Receiving Forgiveness: You Can Be Forgiven

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

 Psalm 103:12

God Is A Fighter, and He Will Fight For You!

Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Psalm 3:7 NKJV

Walking In Forgiveness: Part 2 of Forgiveness Series

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Colossians 3:12-13 NKJV

Dear those who do not believe in Christ (yet), this is not for you. This is for those who are struggling to forgive though they call themselves Christians. While you may be struggling, too, and I have no doubt that many of you are, but first you must seek salvation. So, thank you for the click, come back on a different day or read another of my posts. Though all are aimed at encouragement for those in Christ, you may get some things from it. Or ... or ... you can read this and store it in your memory banks for later, you know, after salvation.

There is an epidemic going on. More and more people are not walking in love or forgiveness with one another, let alone, strangers. Christ warned us this would happen. In Matthew 24:12, he stated "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." So today we have a lot of hurt and blase Christians running around because family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and churches, yes churches, have hurt them. Some have walked away never to return. Some left, but came back and are still hurting. And more are still hurt but forgave them. 

I started this blog because others have helped me down this path that I wanted to do the same. I know the difficulty it is to forgive someone firsthand. I have not gone through everything you've lost, but this is just to get you thinking. To plant a seed for God's army. I have seen the bitterness when someone cannot forgive another. 

Being unable to forgive someone changes you deeply. Bitterness latches on, and you can no longer trust a soul, not even God, despite all He's done for you. And bitterness is insidious. You never know when it will come out. The person that has hurt you falls upon some misfortune, despite knowing better, you cannot help but smile. Think of a celebrity you despise. Oh, so somebody came to mind? No, you are good. Think of a politician? Gotcha! Instead of cheering that Osama bin Laden was dead, we should have been praying for Christ to be able to get a foothold in al Qaeda. 

On one of my jobs, it was several weeks into the new year, and the office manager told me to tell the Christmas decorating committee that if they did not get rid of all the Christmas decorations that day, they would not be allowed to decorate the following year. When I passed on the information, the committee gathered around the office entrance, and instead of planning, they began to bicker. They complained that it fell to them to have to take it down, and they went on and on. I told them to stop complaining and take it down. My co-worker tried to reinforce what she was saying, but she got the hand and I told her none of that mattered, take it down. She was livid. But she kept her cool. She proceeded to ignore me for a few hours. She was covering my breaks that day. Since she was older than I, I immediately recognized that I had to ask for forgiveness. But she really could not forgive me. It took her some time, and quite frankly, I am not sure if she really did. To see that firsthand was an eye-opener.

I have had several eye opening events since then, and I totally understand the need to protect your heart, so to speak. What many don't realize it is terribly freeing when you walk in forgiveness. God will forgive us our trespasses if we forgive those who have offended us. That's in the Lord's prayer, except, you know, I paraphrased. We are to be imitators of Christ, and yet we continue to hold grudges and practice schadenfreude when those who have hurt us get hurt. We do not allow God to get vengeance on our behalf, instead we slash tires, put up billboards, and rewrite everything on their facebook profile. Or even worse, we prevent them from getting a job, despite the fact it could come back to haunt you legally. 

When I was on assignment in May, I met this co-worker who was having issues dealing with no-good so-called friends. I don't know what she had gone through, but her friends' disappearing, really hurt her, despite the fact she had a lot going on for her. There was lot I wanted to say but we were there to work, so I didn't get around to it. So, I am going to say here what I wanted to say to her.

You are unbelievably strong. You did the one thing that many don't even think to do. You turned to God. And sometimes friends turning their backs on you is something we all have to go through to get us to turn to God. It's painful. I do not disagree, but why give them that much control? It's been said that he who angers you, control you, but if you forgive them and move on, you will be surprised who God brings to the table. I used to handle a department at my former church. Despite all the grownups that were sent to help, but showed up with excuses, tardiness, or just did not show up at all, I left it to God. And I soon found myself surrounded with people who were interested and wanted to learn all that I could teach them. They all just so happened to be teenagers and children. I had a few adults, but mostly teens. Sadly, or maybe not, the skills that I passed on were transferable to the real world. A few of them have careers based off what they learned from me.

Being unable to forgive can turn you into a spiteful, hate-filled creature more ready to judge someone than to help them. And heaven please help you, if you cannot even remember the offense. God forgives us so we should forgive them. How many of us are always begging God for mercy and yet, we cannot be merciful to those who have hurt us? Then we wonder why we feel persecuted and ridiculed for our beliefs.  In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul wrote: "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace."

But really what it boils down to is what Christ said "Love your neighbor as yourself." If we practiced what we preached, we will get that back. Show mercy to someone, mercy will be given. Walk in forgiveness all the time, you will be forgiven. We need to be more like Christ. And for many of us, it takes a huge leap of faith. I came across a time, when no one could help me and I kept asking God why? I could think of hundreds of times that I had helped so many, but on this day, no help could be found. I decided I would exercise that faith of mine and said whoever you bring. I stopped calling people, and soon enough, someone asked what you need and did all they could to help me that day. I am eternally thankful to them and especially God because He is awesome. A lot of us would be mad at those who could not come through. Did you ever consider that God blocked them so you could depend on Him? But He does that so often! Well, you must not know that with God all things are possible, but first you must trust Him. For some people, it will be friends, family and other people they know who will come through. And for others, it will be who God will bring. I did not know this person who helped me. And barely knew the second person as well. But He brought them. He is awesome. And I am happy I took that leap of faith.

Streetwise AtheTypist basically breaks it down like this: Straight up, we all got those sometimin' half-steppin' friends. And let's not forget narcissistic family members and troublesome co-workers and horrible bosses. We got them. They need you for whatever it is they need you for. But when you need them, they are nowhere to be found or are trying to do whatever they can to take from you. But thank you Jesus, we have a God who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think. He is always there, and wants you to turn to Him, before even your husband or wife! He wants you to turn to him before Mama. All this hurt and busted and disgusted feelings and holding grudges, why? God is not like the people you dealing with. You are not alone. We all have been there, and can empathize, if not sympathize, but you should turn to God, and even if you did and turned to your family and friends, and no one helped then guess what? All the more praise to God, because He came through and nobody can say it was them. 

The church of Christ should be as Peter stated "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:8-10) When sinners see this, they will come flocking. Yes, the church is filled with people working through their own struggles, but the one thing everyone should get after being saved is walking like Christ. Remember this: if that person who hurt you asks for forgiveness to God, and God forgives them, the least you can do is forgive them, too.

"And be ye kind one to another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32 

Be blessed and stay encouraged!

Happy International Forgiveness Day!

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

Matthew 6:12

Today is International Forgiveness Day. I did not know that. How about you? It was started by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance. Check it out. Can you imagine if everyone forgave each other? Heaven on earth or as close to it as we gonna get.

Today, I was switching back and forth between not writing until next week, and just throwing up a bunch of scripture. Yeah, I know I was half-steppin', erhm, going to phone it in, uh ra, just being real lazy. Since 2007, I have had placed on my heart to write about those tough things: finance, walking correctly and forgiveness.  And have not done them because I knew they would not be received well by those closest to me. But since very few are reading this, I am going to do it for people who stumble on this, and if family, friends, and acquaintances read it and are blessed then thank you Jesus. If they don't, we deal with it when we get to it.

I know there are people who have learned to forgive and have done so, and do it daily. That was not a strength for me. When I first accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, I had a relatively good year afterward. The one who usually got on my nerves, I would calmly say "Bless you in the name of the Lord" and continue what I was doing. Nothing this person said had any effect on me. Fast forward two years, I was ready to choke them.

Throughout the bible, and particularly the new testament, it states we are to forgive, forgive, forgive. Christ said if we forgive others, our Father will forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15). So my forgiving others is wrapped up in receiving God's forgiveness. Ergggh. I know a few of you feel me. But for the longest time, this has been a thorn in my side (sadly, it still is). Before walking in salvation, I believed people should know when they stepped out of line. And sometimes they needed to know loudly. There were people who needed checking, and choking. I could list so many instances, but I won't. At the beginning of having to deal with forgiveness, I was told time and time again, "Vengeance is mine." (Deuteronomy 32:35) That helped and I would calm down slightly. Then as time progressed, I would calm down more. I didn't forget, but I started to be less concerned and to just be. Holding a grudge just wasted energy and was troublesome.

I hear the but, but, buts you are thinking. Jesus told Peter, after he asked how many times he had to forgive his brother, to forgive seventy times seven. People are gonna offend you. There is the old Portuguese proverb: "as desculpas não se pedem, evitam-se" that is "you don't ask for apologies, you avoid them." But a lot of people were not taught this or it never occurs to them they have done something wrong. There are those who just out and out do it to annoy you, but 1) forgive and 2) let go. Psalm 118:8 tells you it's better to trust God than man. God is watching. He knows who is for you and against you. Even if your parents offend you daily, forgive them and trust God. Horrible bosses? Forgive them and trust God. Two-timing boyfriends or girlfriends? Forgive them and trust God. Unsavory co-workers? Forgive them and trust God. Are they gonna do it again? Maybe, probably. You are going to trust God and forgive them. 

Jesus gives you the blueprint and for happiness and the ultimate prize-heaven, you must forgive them. And then you have to take it to the next level--pray for them and ask God to bless them. Yeah, I've grumbled about it, too. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus said we must love our enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Doing this make you a child of God's and you know what happens to a child of God. They are blessed, duh.

What it boils down to is if you trust God, then when that friend or relative betrays you, you know that God will handle it. So instead of stressing over it, you pray for them, forgive them, and live your life. Is life going to be happy happy joy joy all the time? No. You are a soldier of God's army, fighting for his kingdom. Happy happy joy joy will come in heaven. Your fight may look like you are up against strangers and members of your own family, but it's not. It's against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). 

And that should make you mad. And it should make you more than willing to forgive. I mean seriously, how dare they use your child against you? The nerve of these demons in diapers! Want to stick it to them? Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Treat them like you want to be treated. When you practice eye for an eye, sure, you may feel good for that day or decade, but you never really got back at the source, and all the source did was flicker on to the next person. But when you listen to Christ and follow His blueprint, your enemy will be confounded, confused, befuddled, and worried. 

Before I got it, I always came across Christians (yes, Christians) who thought it was their duty to make life miserable for everyone they worked with. Don't be shocked, you know there's a few. No, they were not right or in order. They just made life miserable. When I talked with them, I learned several things. They went to church every single Sunday, and prayed. But it was lip service and they just prayed for their family. And when one decided to ensnare me, it was on and poppin'. But I began to pause and do just the opposite. I prayed for them and their family. I began to help the ones they would target. I prayed for the departments and the executives. I tried to be the balance and set the atmosphere until I left. And as much as they wanted to take me out, they did not because in their eyes I was on their side. Sneaky much? Yep. Can you do the same? Yes. Will it get easier? Yes and no. 

You will spot things quicker, but sometimes that baby demon becomes a toddler and you just have to up your game because they upped theirs. But you are not alone in this battle. Forgiveness just makes you stronger. And at the end of the day, it will be better in the long run. It's tough now, but it will be better, and don't forget that even in the storm, there are times when it will calm down. The rain will stop and the sun will shine forth.

I will speak more on this on another day. I believe this is a good start. How has forgiving others helped you on your spiritual journey? Is it still tough going? What have you learned that may help others?

Be blessed and encouraged!

When Others Have Failed, God Won't!

for in Him we live and move and have our being . . .

Acts 17:28a NKJV

Yesterday, I could not find scripture to back what I wanted to write about. After the "great" news this nation received last night, I woke up this morning and Acts 17:28 was on my mind. I had no issue in previous posts of just giving partial scriptures, but I want to provide the whole thing today, particularly because of the news we got last night.

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Acts 17: 26-28 NKJV

Place all faith and trust in Him. Does it hurt to trust God? Yes. Tremendously so. These are uncertain times. It's perilous for many people. A lot of people were living paycheck by paycheck. And then they lost their job. There are plenty of folk who lost jobs and worked in a dying field. All that experience and no one is hiring them. Christians are no different, but we got a loophole. Think about those Christians you know who every Sunday, or whenever you see them, always have a kind word for each person they see. They are always the first up to shout and praise God. They always give a cheer when it's offering time. It happens every single time you see them. Why? They live for God. They have learned that despite all the wrong in their life, they can still and must still praise God. 

I think what trips people up in their walk with God, is thinking that when trouble comes, He is going to swoop in like Superman and save the day. But that is not happening for some.  So what do you do? Well, what else can you do but wait on the Lord. Hard isn't it? 

I wrote about Acts 17:28 a few years ago, and I feel it still applies today.

As most of you may know, I have been on a serious job hunt since July, and I've questioned my pursuit of being an entrepreneur. But what I've come to understand is that I placed my hope and faith in the wrong things. What I would do is send in a resume, and start dreaming of life anew. And heaven help me, if I thought the job was easy because then why wouldn't they hire me?!! And how dare they if they didn't?!!!

But with all the junk I was going through, I happened upon a scripture that I heard of and probably read a long time ago, but it was just illuminating to me during that time. 

    For in him we live, and move, and have our being; (Acts 17:28a)

If it is in him that I live and move and have my well being, then I must place my hope and faith in Him. So, whenever a job came along that I really wanted, I prayed that I would get but placed my hope and faith in the Lord that He would take care of me. If I got it great, if not, oh well.

Everyone walking with God and living by His principles and precepts goes through uncertain times. Some a lot more than others. But the difference between a lot of us is some wallow and cry out and murmur and complain, and a few of us just smile and praise God. 

Even now I have begun doing that in all areas of my life, not just my job situation. Even though I understood Psalms 118:8, it was only recently illuminated because of Acts 17:28. So while life is topsy turvy and people are acting funny, which is more typical than unusual, my confidence must be in the Lord and not in man. We've all heard it before, one minute people like you, the next they don't, or as I like to put it, if it don't concern them, it don't concern them, so why am I wasting mental, spiritual and physical energy on wondering why or better yet, worrying why so and so is acting all funky? Or if I got this job, or if this thing is going to happen?

Seriously. If you pause for a second and look over your life, you will see that God has always provided; whether it was funds, a job, objects, and, yes, even people. Yes, we have disappointments about the one that got away or the opportunity we missed, but if you pause, you'll see it worked out, unless of course, you are still whining about it, then maybe you need to stop your bellyaching, and see your life for what it truly is. So, why stress? You may be miserable now, but it all works for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Count it all joy!

No matter what you are going through, stay focused. Place your hope and faith in God, not somebody or something.

If we would wait on God, everything will work out. If we follow His principles, and put our trust in Him, your walk becomes stronger, and then you will find yourself able to praise and glorify Him no matter the situation.

Has He been testing your faith and trust in Him? How did you get through your uncertain times?

Be blessed and encouraged!

This was also on my mind this morning.