Tag Archives: forgiveness

Do it quickly!

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Sickness /disease is often a complicated, black/white, extreme topic in the church but not in the Word. I will address that in another post, on another day.  For today, I want to focus on what anger and all it sub-emotions cause and what the Word warns us about on the topic.

Personally, I’ve had times where anger/unforgiven essentially has led to out of the ordinary pain, more than normal in its extreme. Is all pain, suffering, and  loss rooted in this? No, there are many variables. It’s up to us to inquire.  When I decided to get real and inquire for myself,  it required forgiveness and letting go of a hurt/betrayal. Once I did, the pain left me by the next day I was back to normal. I’m not naive  enough to think that everytime I suffer its because I did something wrong, as I do love in a naturally aging body.  Lately, I’ve observed anger and it’s effects quite often.

As I’ve walked with God over the years,  the last two years especially, I’ve observed several that have become angry and sure enough sickness and/or pain comes within days/weeks after  until they let go.

MATTHEW 5:25 Jesus has been attacking anger and advocating reconciliation in this scripture, explaining the courts of heaven. In this verse he states that it is prudent to quickly reach agreement with one’s adversary.(in the natural, brother  /sister  spouse, parent, etc)

Agree (let go of anger, forgive, reconcile the differences ) with thine adversary (person in the natural you’re in conflict with) quickly, whiles thought art in the way (while you still can) with him; lest at any time the adversary (person in conflict with) 
deliver thee (in prayer to the court of heaven)  to the judge (God) , and the judge(God)  deliver
thee to the officer,(enemy in the spiritual)  and thou be cast into prison.(a personal prison, most often in the physical, sickness, pain/emotional /physical  loss) 

These scriptures are all in legal terms , as in a court, the courts of heaven. Pain, trouble, suffering and loss gets our attention like nothing else does and forces  us to think.
Resolve it on your own while you can before you’re taken to prayer in heavens courts and judged there. Judge lest you be judged.  Judge yourself, humble yourself, forgive and let go so you are justified and found blameless.

 

A Second Chance

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If I could pick the verse that best describes what has happened in the last five years of my life, I would point to:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:2

So, my thinking and way of looking or not looking at things kept me in isolation. I was functioning. Working, raising children, being a good wife. But inside; inside, I was insecure, fearful (about everything) and the anxiety at times would cause me to think I might have a heart attack. Thinking I was a little dramatic? Maybe. Thinking I was being a tab bit unrealistic? Probably. Never the less, it was as real as it could get, but, the Lord allowed me to start seeing it from another perspective – a different point of view or angle. When did it start?  I’m not sure. Do I get it all the time?  Most definitely not!  But I get excited when I do and it’s normally on Monday nights, in the midst of the realness.

A little boy, about seven years old, went up to class and after several disruptions the boy was being walked back downstairs to sit with his mother.  He was escorted by a fairly tall, substantial sized, young man and on his way to his mother, the look on his face was as if to say, “no good is going to come of this when my mother finds out what I’ve done.”  But another teacher, teaching the five and younger class, happened to notice that look.  She asked him his name and if he would he like to come into her class.  The little boy looked up at tall young man asking with his eyes, “Can I?”  The wise young man told him he could and this was a second chance he had been given.

The teacher took him into class and started saying how she could use his help with the chairs since he was bigger than the other children.  He delighted in helping and being told what a good job he did and what a good boy he was.

When class was over, the other children filed past the class with remarks that he had been a bad kid in class that day, but the teacher promptly let them know that was in the past and he had been a good boy and she appreciated his help.

Can you see God in all in of that? We as humans would want to focus on the shortcomings of this child.  How he should act or behave.  Thank the Lord for second chances – for allowing us to see our potential. Even when people want to throw the past back up in our faces. We hear His voice reminding us that the past is gone and we receive mercy!

Thanks to the Restore family who teach our children about love, compassion, second chances and mercy.  Be Blessed, Speak Life and against all Hope, in Hope, Believe. I’m believing that when you think bad things happen and it doesn’t look like you will survive it, you’ll remember He might be using someone to make a way out for you and show you something good in it. Just coming from April’s angle….