HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF HATRED

4 | Conquer Hatred With God’s Help

Bible Teaching:

“The fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”—GALATIANS 5:22, 23.

What It Means:

Breaking the cycle of hatred is possible with God’s help. His holy spirit can produce in us qualities that we might never possess on our own. So rather than trying to overcome hatred in our own strength, we do well to rely on the help that God provides. If we do, we can have the same experience as the apostle Paul, who wrote: “For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power.” (Philippians 4:13) Indeed, we will be able to say: “My help comes from Jehovah.”—Psalm 121:2.

What You Can Do:

“Jehovah has transformed me from a violent man to a peaceable one.”—WALDO

Pray to Jehovah, sincerely asking him for his holy spirit. (Luke 11:13) Ask him to help you display godly qualities in your life. Study what the Bible says about qualities that counteract hate, such as love, peace, patience, and self-control. Look for ways to cultivate those qualities in your own life. And associate with those who likewise try to develop such qualities. Such people can help “motivate [you] to love and fine works.”—Hebrews 10:24; footnote.

Real-Life Experience—WALDO

Conquered Violent Hatred

Waldo had a rough upbringing that filled him with hatred. He relates: “I was regularly involved in street fights with drug dealers . . . On one occasion, a rival gang hired an infamous hit man to kill me, but I managed to escape with only a stab wound.”

Waldo was not happy when his wife began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He says: “I hated the Witnesses, and many times I screamed obscenities at them. But they always responded peacefully.”

Eventually, Waldo too started to study the Bible. He says: “It was not easy to apply what I was learning. I was convinced that I would never be able to control my violent temper.” But something he learned from the Bible made a big difference.

Waldo explains: “One day, my study conductor, Alejandro, asked me to read Galatians 5:22, 23. . . . Alejandro explained that my developing those qualities did not depend on my own strength but, rather, on God’s holy spirit. That truth completely changed my viewpoint!”

By relying on God’s help, Waldo has successfully broken the cycle of hatred in his life. He says: “My relatives and former friends cannot believe how much I have changed.” He adds: “Jehovah has transformed me from a violent man to a peaceable one.”