The key that will unlock happiness and success in your tomorrow lies in your willingness to forgive today.
That’s right. No matter what you have endured, no matter what they have done to you. No matter how they may have used you. No matter how much they stole from you; restoration is yours if you will only humble yourself and forgive.
God knows what you need; He knows the answer to every question in your mind and He can make your life completely brand new. However, your anger and bitterness is holding you back from even seeing all the great things God has prepared for you.
You are actually standing in the middle of an awesome blessing right now. Happiness that you never thought possible is within your reach, today. It would be yours this second if you could stop rehearsing the things they did in your mind.
If you would focus your thoughts on the goodness of God rather than the faults of men you would be poised to claim your heritage as a child of God. If you would release your grip on a desire for revenge, your hands would be ready to receive what God is pouring out. If you could give up the need to have the last word or the harshest insult you would begin to understand.
If you tried to find a reason to love them rather than hate them, that seed of happiness within you would grow. Please understand that the only reason they treated you so badly is because they are completely miserable and full of self hatred. Can’t you see how much they are hurting? Can you find it in your heart to forgive?
You only hurt yourself by carrying grudges around. That weight is too heavy for you to bear. Give it to God in exchange for peace, love,happiness and a beautiful life. In Jesus’ Name, forgive them and move on so that you can become all that you were created to be.
Mark 11:24-26 (New International Version)
24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
“I’m lost, hurting and broken. I need Love. I need deliverance. I need to find out who I am. I need to know what the meaning of my life is. Help me, Please.”
This is the silent heart-cry of so many people, evidenced by their self-destructive behavior and contradictory words regarding who they say they are. These people have had troubled childhoods, have been abused and abandoned. In many cases all they need is someone who will truly show them the Love of God, pray for them and point them in the right direction to get the help they need.
Instead they get the cold shoulder or worse, the very people commissioned to help them condemn them to hell. They chant words like “disgrace” and “abomination” in an attempt to conjure up a hellstorm of fire and brimstone upon the heads of these poor souls. Where is our compassion? Are we so holy and righteous that we forgot how filthy we are without the Blood of Jesus?
Instead of sending everyone else to hell, what are we doing about the sin in our own lives? If they are a disgrace, then every one of us is a disgrace! Has your heart been broken and ripped into pieces? Have you ever been confused about your identity or place in the world? Have you ever felt rejected by people close to you? Have you ever questioned God about the seeming hopelessness of your life?
Even if you answered ‘no’ to all of the above questions, the truth remains that none of us have or ever will achieve perfection. If we are honest with ourselves we know that when we are all alone and have no one to impress, we are painfully aware of our shortcomings. Some people avoid quiet alone time for that very reason – they don’t want to allow the possibility of being faced with the truth. As long as the TV is on we can shake our heads at what Kanye or the celebrity du jour is doing rather than address the mess going on in our own life.
We must depend on the Lord daily to help with our areas of weakness. God wants us to depend on Him. The moment we think we have it all together is when we think we don’t need God. That is a dangerous place to be in. You are in a state of being deceived if you think you can be holy all by yourself.
We should forever strive to do better and have compassion for our brothers and sisters in their struggle. If only we could rally around each other when we struggle in our faith instead of kicking people out of the fold. The Blood of Jesus works for everyone, even if it has already been applied ten times. Heed the Word of God: whether you live in sin or fail to walk in love, the result is the same: you are not God’s child. Let us walk in love and practice righteousness that we may be right with the Father.
1 John 3:10 (New King James Version)
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
Dear Lord, I am starting this day full of praise and thanksgiving for the powerful ways that you demonstrate your Love. You touch my life in every area and show me that You are concerned with every part. Your Faithfulness is unmatched; the way you keep Your Word causes my faith to increase.
I realize just how deceitful and distracting emotions can be. No matter what I am feeling, the Words You have spoken over me remain the same. No amount of discouragement, distress, sadness or fatigue can change the truth. I used to waste so much time crying and worrying about things in my life that I wanted to change. Now I know that while I may experience some bad days, they are only temporary. I need not fear because I know the promises You have spoken over me. If You spoke it, it shall be done!
It is wonderful to know that I can bring every situation to You in prayer. You always reassure me that everything is working together for my good. Learning to lean on You no matter what truly produces the “peace beyond understanding” that is written about in Your Word. I could not imagine going through life without You. Because of Your Love, I am determined to keep moving forward. Thank You for being the God Who cares!
1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
As much as I love God and love people, there are certain things that I just find hard to forgive. I don’t like to think of myself as the type to hold grudges. I know I am not perfect so I don’t expect anyone else to be.
However, there are some people who I have to forgive every day. That doesn’t mean they do something to me every day. It means I have to renew my decision to forgive them every day because something inevitably triggers the thought of what they did and brings me right back to that place of anger.
I may have removed the person from my life, but I’m left with the residue of what they have already done. I’m left with my indignation, feelings of ‘how dare they do such a thing to Me!?’ I try to be understanding so that I can let it go and never again be moved to anger by the thought of it. I know that people do hurtful things because of their spiritual condition. They cannot help being a jerk if that’s who they really are on the inside (spiritually).
I can continue to be angry with them for being the jerk that they are, or I can remember that I was once a jerk myself. On bad days I can still transform into that jerk! All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None of us can be transformed except by the Blood of Jesus and the Word of the Living God. Looking at it this way, my refusal or inability to forgive feels more like judgment.
Who am I to condemn someone when I have not been condemned? If anyone wants to hold a grudge, my Father in Heaven could certainly have a case against me! But He chooses to shred those files whenever I come before Him and repent. Jesus died so that I do not have to live in condemnation and commissioned me to pass on that same forgiveness to others.
This is my prayer today: Lord, please help me to be more like You. Help me to Love the way that You do. Help me to see beyond the faces of individuals who treat me spitefully and help me to instead see their hurting hearts – the hearts that You desire to heal. Help me to completely forgive those deemed my enemies. When they fight against me help me to remember that it is not me they are fighting, it is Christ in me that they are rebelling against. I release them to You Lord. I pray that they would come to know You intimately and submit their lives to You. I cannot change the way people respond to me. So Lord, please change me so that I no longer focus on perceived hurt feelings.
Thank You for hearing my prayer. Thank You for all the love and beauty that You surround me with daily. I am truly blessed, thankful and complete in You. I love You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Galatians 6:1-3 (The Message)
1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
You serve a God who is moved by your tears. Right now, in this very moment, He wants you to know that He keeps track of every teardrop.
Too often we judge relationship with God by our human relationships. If we become emotional, someone may find it inappropriate. Someone might tell you to “man up” or get over it. People may be turned off or scared away by your expression of feeling because you’re being too “deep” or intense.
This is not so with God. He wants you to know, whether male or female, whether your problem is big or small, or even if you feel you are the problem, you can let it out with Him. Bring Him your tears. He is the ultimate Comforter. He understands your pain like no one else can. After you release your thoughts and emotions with Him, just be still. Lay back in His Arms and let Him bring healing to your heart. In the quiet moments He will minister to You and speak life over You. He will show You what do next.
Bring Him your tears. Ask Him for help. He is a loving Father who cares about the things that concern you. He will hold You and give you what you need to make it better.
Be encouraged today!
2 Kings 20:1-5 (New International Version)
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD.
1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)
7Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
In the book of Isaiah chapter 49, the people were crying about their situation and problems and saying that God must have forgotten them. The Lord responded in verse 15 that even though their own mother may lose compassion and forget about them, that He would never forget them.
He said He tattooed their picture in the palms of His hands! How awesome is that? He kept their image before Him continuously. He went on tell them that He saw their pain but He also saw their breakthrough coming. They just needed to trust and hold on awhile longer.
God sees you, He loves You and your lovely face is imprinted in His mighty hands. Trust Him to work it out.
Isaiah 49:16 (Amplified Bible)
16Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before Me.
