My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, O Lord!
Of Your salvation all day long,
Though I know not its measure!
I will come and proclaim Your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord!
I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone!
Psalm 71:15-16
John is the disciple who testifies to the things of God, and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written (John 21:24-25).
No doubt by now you know that Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with Holy Spirit and with power, and He went around doing good and healing all who were possessed by demons, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38 TLB).
Tell those who are troubled by doubt and disbelief Jesus invites us into the realms of the miraculous. Those who saw Him believed for the blind He healed, the lame walked without help, the lepers were cured, the deaf could hear, and the dead were raised to life (Matthew 11:4-5 TLB). Blessed are those who haven’t seen the Lord, yet they believe anyway (John 20:29-31 TLB).
Yes, blessed are those who don’t doubt Jesus! (Matthew 11:6 TLB). Unlike the Jewish leaders who devised an empty scheme (Psalm 2:1 AMP). Because the Passover, a very special Sabbath, was the following day they asked Pilate to order the legs of the men broken to hasten death so their bodies could be taken down.
The soldiers did as they were ordered and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to the Lord, they saw that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. However, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out.
The soldiers did this in fulfillment of the Scripture that says, “Not one of His bones shall be broken,” and “They shall look on Him Whom they pierced.”
I, John, saw all this myself and have given an accurate report so that you also can believe (John 19:31-37 TLB).
So you won’t do anything from factional (sect, denomination, dissenting, disunified..) motives through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends. Prompted by conceit and empty arrogance (Philippians 2:3 AMP). For there are many disorderly and unruly people who are idle, vain, empty. Misleading talkers and self-deceivers and deceivers of others. This is true especially of those of the circumcision party (Titus 1:10 AMP).
Therefore, dearly beloved, who share in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest Whom we profess. He was faithful to the One Who appointed Him. Jesus has been counted worthy of great glory (Hebrews 3:1-3 BSB).
For Christ, God’s faithful Son, has been given complete charge of God’s house. And we Christians are God’s house – God lives in us! We must keep our courage and our joy and our trust in the Lord firm to the end! Hebrews 3:6 LB). It is not enough to invite Jesus into our lives as Savior, we must firmly place God’s Word within the chambers of our heart as Lord!
In 2 Corinthians 2:8-11 Paul speaks to us about the importance of forgiveness. We forgive in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. God asks us to forgive because this a crucial step toward our recovery and inner healing. Jesus Who always professed for the sake of our developing trust and reliance, “I tell you the Truth!”
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that you may have life and have life to the full (John 10:10). So, I ask you to reaffirm your love for self, for others, and for God. For as Bryant H. McGill was quoted: There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness with love!
The following information was taken from the website For God Fore His Glory on the lesson of Forgiveness. https://forgodforehisglory.com/2023/03/lesson-17-forgiveness-2-of-2/
- Forgiveness is a beautiful idea – until we have to practice it
- There are a lot of jokes about forgiveness
- Forgiveness is not something those of us on this journey of inner healing and recovery can take lightly
- Forgiveness is clearly God’s prescription for the broken
- No matter how great the offense, the abuses – along the path to healing lies forgiveness
- Pretending the hurt isn’t there, that it doesn’t bother you anymore, won’t solve your problems
- “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there!” Jeremiah 6:14
- The FIRST and most important offer of forgiveness is extended from God to us
- No matter how grievously we may have injured others or ourselves the grace of God is always SUFFICIENT
- His forgiveness is always COMPLETE
- Remember, if God wasn’t willing to forgive sin, heaven would be empty!
- The SECOND kind of forgiveness is extended – From us to others
- This type of forgiveness is a PROCESS
- We need to be willing to be truly free
- We must be willing to let go of the pain of the past harm and abuse caused by others
- FORGIVENESS IS ALL ABOUT LETTING GO!
- Remember playing tug-of-war as a kind. As long as the people on each end of the rope are tugging – you have a war
- When you forgive others – you are “Letting go of your end of the rope”
- No matter how hard they may tug on their end, if you have released your end – The War is Over! – It is Finished
- But, until you release it you are a prisoner of war
- Think about who your anger is hurting most – It is YOU
- Forgiveness enables you to become fully freed from your anger
- Forgiveness allows you to move forward in your relationships in a positive direction
- You may have forgotten about someone you need to forgive – God
- God cannot and does not sin
- God is perfect in Love and Mercy and Grace
- But remember, He loves us so much He gave us a free will
- God wants us to love Him as our choice
- What’s important to understand and believe: The harm others did to you was from their FREE WILL – it was their choice – NOT God’s – It was NOT GOD”S WILL
- Once you understand “Free Will” you will understand your anger toward God has been misplaced
- Distorted relationship to willpower: The willful person believes all manner of things can be controlled
- Failure – even failure to control events beyond anyone’s ability to control – leads to a sense of inadequacy
- The willing person recognizes the value of determination in those areas where it is possible to exercise influence or control while accepting the fact: There are some things they simply can’t do anything about
- If you have been the victim of sexual, physical, childhood emotional abuse or neglect – I am truly sorry for the pain you have suffered. You did not deserve what happened to you
- However, you will not find the peace and freedom from your perpetrators – until you are able to forgive them
- Remember, forgiving them in NO way excuses them for the harm they caused you – it will release you from the power they have had over you
Genesis tells of this dream Jacob had: There was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood over and beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac your father; I will give to you…” Genesis 28:9.
God has given to us His Word so with our ears and our heart we can know what lies within the Lord’s heart: “Drink, yes, drink abundantly of Love. Oh, precious one that you would know now and forever you are Mine, irrevocably Mine!” Song 5:1 AMP.
Sadly, the enemy is not alone he has perpetrators who do his bidding – to kill and to steal and to destroy. But God, He has set before us Life not Death. He has given us His Word of Truth to remove doubt and deceit and skepticism from our heart. For our heavenly Father has revealed the Way to stop the enemy from destroying our inner peace and joy: Faith and Hope and Love in and for the Lord.
I am an average person. My life has been greatly affected by those who perpetrate evil and abuse. I will always point to Jesus because God’s Word can accomplish for us and in us and through us – as the Message Bible says: Far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! God does it not by pushing us around but by working within us. His Spirit deeply and gently within us (Ephesians 3:20).
God no longer sets a portal, a door, or a gate before us to gain entrance to heaven as the angels had in Jacob’s dream. God has set His Word and His Spirit within us so we can do what Jacob and Job could not: Find out the deep things of God! We can by searching explore the depths, ascend to the heights, extend to the breadths, and comprehend the infinite perfection of God’s love for us. Through Jesus, God has given us His wisdom so our thoughts and our ways can be as His: As high as the heights of heaven (Job 11:7-8 AMP).
My issues have never been with drugs or alcohol, my addiction has been to people. I have been and continue to be recovering from how codependency and people pleasing and approval seeking prevented me from knowing and experiencing the most beneficial relationship a person could enter into – a personal and intimate relationship with God and His Word and His Holy Spirit.
Being freed from my way of thinking and doing has not been an easy process because of fear, because of my issues of control, because of trust issues, because of words. Years and years of words twisted with deception and all the negativity evil generates: pridefulness, arrogance, and ungodly wisdom,,,
God has given us a portal – His Word! Jesus told the world, “I am the DOOR! Anyone who enters through Me will be saved,” John 10:9 AMP.
“I am the GATE! Come in and go out and find green pastures,” John 10:9 TLB.
For the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not be in want. He makes us lie down in green pastures – to chew on the Bread of Life again and again. God’s Word of Truth leads us beside quiet waters, He restores our soul. God’s Word of Life guides us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, we need not fear for God’s Word of Grace is within us. The rod of His mouth comforts us! The staff of God is in the hand of the Rock where Living Water flows. Drink, drink deeply of Love for God’s Word of Peace has prepared a table before us in the presence of our enemies.
He has anointed our head with oil. And Holy Spirit will cause our cup to overflow with peace and patience and faithfulness and self-control. For surely, Goodness and Love will follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Psalm 23.
God has made it possible for us to join those angels and climb to heights and realms so we can be as God’s Word says “Free Indeed!.” There are steps we can take so Holy Spirit can truly transform our likeness in our own eyes. We acknowledge and admit:
God exists and we matter to Him!
We are not God!
We are powerless to control our tendencies to do what is wrong, which causes our life to become unmanageable!
God has the power to help us recover, to bring about our inner healing, to restore our peace of mind and heart!
We choose to commit our life and will into Christ’s care and control!
We openly evaluate and confess our faults!
We voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in our lives,
And humbly ask Him to remove our character defects!
We evaluate our relationships! Offer forgiveness!
Make amends unless it would cause harm!
These steps move us into God’s realms of the miraculous. Of course, this is a journey not a destination; a process not an event. On my website ForGodForeHisGlory.com there is a vast source of information: Lessons, books, meditations. We can share words of encouragement and support and this is important, but God’s Word is essential because Truth will impact us for a lifetime. Just as the knowledge of forgiveness He imparts to us.
- The LAST kind of forgiveness is perhaps the most difficult for us to extend: We need to forgive ourselves
- You may feel the guilt and shame of your past is just too much to forgive
- This is what God wants you to do and to know about the darkness of your past:
“Come, let’s talk it over!
No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out,
And make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained
As red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!
If you will only let Me help you’”
Isaiah 1:18-19