EPHESIANS 4:32
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

People like to say, “I can forgive, but I cannot forget.” Have you heard that before? Now, in the first place, nowhere in the Bible does God tell you to forgive and then to forget. It is not in the Bible! The devil is adding something here to make the whole thing burdensome.

As the previous post stated, God forgives and forgets.  Don’t think because God does this that you are responsible for the same process.

God only tells us to forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us a debt we cannot pay. When we do this, we do ourselves a favor because harboring bitterness and unforgiveness can sometimes destroy our health!

So just forgive and let God take care of the rest. When you really forgive, sometimes, He makes you forget. But sometimes, you still remember the incident because it was a major thing in your life. Yet, when you look back at it, the pain is no more there. The sting is gone and you are not bitter.

Joseph had forgiven his brothers before they came and bowed before him. He remembered what they did to him, but he did not remember it with bitterness. (Genesis 50:15–21) So you may remember the incident, but the bitterness is gone because you have put the cross in the picture—“God in Christ forgave me. Daddy, I forgive you. Mama, I forgive you. My cousin, I forgive you.”  Whomever has wronged you deserves your forgiveness because of the example we’ve been given.

When you forgive, forgive by faith, not by your feelings. We walk by faith, not feelings. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Some people are waiting for feelings—“I am waiting, Father, for the right emotion to come on me to forgive that person.” That “right emotion” may never come!

No, forgive by faith, and do it once and for all. Spend time in prayer. Take out your diary and write it down: “Father, I bring this person before you. You know what he did to me. Father, as You forgave me through Jesus’ cross, even though I did not deserve it, by faith, I now forgive this person and I let my anger against him go in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Once you forgive by faith, you will see the sting of bitterness removed from your heart. You will experience the peace and joy of God filling your mind, and see a greater measure of wholeness in your body!

Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble cause he doesn’t want them turning to God.

Sin is like a jail cell except it’s all nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to leave and the door is wide open until one day, time runs out and the cell doors slam shut and suddenly it’s to late."
(A quote from the movie "God's Not Dead)


What True Forgiveness Means

I want to share a truth with you today that can set you free—free from bondage, guilt and condemnation. It can set you free to live in victory and be everything God created you to be.

This is a truth that is the very foundation of your faith. When you really begin to understand this promise and live in its power, nothing can keep you from experiencing God's best in your life.

No matter what mistakes you've made, no matter how many times you've fallen short...

Because of Jesus, you are forgiven and free!

When you believe this, your entire life can be turned around for His glory. You don't have to live with the shame of your past. You no longer have to dwell on your faults and failures.


As a child of God, redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, you can hold your head high. Every sin has been removed. Every fault has been forgiven. Every failing has been paid for.

In Hebrews 8:12, God makes this promise...
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

Not only have your sins been forgiven, God has chosen to wipe your slate clean. He remembers your sins no more.

God can be merciful to all your unrighteousness and remember your sins no more because Jesus has already made the full payment for your sins at the cross.

Forgiveness of sins is by grace—you can't earn it!

It's important to see that you can't earn this forgiveness—there is nothing you can do in order to merit it. Jesus has already done it all. His death on the cross paid the price for your sins...once and for all.

Therefore, when God looks at you today, He doesn't judge or measure you according to your imperfections. He sees you in the Beloved—He sees you in Christ, and He sees the blood that has been shed for you by His dear Son.

There are many Christians who don't believe God has forgiven them of their sins. They believe that He remembers each and every sin they've ever committed. In fact, the moment something bad happens, these believers think, the rooster has come home to roost. My sin from last year has caught up with me. This is happening to my children, or to my spouse, because of that sin I committed.

This is not right believing! Any time you are focused on your actions—good or bad—you are living in the old covenant.

The old covenant puts the focus on self.


The new covenant puts the focus on Jesus.

Today, you and I are free from the curse of sin when we fully receive the forgiveness of our sins that Jesus paid the price for. We are living in the power of the new covenant. It's not about what we can do...it's about what Jesus has already done.

You can wake up each day with your first thought being, I am forgiven of every sin, and you can go to bed each night free from guilt or shame. Even if you stumble, know that you are forgiven, pick yourself up and start fresh.

Don't make the same mistake that many Christians make when they fall short...

When they miss the mark, there are many believers who count on broken fellowship with God. They count on the fact that God must now be frowning on them. They count on bad things happening because they assume they've lost God's favor.

But broken fellowship, broken favor, broken communion...these are all consequences of sin. You have been given something better. Because of Jesus, you are living in new covenant promises.

So here is what you can count on today: You are forgiven and free!

God has forgiven you, not because He has lowered His standards. It is because He remembered all of your sins in the body of Jesus Christ when He punished His Son 2,000 years ago at the cross.

When you understand the completeness of God's forgiveness and you begin to realize the depth of His love and approval, it will revolutionize your relationship with Him. Knowing your righteous identity in Him gives you the power to break out of every sin, every addiction and every bad habit.

Remember, the forgiveness you have from Jesus is a gift. You don't have to struggle or strive to earn His favor. Because of the finished work of Jesus, you are righteous, you are loved, you are forgiven and free!

This is what true forgiveness means!

 

I recently heard a guy say that praying for the sick was a waste of time.  He meant a waste of your time but to God, it’s time well spent.  The Bible tells us in HEBREWS 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Most people quote only the first part of Hebrews 11:6—“without faith it is impossible to please Him”. Yet, it goes on to say, “for he who comes to God (in prayer) must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. In other words, the faith that pleases God is the kind of faith that believes that God exists and that He is a rewarder. 

I guess it’s obvious by now that the guy who said this doesn’t believe God exists.  Or if he does, then he’s been taught that God is the big miser in the sky that doesn’t really care about our lives.

The Bible also says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. (Hebrews 11:1) So even in times of difficulty, when we don’t see good things happening in our circumstances, we are to believe that God will turn things around and reward us.  This is called hope, the Bible kind, and it’s a confident expectation of good.

Here’s two good examples of what God can do. He turned things around for Ruth, the Moabite widow, when she believed the Lord and made Him her God. (Ruth 1:16) The Bible tells us that the Lord gave her a “full reward” when she came under His wings for refuge. (Ruth 2:12) Not only did He give her protection, He also gave her abundant provision, exceeding favor and a glorious redemption. (Ruth 2:9–17, 3:11, 4:10–13)

When Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, heard reports of how the Lord had opened up the Red Sea for the children of Israel, she believed that “He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath”. (Joshua 2:9–11) Though Rahab had not personally witnessed the miracles, she believed God and hid the Jewish spies from their pursuers. (Joshua 2:4–6) Because of her faith, she not only did not perish with those who did not believe (Joshua 6:25, Hebrews 11:31), but she was also given a place in the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11.

God was so pleased with the faith of these two Gentile women that He not only blessed them in their lifetimes, but He also put them into the genealogy of His Son Jesus Christ, the great Redeemer and rewarder.  Notice these women were not Jews.  All they did was believe in God.

When you come to the Lord with your needs, believe that He is God, and that He is a rewarder. God has pleasure in this kind of faith. He wants to be the rewarder of your faith in Him!

 1 JOHN 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

If you have been to a circus performance or watched one on television, you would be familiar with the act involving a lion and its trainer. But have you ever wondered why, besides holding a whip, the trainer would arm himself with a stool and point its legs toward the beast?

The whole idea is to distract the lion. You see, as powerful as the beast is, it can be immobilized by distractions. If this man-eater is not distracted from time to time, it might just decide to maul the trainer to death!

The devil is like the trainer. He knows that you have God’s power inside you because the Lion of Judah is in you, and “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”. So what the devil tries to do is immobilize you with distractions.

For example, he may bring to your attention a pain in your body to distract you. And you find yourself going to a few medical journals or the Internet to find out more about the symptoms. You also decide to consult more than one doctor. And because you know of someone who has the same condition, you talk to him about it.

In the end, you are distracted by the pain, the symptoms, your findings, the doctors’ reports and your friend’s experience. And you find it hard to believe and focus on God’s Word about your healing. You have become immobilized, powerless and fearful.

So the devil’s trick is to get you to focus on your condition. When you are conscious of the symptoms in your body and your findings, you WILL see sickness manifest. But God wants you to focus on who you are and what you have in Christ. When you are conscious that you are the healed in Christ, you will see healing manifest.

My friend, what you are conscious of will manifest. So be conscious of Christ, who is all the power of God inside you, and you will see that power manifest!

EPHESIANS 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

I believe that when you pray in the Spirit, that is, in tongues, a shield goes up all around you—a watery shield. But why do I call it a “watery” shield? Let me share with you what the Lord showed me.

Once, I was meditating on Ephesians 6:16—“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”. At first, I thought of a Roman soldier’s wooden shield. But three words kept repeating themselves in my mind: “quench” and “fiery darts”. Then, the Lord said, “If it is a wooden shield, the fiery darts will burn it up.” He showed me a watery shield instead, one which was able to quench the fiery darts.

You may ask, “Where did the water come from?”

Remember that Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38) The next verse says, “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit...” (John 7:39)

Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit, which He likened to rivers of living water flowing out of us. So when we pray in the Spirit, rivers of living water will flow, quenching the devil’s fiery darts thrown at us!

Put up the watery shield that God has given you. Pray in the Spirit and quench the enemy’s fiery darts!  If you don’t yet have a prayer language of tongues, ask someone you know that does and have them pray with you to receive the evidence of the Spirit within you. 

The Holy Spirit is in all who believe in Jesus.  Tongues are evidence of this Spirit and a tool to pray the things that we don’t always know how to pray for.  When you pray in the spirit, rivers of living water flow from within you to bring a peace that surpasses your limited understanding. 

What fiery darts are you facing today?  Stress, debt, adultery, sickness and disease?  Whatever the enemy is trying to throw at you, pick up a whole bucket full of living water and drench him good.  Don’t even allow a spark to remain.

Use the tools we’ve been given by a loving Father to be overcomers in life.  You can rise above the waves of life and not go under when you access the Holy Spirit through praying in tongues.

 

Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.
Esther 2:15

When King Ahasuerus was looking for a new queen, the most beautiful women in the land were all brought into the palace. All the women were given the opportunity to adorn themselves with whatever they desired from the women’s quarters before they were brought for an audience with the king.

But when it was Esther’s turn, she “requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised.” And look at the results: “Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her,” and the king “loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:17).

While the other women probably tried to outdo one another by relying on their own efforts, Esther wisely submitted to the one person who knew the king’s preferences best, and the results speak for themselves. I want you to see how Esther depended on the Lord’s unmerited favor. She did not strive to win. She rested in the Lord and humbled herself, and the Lord promoted her and exalted her above all the other beautiful women.

When you humble yourself and cease from your efforts to promote yourself, and depend on Jesus alone, the Lord Himself will be your promotion and increase. Like Esther, you will stand out in a crowd and obtain grace and favor with God and man!