It Starts Small

Yesterday I encountered a really tough situation. More like I witnessed a horrible situation. I was at a Subway, and this guy who had a web order was upset that several people had walked in after him. The gal working behind the counter made their sandwiches. The guy then asked about his order and why had he been sitting there 20 minutes. She tried to explain to him that her priority was to serve everyone in the order in which they came, web orders included. He would not listen. He got very verbally abusive. The gal with him, then came in and they both ganged up on her and their hate combined was just gut wrenching. Eventually they left and she proceeded to help me.

I watched her as she made the order. Her hands were shaking and her eyes had tears in them. She explained to me that it was her third day on the job. She was the only one there. The person before her did not fill up the line and she was doing what she was trained to do. As she handed me the sandwich, I grabbed her arm and told her, water down a duck’s back. That man and woman obviously hate themselves so much they are taking it out on her. She did not deserve that sort of hate and to not let it get into her heart or mind.

I jumped in my truck and as I was driving, tears welled up in my eyes. I whispered out loud the name of Jesus. I was trying to get the words of a prayer together but I could not speak them outloud. My heart broke for all three people in that situation. The man and woman obviously have darkness and hate deep within their heart. To speak and say such things, without remorse or conviction. The woman behind the counter did not deserve that sort of verbal abuse.

I have been subjected to that sort of abusive behavior. I know what the woman behind the counter was going through. She works two jobs and is just trying to keep her head above the water. When she came to work that day, she never thought some random guy and lady would do that. I can not understand that level of evil. To have no remorse, to not be accountable or truly repentant for your actions and words is a sad place in the life of a person. I finally got to a place of praying. I prayed for all three of them.

I recalled these verses:

³⁴ O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matthew 12:34

⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luke 6:45

The heart is everything! It is the spiritual base in which all our words and actions come out of. All evil thoughts, sin, and hate come from within the heart. The unwillingness to forgive and reconcile a relationship comes from within a hateful heart. Anger and spewing hateful words and doing hateful actions, comes from a hateful heart.

Evil thoughts, evil actions are not born in the mind. They are in the heart.

¹⁵ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Titus 1:15

How can we know if our hearts are pure or not?

Jeremiah tells us that the heart of an unrepentant person, is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

#1 No care of others or righteousness

⁷ Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. ⁸ The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Isaiah 59:7-8

Those that have hateful hearts do not care about others or do not seek righteousness. They give themselves over to evil and in all they do they seek to destroy for their own benefit and pleasure.

#2 Looking for the Bad

¹⁵ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Titus 1:15

Hateful hearts are always looking for the bad in everything. Because of their own misery and bitterness they look for the bad in others to justify their own hateful actions and words. They look for the bad in a situation to puff themselves up.

#3 Unrighteous Fruits

⁸ This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Matthew 15:8

Hateful hearts can attend church, profess they love God, maybe tithe or engage in bible study or with others, but Jesus says, by their fruits you will know them. They say they love God, but their words and actions give testimony to their unrighteous fruits.

#4 Impure

¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Matthew 15:19

Hateful hearts produce sin in our lives. If we ever have to ask why did I do that, this verse tells us exactly why we did that sin. Unrepentant and hateful hearts are naturally evil. Those that are determined to live for God allow the Holy Spirit to purify their hearts.

#5 Ruined Life

¹⁶ Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. Daniel 4:16

It may look like hateful hearts are living in prosperity, but Daniel gives a warning, that prosperity will run out. They not only ruin their lives, but they make sure to drag everyone in arms reach down with them.

#6 Manipulative, Deceitful, and Flattering

¹⁹ Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Psalm 50:19

Hateful hearts are experts at fooling others with deceit, manipulation, and flattering words. They are experts at slandering and getting others to believe what they speak.

#7 Live by their own rules

⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Romans 2:8

Hateful hearts do not accept feedback or take real accountability for themselves. They refuse to take responsibility for harm they cause others. They willfully cause divisions. They make up their own rules to living, and even go as far as using God’s Word to justify (Just a lie) their actions. They love to beat others with the Word of God, but love to ignore the parts that would cause self introspection. God says if they do not repent, He will reward them with punishment.

#8 Rejoice in Sin, Selfishness at the expense of Others

¹⁴ Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; ¹⁵ Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: ¹⁶ To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; ¹⁷ Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. ¹⁸ For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. Proverbs 2:14-18

A hateful heart does not struggle against sin and evil. They delight in sin and fulfilling the lust of their flesh. They do not care who they hurt because it is all about what they want. They will crush or hurt anyone they have to, to obtain their goals of selfish pursuits.

#9 No Concious, No remorse.

³⁵ They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit. Job 15:35

Hateful hearts are experts at all things that are wrong, sinful and against God’s design for our lives. They seek to create confusion and contention wherever they go. They will twist the facts, lie, or do anything necessary for the narrative to fit in their favor. They have no remorse or conscious. The only thing they care about is themselves.

I struggle with seeing the difference between people who have evil hearts, and people who mess up from time to time. My heart wants to believe that people just mess up from time to time. I have this hard time accepting evil people exist. Is that not an oxymoron statement? I just cannot imagine someone willingly, without any sort of conscious, deceiving, hurting others with no remorse, fabricating lies and deception to ruin others’ lives, or pretending to be spiritually committed with no fear of God.

How do we deal with others who have an evil heart? I do not believe we can. There is nothing we can say or do. That is the realm in which God works His miracles. I believe He gives us a specific command:

¹⁹ Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord Romans 12:19

When we encounter these sort of people we have an opportunity to pray for them. Lift them up in prayer and pray the miracle of salvation. Only Jesus can transform a heart like that.