Forgiveness will set you free
Forgiveness will set you free !!!
FORGIVENESS.........Understanding and applying this teaching of forgiveness by Jesus, will free anyone from negative feelings .
" it is more blessed to give, than to receive " Jesus in Acts 20:35
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Of all the teachings of Jesus, one of the most important topics is that of forgiveness. From the parable of the father of the prodigal son, to the attitude of the Samaritan helping one who scorned him Lk 10:33, to the Lord's very Words from the Cross ' Father, forgive them' Lk 23:34 , Jesus taught and lived a life of Forgiveness.
By the Lord's command, we who claim to be Christians must forgive all others, in order to expect to get God's forgiveness. Mt 6:14,15 This seems to be of such difficulty, forgiving those who have offended us, that most often Christians live by rationalizing the unforgiveness they maintain.
To forgive...is to cease to feel resentment against someone who has offended us
...it will allow an offense to pass, without (you) requiring punishment
Forgiveness is not neccessarily a pardon,
a pardon absolves an offender from the consequences, and forgiveness may not always do so
Forgivness is an attitude whereby one does not retaliate seeking revenge
Consequences dealt, with the purpose of defense may be appropriate
and Forgiveness given, does not have to be accepted by the other party...
in other words, you can forgive another,regardless of whether they accept your forgiveness!
NO ONE can make you continue in a state of guilt by refusing to accept your forgiveness,
or your sincere apology Lk 17: 3
Guilt....
is the mental state of one who has committed an offense, often producing torment...
it is often self-imagined..due to perceived circumstances.....
or it is sometimes ( a feeling ) produced and manipulated by others..
often those who offend you.....try to make you feel guilty
You may do that yourself, or you may know someone who regularly does that.
It is one of the ways we rationalize unforgiveness..
if we can make the other person feel guilty, we feel good and don't repent
Repenting...
Seeking forgiveness, turning away from repetitious evil,
with sincere effort to the changing of one's life,is the only freedom from Guilt
When Jesus, as God, is FIRST in your life,
you will realize that the forgiveness you need is readily available from HIM.....
and is all the forgiveness you need....
Although it is nice to get the forgiveness of those we may offend.....
only the forgiveness we GIVE to others,
and that which we GET from GOD is crucial
NO PERSON has the right to refuse to forgive us..
and any refusal should be ignored
if you're a Christian you should already know what Jesus taught...:
'....HE (the Father) will forgive you, if you will forgive, ........but won't.....if you don't.............Mt 6:14
and do we Christians not pray as Jesus taught :
" forgive us our sins as we forgive (all) others "
clearly, Jesus is teaching that if we expect forgiveness,
Christians must first forgive all others !
He, never said ' except that one...because it would be so hard to forgive.....
or ' except that one, because that offense is too great....
or ' I'll understand that you can't do that just yet......
No, not in even one verse did He ever justify unforgiveness !!!
And yet today, we can find man teaching us to rationalize why we don't have to forgive....
" because............( some Non-Biblical reason )..............."
Paul said " I can do all things.."....and he forgave many.....including himself.
Do you think the 12 Apostles had an easy time forgiving Paul for the terrible times he gave them and their followers ???????
They were taught by Jesus that it was required of them.....and they obeyed
And so it is with us all. We are required to forgive all who have offended us,
and we must learn to do so, because it is NOT easy to do sometimes
Forgiveness........
Shows YOUR LOVE :
of God, as you obey Him....
of others, as you extend fairness to them
and of yourself, as you have no self-inflicted guilt
Jesus commands we show Love and do good to our neighbors....
especially the one's we now scorn,... and those who scorn us Lk 10: 27,36,37
HOW is it possible to LOVE, when resentment abounds ????
And yet today....many preachers can find ways to justify, or ignore unforgiveness,
thereby leading flocks of Goats to the Lords Judgement
rather than as the ( loving ) Sheep HE desires
WE ALL have the opportunity to teach this Freedom Giving Truth NOW!!
People living without forgiving every offense, are their OWN Captives
When you will not forgive someone..
most often the other person does not even care that they are not forgiven...
and they may have no 'discomfort' about the situation
but if you have contact, or have thoughts about the offense,
you get feelings of indignation, or even rage
YOU are experiencing 'hell' on earth
By seeking the Lord's help in forgiving the offenses of all others, ...
and keeping your thoughts in focus on Jesus ,
forgiveness will come with a Peace that brings freedom to you.
It takes a decision to do this, focus on Jesus, each time the offense or offender comes to mind,
until it becomes a habit....
Forgive Yourself Too !!!!!
Not only are you to forgive OTHERS, but you MUST forgive yourself!!
FORGET the Past
Paul said...I am bringing all my energies.....forgetting the past and looking forward to what is ahead......." Phil 3 : 13 see also 1 Tim 6 Heb 13:5
Paul did many things in his life, that by 50 AD he certainly was sorry for...
( like most of us).... WE cannot have the GIFT of peace that Jesus brought to the World, if we do not forgive ourselves...for certainly if God can forgive me when I don't deserve it, how can I allow myself to reject the Peace He Gives, by not forgiving myself ?????
And so, make the same decision to forgive yourself,
and the same practice MUST apply
Remember......
Love DEMANDS forgiveness ( to be given)
Forgiveness...brings Freedom and Peace
Unforgiveness is OUR binding of OUR feelings ( bringing discomfort)
Unforgiveness feelings are NOT from the power of GOD...
Unforgiveness punishes you , not the offender
"The Lie"...that unforgiveness can be rationalized...is NOT from God
"The Lie"...causes us to live in pride and unforgiveness
By allowing unforgiveness to continue in your life, you are rejecting GOD
Peace, a Fruit of the Spirit, cannot exist where there is bitterness (unforgivness)
Read before and after these verses:
Mt 5:43 6:15 9:6 18:35 19:19 22:39 23:34
Mk 3:28 11:26 12:31
Lk 5:20 6:27 6:35 6:46 7: 41-50 13:26,27
Jn 13:34 15:12
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