True Forgiveness
You know you are supposed to pray for people who have hurt you, but sometimes it's hard, especially if that person is still in your life. We're encouraged to forgive and move on, but forgiving the person who caused so much pain is not easy.
You might be in a position where that person, or possibly faith leaders in your life are pressuring you to forgive. I want to show you how to genuinely find forgiveness in your heart and get to a place where you can pray for and bless that person.
Before we get into how to pray for and bless those who have abused you, let's establish a few key points. Remind yourself of these truths as you process through forgiveness, into praying for and blessing your abuser.
A Mother's Day Blessing by Sara Byars
When I think of God, I think of a loving, powerful, forgiving father, I am aware that He is good and only good! I love what Clint says, "God created a whole planet for two people." He wants us to be a family and to live in paradise together.
We messed up that part of the equation through sin and unbelief, but God still makes a way where there is no way. He sent Jesus to fix all our shortcomings and heal his original plan of having a family.
When God chose a woman to be the one to give birth, that was no mistake. He knew the tenderness of a woman would have the perfect calming voice when needed. He knew her creative hands could help with taking care of her children and keep life fun! He knew her heart would instantly be filled with a never-ending love the moment she laid eyes on her child. He just knew women would be the best to do all the things needed to birth, to raise, to love, and be the Mom!
Inside Out Identity: Learn to Allow God's Love to Deliver Grace to Your Heart
Nothing “outside” of you has the authority to tell you who you are. You have given your life to God, he “owns” you, and he alone has the authority to define what and who you are.
So what does he say?
God says you are at peace with him by faith in Christ, and he says you’re in right-standing with him the same way. He defines the terms, and he enforces the rules. Righteousness is by faith, not works.
Also remember that God has placed his spirit in you, and his kingdom is in you, so essentially God is in you. If God determines your identity, he does it from the inside, not through external circumstances in your life.
Righteousness is not by works, holiness is not by works, and identity is not by works, it’s all given to you in Christ. Your actions do not define you. Nothing anyone does to you, defines you. Not even your DNA defines you.
Unfortunately, we can go through things in this life that are so traumatic we allow them to define us because they’re so overwhelming. What do we do in traumatic situations?
You Can Know God’s Ways, You Don’t Have To Be Confused
Have you ever heard the idea that you can't know God's ways because they're higher than our ways? It's usually applied when a difficult or confusing thing happens. Well, you don't have to be confused, you can know His ways.
God was actually angry at the Israelites in the wilderness for not knowing His ways. God expects you to know His ways. God has shown us His ways, and His spirit continually teaches you His ways. Click for more.
How to Receive Revelation from God
Did you know you can hear from God anytime you want? God is never silent! We may be more focused on the physical world’s circumstances and ignore His voice, but he is without a doubt speaking. If you can’t hear him in your heart in prayer, you can go to his written word and listen to Him. Whether He said it 3000 years ago or 3 seconds ago, His logos can give you life.
In this message, I walk you through the first chapter of Colossians and show you how to read in such a way that His word will come alive in you. The key is this, can you look at His written logos and appreciate what’s there.
What Does It Mean to be Free from Sin?
With freedom from sin comes personal responsibility. Believers have the personal ability to respond to God’s grace rather than continue to live in sin. Response ability.
Under the New Covenant, we are free from sin. We are free from sin in that God is no longer holding our sins against us.
Paul explains in Romans 6 that freedom from sin doesn’t give one an excuse to continue in sin; it’s just the opposite. It’s the opposite because we are under grace.
If you have a traditional understanding of grace, you will not grasp the power of “under grace.” Grace is traditionally defined as unmerited favor. It’s equated to mercy. The sentiment is that God shows you grace even though you deserve punishment. That’s incorrect. Grace and mercy are different. Mercy is undeserved forgiveness, but grace is inner strength.
God is a Constant in a World Full of Variables
In mathematical equations, there are constants and variables. A constant has a fixed numerical value, while a variable may be unknown or can variate. In the formula d = 2r; 2 is a constant whereas, r and d are variables. To solve the equation, you work out the problem until you define the variables. In math, once you solve variables, you can build skyscrapers or balance budgets. In science, when you isolate and know the variables, you can cure diseases or develop all sorts of effective medicines.
The point being, if you solve the problems by working out the variables until they are known constants, you’re left with a reliable formula or process, and sometimes a scientific law.
How to Hear God in a Crisis
Do you want to know how to hear God when it's hard to hear God? Here’s how; if you know what he said, you'll know what he is saying. You don't need a NEW word; you need a LIVING word.
What Is God's Word?
The word "word" is the Greek word, logos. It's where we get the word logic. Logos also refers to the character of the speaker of that word. God's logos is how he thinks, how he treats people, and how he organizes everything he does. It's his way. God has a way about him; that way is his logos.
The logos of God manifests in different ways. We have the written word, which is God’s commandments, instructions, poetry, doctrine and history. The written word reflects the logic and character of his being. The written word can be used to keep us grounded when we feel like we receive a fresh spoken word from God.
Another aspect of the logos of God is Jesus. Jesus is the Logos of God, made flesh. If you could squeeze God's way of thinking, how he behaves, and how he lives his life through time into a human being, that's Jesus.
The Truth About Suffering and Tribulation
You might suffer, even to the point of losing your life, for preaching the Gospel. In that situation, God promises that he'll comfort you. Paul teaches us that if we find ourselves under religious persecution, we can turn to God and be strengthened. As we're strengthened, it helps us persevere, and we come out with hope and patience. But you can not say that God will mess around with your life's circumstances, to make you suffer, to teach you patience.
You Don't Have to Prove Anything to Anyone But Yourself
You don’t have to prove anything to anyone except yourself. People will place all kinds of expectations on you if you let them. They will tell you what they think you should do based on their own lives. Much of the time, we think about what someone else will think when we’re making our decisions.
We live with an underlying sense of expectation from our parents, spouses, our friends, our boss, and our coworkers. We worry about what our political affiliates will think. We worry about what our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ will think. We worry about what our pastors will think.
But none of those people are living your life. You alone have to process your thoughts and emotions when you lay your head on your pillow night. You are the one who has to determine whether you’re following God or not.
You are the only one you have to prove anything to. You know what you’ve done, you know what you need to do, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, they can’t live out the results of your choices for you.