Violence is everywhere. The act of picking up a gun and taking another person’s life has become all too common in our society. In the past month we have seen the news consumed with the coverage of a man’s trial over the violent killing of his own family members. This was quickly followed up with another school shooting incident that occurred. Our government would have you believe that solving the violence problem will require removing guns from the hands of the people. The real solution is not to regulate what these killers hold in their hands, but rather what they hold in their hearts.

The violence problem has been around long before guns and bullets. The first act of violence is found in the early chapters of Genesis when Cain killed Abel because of jealousy. (BTW – contrary to some popularized memes floating around the internet, the Bible does not tell us that Cain used a rock to kill Abel). All we know is that when jealousy took over in his heart, it swelled up in a violent anger and Cain committed the first murder because of it. He could have hit Abel with a rock, his fists, or a club. He could have run him through with a spear, pushed him off a cliff, or caused him to fall into a trap. I’m sure that if Cain had a gun, he would have used it. Once the rage in his heart against Abel had boiled hot enough, the method used to commit the murder was not important. Anything that could get the job done would be sufficient to satisfy the evil plans already laid in his heart.

The violence problem still has the same root as it did at the beginning. When the evil plans are laid in our hearts, the method will become secondary. We must address the heart to deal with the violence problem. There are a variety of triggers in life that can swell up in our hearts to produce violence. Two key ones are vengeance and envy.

Vengeance often begins in our heart when we feel that justice has not been served. Someone either causes you harm or you see some innocent person being abused in some way. When there seems to be no restitution offered, no apology, or no jail time for the offender you feel (sometimes rightfully) that this isn’t fair. How are we to handle our heart when vengeance wants to control it? Look to Romans 12:19 which tells us, “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Handling vengeance is a question of trust. You may not trust those in authority to make things right, but do you trust God? He tells us that He wants to be the one to make justice happen. Acts of violence erupting from vengeance come from a distrust in God’s promise to repay.

Envy is related to vengeance as it is often rooted in a perception of inequity. Cain was envious of the favor that God showed to Abel. We can envy the material possessions of others, their talents, or their accolades and accomplishments. Envy often enters into the equation with relationships where the envy of someone’s affection can cause evil thoughts to boil inside of us. Paul told Titus that “we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3). What was the cure offered to Titus for envy? Dwelling on the immense, undeserved, and limitless love and mercy given to us from God through Jesus Christ. “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:4-5)

Violence has been around since sin entered the world. It will be around until Christ returns and sets all things right again. It will always be tragic, senseless, and unnecessary. But it will not be solved by dealing with what people are holding in their hands when that violence is committed. It can only be solved by fixing what is in our heart. Our heart “is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). You need a heart that has been changed by faith in Jesus Christ and is born again. You need a heart that is being indwelled by the Holy Spirit and controlled by Him. You need a heart that is being filled regularly with prayer and the Word of God. Only then will you be able to counter the violence when it tries to rear its head and cause rage inside of you.