Tag: unforgiveness

Posted in Grace, Life Inspiration

The Bringing in of a Better Hope

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There’s nothing quite like waking up at that the beach to get a full understanding of the fullness of God, the vastness of His creation. The very fact that man in all is wisdom, which is not as much as a grain of sand in comparison to the Lord, cannot explain His Creation nor understand His redemption. We’re grateful for it… but when it comes to forgiveness we as mere mortals have to forgive again and again and again to keep the slate clean for those we love. We forgive… Satan reminds us… we forgive again because we love them. God just simply… forgives. We have lofty expectations of those we love, and yet expect God to turn a blind eye to our short comings. We’re fickle with our love for the most part. There are a few in our circle  that we love regardless of their faults and failures, but we love none like God loves us… endless.

Hebrews 7:15-19

Another Priest

15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

Not as the priests of Old Testament times who sacrificed the blood of animals on the altar for the sins of man, only to have to repeat the process again because that atonement didn’t last. But the blood that one drop of would have cleansed the world forever, and yet He was willing to shed it all. Men and their works could not do what Jesus did. We don’t have the power to forget. We have a bucket ability… our limits of forgiveness and tolerance are about a bucketful. We empty it and then have to refill with the grace of Jesus when He reminds us that we too are broken.

Another Commandment

16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Those commandments and laws that the Old Testament priests tried to keep and to preach are not void, they are God’s expectation of holiness, but unattainable in the our sinful state without the redemption of Jesus Christ. I have a hard enough time being good with the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, I cannot imagine having to live making animal sacrifices for my mistakes… there’s not enough critters on the earth.

17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Another Hope

19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

That bringing of a better hope!! Oh my starts what a thought that is this morning; that for every wave that crashes onto the shore, there is a better hope in Christ Jesus. For every mistake I make, for every time I want to stand accusingly and point my finger at someone for their mistakes, God’s endless supply of grace reminds me that I have no right. He has given me an endless forgiveness. For all the millionth chances God has given me, how can I not give someone else another chance? Praise God I have a hope! That when I mess up I haven’t cut myself off from God, but just as the endless view on the ocean shore, that’s how far God casts my sins.

I hope this morning finds you and I both ready to give someone else another chance…

Posted in Church Unity, Life Inspiration

Fighting Fire with Fire: Resentment gone wrong

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The human spirit is so deceptive. Someone hurts you and the first thing that enters into your mind is “One of these days….vengeance will be sweet.” But it’s not long after vengeance has occurred that you realize you still feel as bad as you did prior to it happening; it resolved nothing. If you’re a child of God, you’ve been rewired. That deceptive human spirit, although it’s still in there, now has a God nature to contend with, and God’s way of handling things has nothing to do with your enemy getting his or her “come uppin’s.” God’s ways are to quench the anger with water of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:20

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

This thought came to my mind as our new Pastor candidate delivered his sermon yesterday morning. A passing thought in the sermon that he didn’t dwell on, but I couldn’t keep my mind off of) was “We want to fight fire with fire, but most fires are put out with water.” Fire is a destructive source. Brush fires scorch acres and acres of property in our community each year leaving nothing behind but blackened trees and ground; but oddly enough what you think would be destroyed beyond hope, grows again with time.

As far as humans are concerned time doesn’t always heal all wounds. Anger and resentment are fire to the soul and spread as quickly as any wild fire. Retaliation in response to someone who hurt us is mostly like gasoline on a flame, it bursts up quickly and gives the appearance of success, but just as quickly burns away to a slow consuming fire. If a fire keeps burning, two things happen, you either have to add more wood, or the wood is consumed. If you want to keep anger in your soul, you’ll either have to stoke that fire, or let it go out on its own, but it’s a whole lot less destructive if you pour water on it in the beginning.

Are you harboring anger or resentment today? Undealt with anger will destroy you from within. But Praise God! The very thing the enemy would use to destroy you also has a built in extinguisher.

Jesus said in John 7:38

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Isn’t it amazing how our Lord works!

I’m not casting a single stone here this morning, I’ve stoked that flame in my own heart on several occasions, it actually felt gratifying for a minute, but it always ends the same. More heartache.

Let it go…

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Shut my mouth!

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Oh, there’s that feeling again! I have my entire life struggled with self confidence and one defense mechanism I’ve used to overcome it is to pretend that I am confident. I figure if I pretend long enough I may actually convince myself. However, one way Satan can destroy my role playing of the confident woman is to send someone into my life that has in the past made me feel less than them. Oh, how I wish I could tell you that I am so close the cross as a child of the King that there is nothing that can penetrate my worthiness; but I cannot. And the second part of that feeling of unworthiness is my tendency to un-forgive people. Possibly my role playing is not limited to a pretender of confidence but I can also add to my portfolio of talents “Pretend Forgiver.” The quote “out of sight, out of mind” may be a more accurate description than forgiveness, I’m just being real; surely I am not alone?

As the Jesus Chick I have put myself in the center of a bulls-eye and made myself target practice for hypocritical knot heads that have made comments to me such as “Well I’m a Christian, but your constant talk of Jesus offends me,” Really? Or those who wait for me to show my imperfect human side and scoff, “Yeah, she’s the Jesus Chick.” Or friends who cut me and walk away as if I were but a loaf of bread. And that’s just this week. It was a full blown attack of the demon of strife. It was ugly! I fancy myself a “soul stirrer” when I speak. I love to stir the hearts up of the people I speak to and create in them a desire to serve God in a bolder way. I listen to encouraging speakers and preachers, and read blogs by encouraging people as a way to keep my mind focused on godly things; and then my godliness goes out the window when a person from my past enters into my mind, or better yet, I sit across from them at a table, and every demon I’ve faced before seems to be lined up behind them staring at me face to face and waiting to get their blow. Oh jeepers, is anyone else out there who knows what I mean?

Satan gets one foot in the door and the next thing you know he’s sitting on your couch telling you how pathetic you are and reminding you of how so and so made you feel and then strife ignites. Proverbs 26:21says “As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.” But 2 Timothy 2:24 says ~ And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. Argg… Does that mean I have to keep my mouth shut, because I’m not very good at that? Yes it does.

So rather than getting on Facebook and telling the world how I felt, or calling up my friends and getting them to jump on my band wagon with me, I sat on the couch. Me and Satan, like we were “besties.” And he pummeled me with thoughts of inferiority. And then I said enough:
• That contentious person…forgiven.
• That door… closed.
• That feeling… squelched.

Am I pretending? No. I can’t allow myself to pretend. As a child of God, as a leader in and out of the church I have to follow Timothy’s advice. Be gentle. Teach. Be Patient. Dampen the fires Satan ignites.

Hebrews 11:33-34 ~ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

God has so much goodness in store for us and if we are to obtain His promise there are some battles that we will have to win by refusing to fight.