Tag: forgiveness

Posted on

Resist the devil and he will flee

One of the strongest attacks from the enemy (also known as Satan) is the constant condemnation and accusation he brings to  your life. Whether you’re a Christian or not, Satan doesn’t discriminate, he’s always ready to accuse you. Thankfully there is a way to stop these thoughts. Jesus has set us free through the redemption of His perfect sacrifice on the cross. Due to this, we now have the power through Jesus to cover ourselves with His precious blood. “Now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who not not after the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1

There is a grave danger when we allow ourselves to dwell in the past, our uncertain future, or on what could have been. These are tactics the enemy uses to ensure that you don’t move forward. The devil gets a foothold if we give it to him. Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated nor taunted by the devil. Propose it to yourself to not allow Satan to play with your emotions, you’re not his puppet. I believe that part of the reason why we allow these thoughts of condemnation to filter through our mind and spirit, is the lack of self-dominion. We do not know how to stop these thoughts and we entertain them. We have the Holy Spirit talking to us, but instead, we choose to ignore that still small voice. So how do we choose to stop these thoughts? Below are a few tips on how to do this effectively.

#1 Remember that you’re in control. God’s word says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and sound mind.” – 2 Tim 1:7.  This means you have the fruits of the Holy Spirit and one of those fruits is self-control. Believe that you are equipped to stop those fiery darts with the shield of faith. You can lift that shield and cover your mind with the word of God. This will counter those lying words.

#2 You have been set free. The word of God says that “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” – John 8:36. You’ve been forgiven, redeemed, and purchased at a price. Nothing that you did in the past is unforgivable, Jesus already paid the price for your sins. Your past is “finished” and so are you sins. You’re no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to Christ. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” That word gives me a lot of hope. To know that if you’ve sincerely repented to God about what you’ve done…mercy is sure to follow. God’s mercy is indeed new every morning. Let your soul and your mind rest in the Spirit of the Lord. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!

#3 Look ahead. The greatest weapon you have against the enemy is the present and the plans that God has for you. While we shouldn’t boast about tomorrow, God is the one who decides where we go, if we do this and that. Those days are filled with hope and desire…days of prosperity. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” Don’t look behind, the past is considered garbage, whether good or bad, you’ve gained Christ now. Have hope in your heart that all will be well and God does not remember your sin. He’s that kind and generous. His desire for you is to move forward in Him, remain in Him, and He will make His home in you.

God bless.

Posted on

The gift of forgiveness

As a Christian, it’s almost a given that you are supposed to forgive. We shouldn’t be told that we need to forgive, but believe it or not, sometimes Christians need that extra nudge or rebuke for not forgiving. I used to believe that unforgiveness was something that could be taken care of overnight, with a single prayer, or even declaring that you’ve forgiven that person…the issue would be gone. Turns out that is not the case, God knows our heart and He will reveal to you if you have truly forgiven or not. How do I know this? Simple, God will cause you to dream about the people you have not forgiven. It has happened to me countless times and my spirit immediately recognizes what God is saying to me. Gosh, I love God, He is so patient with us. There is nothing God overlooks, even your partial forgiveness does not go unnoticed.

A prime example of forgiveness is Jesus himself. After all, he did die on the cross for us and forgave us for our past, present and future sins. He said, “Forgive them for they don’t know what they do.” I don’t believe Jesus was only referring to those mocking Him at that moment, but to all of humanity. Truly we don’t know what we are doing when we live without Christ, we don’t realize that we sin against God when we don’t receive Jesus in our hearts. Simply the rejection of Christ is a sin. So why is forgiveness a gift? Forgiveness is something that we don’t deserve and it is given freely, without a cost. It is a gift because not only are we grateful that God has given us forgiveness but because of that we too forgive others. It’s a special kind of gift that only you can give to yourself and to the person that hurt you. It’s not a fabricated gift, it’s a tailored gift. And God is pleased with you when you have a heart that is quick to forgive.

Here are three reasons why you should impart the gift of forgiveness:

#1 Bitterness in your heart is removed: Bitterness halts our progress in our spiritual life. We must have a spirit of gratitude, despite our situation. When we let go, the root of bitterness is literally rooted out of our spirit and we can move on.

#2 God wants you to have a pure heart: The word of God says that those who have a pure heart shall see God. Don’t you want to hear from God? God doesn’t listen to sinners and He also resists the proud. Yes, that means you need to let go of pride.

#3 You’re able to sow in others when you forgive: Yes, instead of preoccupying our focus on the situation or keeping records of wrongs, we must let go and focus your energy in sowing generously in others. Love does not keep records of wrongs. You cannot invest in others nor minister to others with resentment in your heart.  Invest in people, build relationships, and minister to others and move past the offenses. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Last but not least, there is something quite special that God sees from you when you forgive and let go. And this is what He says… Proverbs 19:11 – “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” Can you believe that? God says it is to your glory for overlooking a transgression! Can you imagine what incredible blessings will come when you let go of those emotions that are hurting you? Remember that Jesus said, “Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes” (Matthew 18:7). Yes, you will be tempted to sin because someone has offended you, the sin comes when you open the door to an offense. Shut the door to an offense and believe that God will honor you for having a heart that forgives, a heart like HIS. God bless you!

 

%d bloggers like this: