Sunday, February 23, 2020

Spring Cleaning Our Personality - MALICE

by Angie Ouellette-Tower for https://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/ photo SundayPersonalityMalice_zpsyajxuf9i.jpg

Spring Cleaning Our Personality - MALICE

Springtime is almost here and this is the season where most people "spring clean" their homes, their yards, their offices and their diet - what about our personality?  Shouldn't this also be a time when we try to clean up our life?  If you observe Lent then maybe you do something similar but we are going to concentrate our cleaning on specific characteristics.  Over the next month or so we will be focusing on getting rid of these 5 bad personality traits:  Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy and Slander.

We begin with the definition of MALICE

Malice - the intention or desire to do evil.

Synonyms (mean the same) of MALICE - spite, animosity, hatred, venom, malevolence, hostility

by Angie Ouellette-Tower for https://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/ photo SundayPersonalityMALICE2_zpsbhgjige4.jpg

Where does malice come from?  It comes from within our heart, and our actions will show this hatred and hostility.  It starts (I believe) with our thoughts - once we allow these evil thoughts to penetrate our personality, then our actions become malicious.
The following verses show how serious allowing malice to enter our life can be - it will "defile" us.  (Defile - to make unclean or impure, to corrupt)

by Angie Ouellette-Tower for https://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/ photo SundayPersonalityMalice4_zpsxtg2w8gz.jpg

How do we get rid of malice?  By forgiving anyone and everyone, just as Christ forgave us.  It is important to note that we need to forgive even when the offending party has not asked for forgiveness.  When we are waiting for an apology or for a repentant attitude from the other person, then we will be harboring an unforgiving spirit and that will fester and grow into bitter malice.  
We can also get rid of malice by focusing on being kind and compassionate.

by Angie Ouellette-Tower for https://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/ photo SundayPersonalityMalice3_zpsufp82z5x.jpg

It is impossible to hate someone and forgive them at the same time.

by Angie Ouellette-Tower for https://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/ photo SundayMilk_zpseruy8wcs.jpg

Let's scrub away malice with kindness and compassion.

Other posts in this Spring Cleaning series:
Get Rid of All DECEIT
Get Rid of All HYPOCRISY
Get Rid of All ENVY
Get Rid of All SLANDER
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