That is not a confusing statement. If you are a Christ Follower you want to BE in the Will of God. How can you know you are in the Will of God? You must DO the Will of God.

Someone comes to me angry at another someone, a flawed person coming to a flawed person about another flawed person. “That person hurt me”. My response, “Have you forgiven him?”. The reply: “I can’t forgive him. What he did was so terrible.” And so a grudge begins, and is carried in the heart becoming what the scripture calls “A root of bitterness” (Hebrews 12:15). There is no doubt that you are hurt. I understand. I have been hurt by flawed people many times, just as I have hurt others in my flawed state. Yet Jesus said taught us to pray:

Matthew 6:9-15 (KJV)   After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.   [10]   Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.   [11]   Give us this day our daily bread.   [12]   And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.   [13]   And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.   [14]   For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:   [15]   But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

You cannot be in the Will of God while carrying a grudge and an unforgiving heart. Anger is to be dealt with in one day. The Apostle Paul said “do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). It is all right to be angry, but it is not all right to let anger control you. I have seen people stomp off  – one person nearly running me over with his vehicle – over anger.

You can get angry, but don’t let anger get you!
Don’t let others get your goat or you’ll be an old goat!

Christ follower, you must forgive. Jesus said if you have issues with a brother or a sister go to them and work it out privately (see Matthew 18:15, 21-22). Forgive that person 70×7 – infinitely. All are flawed, and all fail. Forgive. Do not carry a grudge, or it will carry you. Forgive not so much for the other person’s sake, but for YOUR sake.

I used to like Wanda Sykes the Comedian, but now I cannot watch her. She got on stage the other day and began to attack the audience. She was mad – frankly, consumed by madness. Her candidate didn’t win the Presidential Election so she began to curse “angry white men” who didn’t vote for her candidate. She began to vilify and curse her enemy so much that her audience began to boo her — then she began cursing the audience. Folks, never curse your audience! The more she cursed, the more the booing, until finally she stomped off stage. I doubt she’ll be invited back. One thing I did notice is that Wanda has become what she hates. Anger has turned her into a hater and a racist. That’s what anger does – it turns you into what you hated and feared the most.

Forgive. Love. Discuss. The person you are talking to is just like you. And Beloved, you’re not always right! I talked to someone the other day who began using the “Holy Spirit” card on me. “I have the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit told me it was ok”. No, it’s not. The Holy Spirit will not deny what Christ said. The Holy Spirit will not go against the witness of the Apostles. It reminded me of a story I heard of a person being stopped by a Police Officer for speeding. The Offender said “I’m good friends with the Mayor”. The Police Officer replied, “If that’s the case have the Mayor come to court as a character witness. You were still speeding, and here’s your ticket.”

You are under Grace, Christ Follower, and are supposed to extend Grace to others just as Grace was extended to you by God. And remember what Paul told us:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

What about the people who will NOT work with you? The people you smile to your face, but when you are gone paint you like Satan. Realize in your heart that this person is actually doing the work of Satan. He is being the “Accuser Of The Brethren”. Forgive that person anyway. When near them, seek to do good to them. Jesus said, nay, DECREED:

Matthew 5:44-48 (KJV)   But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;   [45]   That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.   [46]   For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?   [47]   And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?   [48]   Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

The mark of maturity is that you love your ENEMIES. God loved us when we were enemies. We are to love Him, to love others, and even to love the haters. Love does not agree with sin, but neither does love tear down. Do good to those who hate you. Let the haters hate, but let the Redeemed Love. Amen? Amen!