And he (God) said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance,

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

God came to Abram and told him what would happen in the future to his people. At the time, Abram didn’t even have a son of his own to be an heir, and certainly didn’t have as many descendants as there were stars in the sky.

This happened several hundred years before the Israelites were even a nation of people. God wanted to show Abram what would happen to this chosen people who would come through him.

The thing that is very interesting about these verses is the last, verse 16. God specifically told Abram that the Amorites would be allowed to stay in the land until their iniquity had been fulfilled, or completed.

God already knew their heart and knew they would not change, but He still had a set time before He would pronounce judgment upon them. What a merciful God we have!

They were a heathen nation who worshiped all different kinds of idols, and probably never even recognized the One True God at all. Yet God gave them much more mercy than they ever could have deserved.

Many times it looks like evil people get away with things indefinitely, but God always has a timetable for everything. When the right time has come, the evil will be judged and God’s justice will prevail. This is why you can forgive the person and get on with your life.

They will be judged at some point because God said so. You can let it go and concentrate on constructive things instead of dwelling on revenge. If you make yourself do this, you will have a much more peaceful and joyful life.

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - Practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

Related posts:

1. Will you give all your burdens to God?
2. Are You Really Able to Give God Your Burdens?
3. Give God All Your Problems!

Most of the action movies of today are based around a plot of revenge. One person does something horrible to another, and the rest of the movie is spent plotting how to make them pay for what they have done. We see so much of this in everyday life that most people think revenge is the correct response when they have been wrongly treated.

This thinking is totally opposite of how the Bible tells the Christian to handle a wrongdoing.

Romans 12: 17-21

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

The only way you can follow this teaching is to surrender yourself to God. You must find out about His Character before you can maintain the high ground when you are under fire.

God is concerned about you always having His Very Best in whatever you do. He wants you to let him take care of any revenge that is necessary. He knows that if you take it upon yourself, it will devour you.

I know I have spent hours and even days sometimes fuming over something another person has said about or physically done to me. I got so consumed with it that I could not think of anything else for a time. I have found that the longer you let that attitude go, the harder it is to get back to where God wants you to be. Satan is always happy to feed your mind night and day with a continuous loop of thoughts about how badly you have been treated.

When you continue for weeks and months in this way, you totally lose your peace and joy. Life is no longer good because you start to look at everything in a negative, critical way. When criticism happens in your life, make the choice immediately that you won’t sling mud back at the person who slung it at you.

Give the situation to God, and do not let yourself take it back. Keep your mind, thoughts, and actions pure and holy. If you truly desire with all your heart to do this, you will be amazed at how God will work things out on your part. You cannot change the other person, but you can surely change how you respond to anything that is thrown at you.

This does not always mean that you can never stand up for yourself to the other person. It just means that you refuse to let your flesh take control and bring yourself down to their level.

Sometimes God will open the door for you to respond, and sometimes He won’t. Whichever way He chooses to do things, you know that you have given Him complete control of the situation as far as you are concerned.  Your heart is clean, and now you can go forward with God no matter what happens with the other person.

Make the choice to respond the biblical way. You will live a longer, healthier, and more peaceful life!

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living – For the person who wants to know how to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

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