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Forgiveness
We
know the scriptures command us to forgive. Here's a passage from Matt 18:
The
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus
said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy
times seven. 23Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who
wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24And when he had begun to
settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold,
with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
26The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, "Master, have patience
with me, and I will pay you all.' 27Then the master of that servant was
moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
28"But
that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him
a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat,
saying, "Pay me what you owe!' 29So his fellow servant fell down at his
feet and begged him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you
all. 30And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should
pay the debt. 31So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they
were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
32Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, "You wicked servant!
I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33Should you not also
have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
34And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he
should pay all that was due to him.
35"So
My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart,
does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
None
of us wish to wind up like this unforgiving servant above. The first thing
this passage does for me, and did for my husband as well, is to be able
to forgive. If I can be forgiven of all my transgressions, who am I not
to forgive? It doesn't matter if my transgressions were "worse" or "less
than" the offenses toward me. In our Father's sight, we are ALL sinners,
and He won't tolerate sin in His presence.
So,
HOW do we forgive? It's not easy. But, if we have the desire to obey the
Father, that is a good motivator. We must remember that to
forgive is a choice, it is not a feeling. We may not always feel
the forgiveness or feel like forgiving, but choosing to do so means choosing
obedience to the L-rd.
Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of G-D. (Romans
10:17 )There is scientific evidence that the more our outer ear hears,
there is information sown into the inner ear and the mind is able to retain
it and even believe it. That is why we are encouraged to read out loud.
So, this next exercise is important to do "out loud" even if just slightly
audible, you need to be able to hear yourself say this. Especially
if your are struggling with the wanting to forgive part. The more
you hear yourself say “I forgive” the more you will believe it yourself!
There
is also a spiritual reason to say the following out loud. You are making
a declaration before the L-rd and before the spiritual realm of which we
can not see, that you are acting in obedience and out of faith to forgive
the person. Spiritually, this cancels seeds of un-forgiveness that are
tried to be sown in your relationship with the person
.
I'm
always concerned someone will think I'm a spiritual nut. Be it as it may,
I was delivered from a very powerful spiritual life/realm. I was raised
in a home of witchcraft and practiced new age myself before being saved.
I also have experienced a lot of spiritual encounters since knowing the
L-rd. I believe because I knew how the spirit world worked from the other
side before being saved, that the L-rd allows me to deal with spiritual/demonic
deliverance in people's lives. Seeds of un-forgiveness are some of the
most powerful tools that Satan uses. Just re-read the above passage from
Matt. The Father says if we do not forgive in our hearts, He will not forgive
us. What better way for the enemy to keep people out of the kingdom of
heaven? I have seen folks refuse salvation for the very reason that they
could not accept that the L-rd forgave folks who sinned against them. Un-forgiveness
is not just a feeling/sin nature. It is also a tool of the enemy.
So
we should also ask the L-rd to cleanse our homes of all unrighteousness.
Renounce and repent of any un-forgiveness in your life. Ask the L-rd to
bind any spirit that is not of Him, and cast it far from you. Ask that
only the L-rd reign in your home, mind, and heart. Pray for protection
from a spirit of un-forgiveness and pray for help to take every thought
captive unto the obedience of Christ should an unforgiving thought arise
in the future. You may have to work on this last one for a long time.
Do it as long as it takes, we must persevere, remember, we’re soldiers
marching in a spiritual war.
Exercise
As
given to me by my spiritual mom, Alana Venter of South Africa
1)
Imagine you can see whoever you need to forgive and imagine you placing
your hands on each of their shoulders, and look them in the eye (again,
you are imagining this-because it is an "exercise" someday if you wish
to do this face to face, you have that freedom.) Once you feel a
release in your spirit that you have fully forgiven, there is no need to
repeat this exercise
2)
Say out loud "__________,(person’s name) I forgive you for all that you
have done to me. "
3)
Say out loud "I love you with the love of Jesus"
4)
Say out loud " and I bless you with G-D's richest blessings"
5)
this is tricky: MEAN IT WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART.
The
only way you can accomplish #5 is to recite the exercise over and over
because the more you "hear" it, the more you will believe it. Remember,
this is also an act of obedience to the Father. He will honor your efforts
and meet you where you are at. Ask Him to help you to mean it.
I
was given this exercise from my "spiritual mother" who also uses this herself.
When a sister in the L-rd wrongs her in some way, she has used this. When
she has come across a difficult situation, she used this. She one day had
to repeat this to herself while ironing about 100 times. Other incidents
required days of her doing this until she felt a release from the burden
she would carry toward the person.
I
now use this myself. I do finally sense a relief when I follow through
with this program. I realize it isn't always a feeling. It's an act, and
I choose to forgive.
May
G-D bless you on your road to forgiveness!!! Your load will be much lighter! |
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