Do not say, “I will pay back evil!” Wait for ADONAI [the LORD], so He may deliver you. Proverbs 20:22, TLV

Restraint is a Spiritual Muscle?   Yep. And restraint is one of the most difficult muscles to strengthen, especially restraining ourselves from taking revenge. When evil is committed against us — or worse, against those we love — it is a challenge not to take matters into our own hands.

It is in our nature to protect our own interests — self-preservation is mostly a health perspective. I mean, if a speeding car is headed our way, we’ll jump out of the way, right? Where it can go wrong is when we become judge, jury, and executioner.

GOD is very clear in Scriptures that vengeance is His (Romans 12:19). No matter the evil done against us, taking revenge is taking His authority.

Exercising restraint is trusting our Heavenly Father. As difficult as it is to hear. He loves all the parties involved — although He hates the sin. Only He can see the outcome of this evil and how it will ultimately affect His kingdom and us.

When people sin against us, it’s important to take steps for resolution and/or healing. From reporting the incident to the authorities to forgiveness, each step of faith that acknowledges GOD’s sovereignty is critical to moving forward. Just so we’re clear, there’s no step for revenge.

May we take steps of faith and not revenge, my friends.