From The Archives: Unforgiveness

This is one that I needed to revisit and check myself. If I don't listen to the Holy Spirit and reject the 'Woe is me' attitude I will allow unforgiveness to settle inside my heart. It's not worth my prayer life and relationship with our Lord being hindered. Let us all remember to be quick to forgive. It's for our own good. Let's leave it in God's hands.

Unforgiveness

Has someone offended you or said something hurtful? Perhaps someone has betrayed or abandoned you? For your own good you must let it go!

Unforgiveness in your heart will only cause sickness and disease in your body. It takes so much energy to constantly think on how someone has wronged you. You do not want to let bitterness and resentment root deep in your heart because it will affect every relationship in your life. Your may even develop a terrible attitude and your countenance can change.

Forgiving someone who has hurt you is a choice. Sometimes you have to choose daily to forgive the offense, until you are at a point where it isn’t always popping up in your head. The bottom line is “It Is A CHOICE!” If you do not let it go and forgive your offender your relationship with the Lord will be hindered. In fact if you refuse to forgive our Heavenly Father will not forgive you either. (Matthew 6:14-15) Don’t continue to hold grudges. You are only hurting your own spiritual growth. (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13)

Don’t think of ways to get back at them. Instead pray for them. Pray for God to help them. (1 Peter 3:9) Circumstances can change drastically and one day your enemies may need you.

One of my favorite stories in the bible is the story of Joseph, the dreamer. His brothers were so jealous of his relationship with their father. They were always talking about him behind is back. They hated him. They even plotted to tell kill him but instead they sold him into slavery. His own family! Talk about abandonment and betrayal. He was hurt and lonely. But he allowed God to use him where he was at and continued moving forward in life. The Lord raised him up to a position of power. He was made him second in command to the Pharaoh. When there was a great famine in the land his brothers had to go Egypt to get food. So there they are in front of the one they betrayed trying to buy food, but they did not recognize him. This was Joseph’s chance to pay them back, but he didn’t. Joseph had forgiven his brothers and brought his family there to be with him during the famine. This is the example we should follow. (Genesis 37-47)

Unforgiveness is too heavy of a load to carry. Let our Lord have this hurt, this offense. He wants to carry your burdens for you. He wants you to give Him all of your worries and concerns because He cares for you and He is always thinking about you. (1 Peter 5:14) Make a choice today to be free from the bondage of unforgiveness.

Let It Roll Off Your Back

" An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all types of sins.” Proverbs 29:22

I used to be full of anger, easily offended, and constantly fighting. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the renewing of my mind with the Word of God over the years, I have conquered anger issues that used to control my moods and emotions. However, I find myself still getting bent out of shape over situations that I just can’t change or people who don’t change. Although I do not react the way I used to, I hate that I still get so angry.

Let me clarify, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I am not a time bomb waiting to go off. For the most part I am a pretty chill and easy going person. I’m the first to make excuses for others offenses, trying to see the best in them, and trying to see their point of view. I am also very long suffering and patient. I really don’t care if I am talked about or persecuted because I know that my Lord was too, so I don’t take it personal.

However, recently the enemy has attacked me where it hurts the most, with my family. I see my children facing situations that they don’t deserve. I see my loved ones being tempted and persecuted. My first reaction is anger. Then there is an internal battle between my old nature and my new nature. They war within me each wanting to resolve the situation in their own way. I wish I could say that all the time the new nature wins, but that would be a lie. Sometimes I quickly retort with words of anger, without even thinking.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” James 1:19-20

I have learned by experience that if I am lead by the emotion of anger I will only make matters worse. Instead of acting out foolishly I have learned and am still learning to give the situation to the Lord and I trust Him to have His way.

Through tears I pray for God’s mercy and grace. Then I sit back and I pray for those that hurt me or those I love. My prayer is always for God to have mercy on them, to help them, and draw them to Jesus. He gives me the power and the willingness to want to forgive them. Then I am full of peace as I trust Him to work it out for our good and for His glory. It is always so amazing to me that He turns my anger into sorrow and compassion for our offender. I KNOW that is a God thing for sure.

Anger is a natural emotion. We will get angry sometimes, but what matters is that when we are angry that we do not sin and that we do not go to bed with that anger still lurking inside of us.

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Recently my pastor taught on anger. The two things that still stand out in my mind that he said are, “Don’t be angry about the things you can’t change. You’re angry for no reason. And don’t get angry about the things you CAN change.”

When I heard him say this I chuckled to myself because is just makes so much sense to me. It’s so simple and yet so profound. It was an on time Word that I needed to hear. I am determined to apply these words of wisdom to my own life and would encourage you to do the same. We will avoid so much unnecessary drama if we do not react in anger but instead we learn to let things roll right off our backs.

Harboring anger will only lead to malice, wrath, bitterness, clamor, slander, resentment, and unforgivness. It will have a huge snowball affect in our lives and will hinder our relationship with God and others. If we sit and really think about it, it’s silly and pointless to get angry about things that we can’t change because what’s done is done. You can’t change it and getting angry isn’t going to help the situation. Getting angry will usually make the situation worse. We may say things that we don’t mean or we may do something that can’t be undone. Dealing with our problems in anger most certainly will have regrettable repercussions.


However, in some situations we have the power to change the problem. Rather than getting angry and adding to the problem we can make a difference and seek change. Instead of anger being our guiding emotion let us be inspired by the Holy Spirit and full of determination to transform our problems.

Anger is pointless. Let it roll of your back and don’t allow anything to steal your joy and peace.

Don't Take The Bait

My husband and I had been in prayer and fasting regarding specific decisions that we needed to make for our family. After seeking our Lord’s face we were sure that He would make it clear to us what direction we needed to take. He has always been faithful to guide and lead us down the right path so we trusted Him to give us direction and to show us His will.

It has been several months now and an option has presented it’s self. But is it God or are we being baited and lured by a temporary solution that only ends in bondage? After reviewing the possibilities of the offer presented to us we realized that it was a trap. At first glance it seemed that the proposal would provide freedom and relief. It was appealing and tempting, too good to be true. My father in law said to us, “I always say if it looks too good to be true then it probably is.”

After digging deeper into the substance we were able to find the hidden hooks that would have hindered and kept us restricted from the freedom that we need. Had we of taken the bait and accepted the offer our circumstances would have changed for the better temporarily, however there were consequences and repercussions for accepting this false promise of peace. We thanked God for giving us wisdom, common sense, wise counsel, His Word, and His Holy Spirit to help us properly evaluate the situation. It became clear to us which way to go.

This isn’t the first time that the enemy as tried to divert us from taking the right path. The enemy will come to us all of with His alluring temptations full of false promises of hope and relief. He makes his offers so tempting and sound so good so as even to deceive, if possible, God’s chosen ones. His goal is to get us off tract and distracted from following God’s will for our life. We must be prepared to properly discern every claim, temptation, and offer the enemy presents.

In the past I more easily fell for the enemy’s lies and deceptions because I desired my own way more than God’s way. I did not read the Word of God daily and therefore I was not meditating on it either. My mind was worldly and full of selfish desires. I was easy prey. I was easy to deceive. Not any more! The enemy has to come correct and tactful now.

Don’t foolishly disregard what I am telling you. The enemy desires to blind us with deception, bind us, and keep us from achieving all that God has for us. I am not giving the enemy too much credit. I am just keeping it real with you and reminding you that this is a spiritual battle. Our enemy, satan is real. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9)



Don’t fall for the enemies tricks. Stay on the right path, the narrow road. Know the Word of God and what it means. This is the sword that you will use to defeat the lies of the enemy. His Word assures us that we are on the right path. It is the light that guides and leads us. We are more then conquerors in Christ Jesus and we have the mind Christ to help us discern truth from deception. Don’t take the bait. (Psalm 119:105, 1 Corinthians 2:16)

Prayer Hindrances

The Lord longs for us to pray and to seek his face. He wants us to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. He has told us that what ever we ask in His name we will receive. He assures us that if we seek we will find and if we knock the door will be opened. He tells us that our heavenly Father will most certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them. So we can be confident that when we pray that he hears our prayers and He will be faithful to answer them. (John 16:24, Matthew 6:7-12)

But do you ever feel like your prayers are not being answered or God can not hear them? What if there is something blocking our prayers from reaching the throne room? What if our prayer line was clogged or contaminated? Is that possible? Yes..there are hindrances that can creep into our lives and clog or block the communication lines with God keeping our prayers from being heard and answered. Prayer hindrances. The bible speaks clearly of these prayer blockers. So what are they?

Ø Iniquity and unconfessed sin (Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 66:18)
Ø Unforgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 6:14-15)
Ø Selfish prayers & prayers with wrong motives (James 4:3, Luke 22:42)
Ø Husband and wives mistreating each other (1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:22-24)
Ø Wrongs not made right (Matthew 5:24-24)
Ø Unpaid tithe and offering (Malachi 3:7-9)
Ø Disobedience and rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23, Deuteronomy 1:41-45)

All of these will hinder our prayers and our relationship with the Lord because they keep us from God’s will.

When we go into the presence of the Almighty God we must remember that He is holy and righteous. Therefore we should enter into his presence with thanksgiving, praying with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin, anger, resentment, and asking forgiveness for our hidden faults and deliberate wrongs. (2 Timothy 2:8, Psalm 19:12-14)

“But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free from guilt and innocent of some great crime.” (Psalm 19:12-13)

“Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where he lives? Who may stand before the Lord? Only those with pure hands and hearts” (Psalm 24:4)

The Word of God and the Holy Spirit work as our filter system helping us to keep our prayer lines clean. These prayer hindrances do not need to have a stronghold on us. With the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth of God’s Word, with daily repentance and confession of our sins we can be free from any prayer hindrances. (1 John 1:9, Psalm 51)

Lord, we thank you for your Word because we know it is true and teaches us what is right, helps us realize what is wrong in our lives, it straightens us out, and helps us to do what is right. Show us if there is anything hindering our prayers. We long to come into your presence free from any obstructions or distractions. In Jesus name..Amen.

Beware of Anger!

More on prayer tomorrow but for now..

BEWARE OF ANGER! When we have been hurt, offended, gossiped on, betrayed, or taken advantage of we must not allow ourselves to be consumed by anger. Anger is determined to take over all of our emotions and hinder our thinking provoking us to meditate on the offense over and over again.

It’s a trap! Don’t meditate on the offense!

By constantly remembering the offense we are feeding the anger and prolonging forgiveness and healing. We need to learn to choose to forgive and leave the offense and the offender in God’s hands. Believe me; I know it is easier said than done especially when it hits close to the heart. However, the Word of God tells us that if we do not forgive our offenders than God will not forgive us either. We are also commanded to get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger in our lives.

“Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who have sinned against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.” (Matthew 6:15)

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

I am not saying don’t get angry. There will be times that we all get angry. We just can not allow the anger to overcome us. So what do we do when we have been hurt? How do we not allow anger not to consume us? Below are just some suggestions:

Ø Be lead by the Spirit. Don’t allow your fleshy emotions to take over your mind. Remember there are principalities in the spiritual realm wanting to agitate the situation more and could even be the influence provoking it. We must keep in mind that we are constantly in a spiritual battle.
Ø Control your tongue. Don’t be loose with the lips saying things that you will regret. I know my first reaction is to want to come out of my mouth and start verbally retaliating. I feel the need to defend myself with my tongue. This is not the answer! It will only help to quickly escalate the conflict.
Ø Do not hesitate, immediately begin to pray! Ask God to help keep a cover over your mouth until the Holy Spirit has helped you get control over your emotions. Then try to resolve the situation amicably, in love and with patience.
Ø If your offender is unreasonable and does not care to resolve the conflict then you have got to let it go and leave it in God’s hands. Remember that God is our vindicator. There is no reason to defend yourself or retaliate in anger, trust our Lord to work on both of your hearts and forgive the person right away for your own good.
Ø Refresh yourself by playing some praise and worship music so that you can get your spirit and mind back on the Lord and off the offense. It’s hard to be angry when you are worshipping God.

Lord, we thank you that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can forgive quickly and not allow anger to have its way with our emotions. We pray that You would have mercy on our offenders and draw them closer to You. In Jesus name…Amen.

Unforgiveness

Has someone offended you or said something hurtful? Perhaps someone has betrayed or abandoned you? For your own good you must let it go!

Unforgiveness in your heart will only cause sickness and disease in your body. It takes so much energy to constantly think on how someone has wronged you. You do not want to let bitterness and resentment root deep in your heart because it will affect every relationship in your life. Your may even develop a terrible attitude and your countenance can change.

Forgiving someone who has hurt you is a choice. Sometimes you have to choose daily to forgive the offense, until you are at a point where it isn’t always popping up in your head. The bottom line is “It Is A CHOICE!” If you do not let it go and forgive your offender your relationship with the Lord will be hindered. In fact if you refuse to forgive our Heavenly Father will not forgive you either. (Matthew 6:14-15) Don’t continue to hold grudges. You are only hurting your own spiritual growth. (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13)

Don’t think of ways to get back at them. Instead pray for them. Pray for God to help them. (1 Peter 3:9) Circumstances can change drastically and one day your enemies may need you.

One of my favorite stories in the bible is the story of Joseph, the dreamer. His brothers were so jealous of his relationship with their father. They were always talking about him behind is back. They hated him. They even plotted to tell kill him but instead they sold him into slavery. His own family! Talk about abandonment and betrayal. He was hurt and lonely. But he allowed God to use him where he was at and continued moving forward in life. The Lord raised him up to a position of power. He was made him second in command to the Pharaoh. When there was a great famine in the land his brothers had to go Egypt to get food. So there they are in front of the one they betrayed trying to buy food, but they did not recognize him. This was Joseph’s chance to pay them back, but he didn’t. Joseph had forgiven his brothers and brought his family there to be with him during the famine. This is the example we should follow. (Genesis 37-47)

Unforgiveness is too heavy of a load to carry. Let our Lord have this hurt, this offense. He wants to carry your burdens for you. He wants you to give Him all of your worries and concerns because He cares for you and He is always thinking about you. (1 Peter 5:14) Make a choice today to be free from the bondage of unforgiveness.