Modern Day Revival

Forgiveness can be a difficult and challenging process, but it is also incredibly powerful. By letting go of anger and resentment, we can free ourselves from negative emotions and move forward with compassion and understanding.

I have heard numerous times by individuals who were suffering from cancer and treatments that because of their predicament they found more compassion toward others. The suffering and trial of being in and out of hospitals and getting poked with needles gave them a different perspective about how they viewed other people's challenges and just life in general. They looked at others with more compassion and at times forgiveness.  

Everyone can relate with being wronged by someone and harboring hurt and even hate. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes hate as a: "intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury b: extreme dislike or disgust." 

Notice that the first line of the definition mentions "or sense of injury". That can occur in many forms whether emotionally, physically, or psychologically. When someone or group does a wrong against someone we know, or do not know, we have compassion toward the one being harmed because we have felt that "sense of injury" in the past for one reason or another.  

When wronged, we then become involved in an emotional state in which internal feelings produce external actions. The more we think about how we or someone else was wronged, the more we begin to harbor negative thoughts which can progress into negative actions or words. Others hear or see us react and depending on their current "sense of injury", respond themselves in various ways and the cycle just keeps going until a resolution of some kind is reached.

This is where forgiveness comes into play. The bible has many verses on forgiveness and we being human beings are in need of these verses so that we live our life in truth, and not just with our emotions.

Ephesians 4:24-32 "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27 Neither give place to the devil.

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Two verses stood out from above as I read them. "Neither give place to the devil" and "forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

If we honestly look at all sin, it all started with the influence of the devil and it was cleansed by the blood Jesus. 

If you really ponder that truth and can accept that God, via Jesus Christ on earth, came to forgive all sin, then you should realize that you are just as capable to forgive and also commanded to do so. 

Matthew 18:21-22 "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Now, did Jesus literally mean 70 x 7 = 490 times to forgive? No, instead Jesus instructs to constantly forgive others just as God forgives us when we do wrong and ask him for forgiveness.

It's also interesting to note that 70 x 7 is also related to the Book of Daniel 9:24-27 that represents the 70th week, which is the future Tribulation that will last for 7 years. 

Daniel 9:24-27 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in t26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Forgiving others isn't always easy because we are emotional beings and some offenses are so heinous and vile, it takes much prayer and reflection to forgive.

 I heard one preacher years ago in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area teaching about how not forgiving someone and relating it to being in a cage. He used an analogy of someone having so much hate toward another person for what they did to them, they in a way put themself into a cage and it only caused more problems and hindrance in their life.

A cage restricts you from growing, interacting, trusting in God, and moving on. Then he said, through prayer and reflection that you eventually begin to tear-down that cage one bar at a time to release yourself from that cage and the bondage within yourself. The result of forgiving the person who wronged you and letting Jesus then shine in your life and freeing yourself from Satan's snare is essential. Harboring hate and resentment are sin. They are very destructive within, and both can lead to more sinful things in your words or physical actions.    

That cage analogy always made sense to me and something I have told others in the past as well. 

The cage analogy can be used for addictions also but we will save that topic for another section. Just remember forgiveness is biblical, it frees you from the bondage of resentment, hate, anger, and hurt. Forgiveness also is a testament to your faith in Jesus Christ and can bring you back into unity with family and friends.   

Colossians 3:12-13 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

1 John 1:5-10: "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Now, forgiveness doesn't always unite people. At times, the unity part isn't possible because the other person may not be available or even good to associate with. The bible is very clear about avoiding individuals who cause more harm than good or live in ways contrary to that which is biblical. 

For example, let's say a relative or friend constantly gossips or finds fault with you or others you know. They constantly criticize and have such a negative attitude toward you and others. Then you get into an argument with this individual, harbor resentment, and then have to apologize for your sinful response. They accept your apology and may or may not apologize themself. But this cycle just keeps happening over-and-over and you find yourself always being subjected to a constant negative attitude and treatment by them.

What do you do?

Well, of course pray for guidance and understanding. But it is not unbiblical to either limit or totally separate yourself from that person. At times, we have to separate from sinful people or influences that cause us to falter in our daily Christian life.  

Titus 3:10-11 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

2 Timothy 3:1-5 " 

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 

So as you can read above, we don't have to associate with people that disrupt our walk with God. You can use biblical wisdom and reasoning to avoid a constant relationship with them but continue to pray for them. 

So, be smarter than you were before by avoiding people, places, and things that cause you to be in a position to be harmed or fall into temptation which leads to sin. Forgiveness means leaving the past in the past and moving ahead in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

I hope all of this was helpful to you and if you need to forgive someone over a past situation, remember God is there with you. You don't need the other persons affirmation if your ask for forgiveness, and you also don't need the person who offended you to admit their part either. Hoping someone admits they wronged you is again placing a cage around yourself. Just forgive and don't allow them to hinder your future. 

Let God deal with them and continually pray.

Let Jesus do the healing and keep trusting in his Word and walk like Jesus Christ.  

People choose to do what they do, but as long as you are doing your part in a biblical manner, then that's what's important. 

Psalm 147:3-5 "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.