus even said in Luke 23:34: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
"Jesus died on that cross because we need forgiveness. And we should extend that forgiveness to others. Forgiven people should be forgiving people," says Laurie.
