Scripture

Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Consider

To get rid of all evil behavior, as Paul suggests, we must not only mend our behavior toward others but also block the evil done to us. If we allow those evil acts to penetrate our minds and hearts, they can take up residence and generate further evil within us—resentment, rage, thirst for revenge—as they monopolize our thoughts and block God’s good work in us.

Whenever we allow ourselves to ruminate on another person’s hurtful behavior—the angry words, the stinging criticisms—we reintroduce the sickness and pain of the original offense and delay our recovery. In a sense, we swallow another dose of the poison that keeps us ill and troubled. If we cannot shake ourselves free from these destructive ruminations, we effectively enslave ourselves to another person’s sin and become our own victims.

Evil is destructive, no matter who perpetrates it or what form it takes. Shaming words still have the power to hurt long after they are spoken. Betrayal, injustice, abuse, lies and gossip against us—the memory of these evils can cripple and torment us for decades. As long as we cling to the pain and replay the injury in our heads, we choose the role of victim instead of victor. We give the evil deed mastery over our thoughts and feelings, feeding ourselves on remembered pain. And to keep our addiction alive, we must keep reintroducing the poison into our system.

What’s the remedy? Get rid of all evil, whether it began with you or with someone else. Stop dosing yourself with another other person’s poison. Instead, choose to submit yourself to God and receive the antidote to evil that comes through faith in Christ Jesus. Release your injury to him and allow his goodness to control you. Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving, remembering the price he paid to make you whole and healthy.

You may be thinking, sounds good, but how can I do that? Paul gives further advice in Philippians 4:8-9:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

You cannot change what was done to you, but you can choose where to focus your thoughts. Choose what is worthy, what is healing, what is good and right. Dismiss the evil words you know to be lies and remind yourself what God says is true about you and the world. Ask the Spirit to help you overcome your habit of painful rumination and refocus your gaze on the God who knows your pain and longs to love and heal you.

Pray

God of Healing, I want to follow you, yet so often my thoughts fall back into pointless ruminations of wounds suffered and trust betrayed. Give me the grace I need to stay out of these pits of despair and bitterness. When evil tries to master my thoughts and feelings, help me to remember your goodness and give me the resolve I need to turn my back on evil. Thank you for the price you paid so that I can always choose to live in truth and light.

Reflect

Psalm 120:2; Proverbs 2:12-15

Ponder

What form of hurtful or offensive behavior am I most likely to take inside myself and replay? How can God armor me against this weakness?