Many people believe that forgiveness is just something to do in passing; yet God’s Word gives us so much more. Understanding forgiveness as a type of deliverance will help you grow in Christ and live in the fullness of what He has for you. If you are wanting to expand your territory for the Lord, live in increase; be free from internal clutter there is no better way than to be delivered than by forgiving. Unforgiveness is plaguing our society and yet people recognize it not. It’s symptoms of bitterness, hatred, resentment; and turn away from the Lord are just some of the almost 40 symptoms keeping people in bondage.
I share some of my personal testimony of the years of abuse I endured and how the Lord healed and restored me and I pray in Jesus name that it helps someone else who has ever been abused; whether sexual, satanic ritual, physical, verbal, emotional, or psychological. God’s Word reigns supreme regardless of what you have gone through. While forgiving certainly was not easy; it did prove that forgiveness is a type of deliverance and because His word never returns void there is a testimony that gives Him all the glory.
What is going on in the Body of Christ today? A few questions may be why are people leaving, where the miracles signs and wonders have disappeared to; and what happened testimonies? When the church and the world look the same it should have every Christian questioning themselves by asking one simple question: Am I a lukewarm Luke or Lucile?
Being a follower of Christ is a lifestyle; not just a Sunday afternoon retreat for a feel good sermon to enjoy yet that seems to be the commonplace for America. Don’t like the message; jump to another church. Oh yes and don’t forget to stop at the one giving away Cowboys tickets in the raffle! And then of course repeat until you find the one that gives you the most goosebumps and talks the least about repentance. I get it. I too once liked the messages that made me feel good; until I got that feeling good was like eating tiny food at a restaurant- you leave hungry because you didn’t get fed.
Not growing up in the church I didn’t know what it truly was to be a Christian and even when I became one all I did was sit in church; for 18 years. Yet my life didn’t change. I had no power. I walked in no authority. I had no relationship. I was broke, beat down, discouraged and a sad excuse for what a Christian should be; much like many today. It didn’t change until I did something about. And it won’t for you either. So if you are lukewarm and do nothing; you simply will stay that way for there is no other way. And where really is a testimony of that? If you were to have a conversation with a non-believer what really would be the sharing point that you have that would have them wanting to be a follower of Christ?
Being a Christian isn’t about sitting and just listening to a message but rather taking action and territory for God and His Kingdom. You have an assignment; a purpose and it isn’t camping or glamping until His return. It simply is not! It is about your obedience to fulfill what you were created for. Nothing more. If you are not actively doing something beyond seeking yourself and your own glory; perhaps getting into His Word and seeking Him for what He would have for you is the best place to start- and really the only place. You can’t get beyond yourself only looking in the mirror and seeing your reflection.
It took me years to get that it was’t about me. I didn’t know how to not make it about me. I was a victim in many ways of many things and my life reflected it. You may be there to except here is the thing. Your life can reflect that of you or the Lord- it’s your pick.
As I fast forward to a life of growth in Christ I see it now. It is so painfully obvious when pastors and church leaders today have the audacity to tell their congregations that sin filled lifestyles are what are going to revolutionize the church. Are you serious? Shame on you! Never mind that Jesus came to set the captives free. Is that not for today?
We must ask ourselves: Why do we think so little of ourselves and of Christ to be ok living in sin, justifying it; and then trying to manipulate people into the church by telling them that sin is ok and to keep on sinning; that abortion is ok, that homosexuality is ok, that just because there if forgiveness all is ok. Where does that edify the Lord? How on earth does that advance His Kingdom? Are we ok with just giving to God 1.5 hours on Sunday and then get mad when He doesn’t deliver what we think we should have? Give me a break! Where are the messages of repentance? Oh yes is that not for today? Well; we need repentance and obedience more than we need one more prosperity message as it’s clear those aren’t truly helping the Body as a whole!
I was told that if I wanted to grow in Christ it would require 40+ hours per week. I thought my Bible teacher was high; he wasn’t. How could I even give 40 hours per week when hockey season was starting? Let’s get real here! I got serious about what it means to be a follower of Christ and my life changed. Yours will too and guess what? You won’t miss football for you will see the sin filled agendas they push down your throat. Oh yes when the NFL tries to bully cities about the gender confusion laws with the Superbowl. You won’t be so deceived that you fall for the satantic rituals performed during half-time. No you won’t feast your eyes on such rubbish because you will again see the Truth and of course be set free! The time in your life will be forever changed as much as you are in the name of Jesus.
You won’t miss the violence in movies or the hatred of women everywhere. You won’t find it funny when women act stupid and put down one another and curse and slander each other. Oh no. You won’t miss the need to be entertained because your standard of living will be beyond accepting sin filled crap in your life. You won’t be deceived by the feminist movement that is pure hatred. You won’t settle for less than what God has for you because you will recognize that the God you serve is holy and makes the impossible possible and just for you. You won’t miss not being seen at the bar looking oh so fly because the only One your focus will on is the One who matters most. And you won’t settle for less; oh no you won’t ever let someone call you out on being lukewarm because you know it won’t be possible.
Until we as followers of Christ are willing to stop placating sin, justifying it and minimizing and morphing it then the answer to the question is and will continue to be- you are a lukewarm Lucy or Larry and yes you will be spit out by Jesus in accordance with His word. It is beyond time to let these words sink in before it’s too late:
To the Church in Laodicea
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” (Rev 3:14-19)
There is time for you to make the personal change to not be known as the lukewarm lazy one but the gipper for God or as some may label but why care? At least you know who you are in Christ and that no weapon formed against you will come to pass.
It’s time to stop pretending as those days are revealing exactly what they are. It’s all collapsing and right before our very eyes. Too many people are losing their lives being deceived by what God says sin is and isn’t. It’s time now if you lay claim to being a Christian that you get up and stand up for Truth and stop actively networking your way through the social club of popularity in what is fake and fraudulent in the first place. Get with God and His level of holiness and then and only then will there be the full manifestation of transformation that takes place. Anything less than that is as fake as the Prada or Birkin bags people want people want you to believe are real. The time is now to do something about getting the real thing; and while you still can.
Forgiveness was not something I knew much about. Sure I heard the proverbial message in various churches to ‘forgive’ but so what? What did it even mean? And why? Oh the consequences and bla bla. The more pastors and preachers that spoke the simple word the more I resented the idea and the fact that it would do anything for more. When you resent having to forgive things happen; and not those that you want.
See; the idea of me having to forgive was such a joke. I was the victim! No seriously; I was. It wasn’t made up in my mind that I was a victim I truly was- and from before I was even born. But nevertheless I was left behind as my mother went for pizza; and then just never came back. I was taken from the foster home that I loved which definitely wasn’t fair. I even tried to run away from my adoptive parents to go back to the foster home because they actually loved me. And to grow up later in life hearing ‘forgive’ just made me want to vomit and kick someone in the shins.
I was angry because it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that so many people in my life made decisions for me that I didn’t have anything to do with but that I paid the consequences for. I resented them all for it because they were living the good life and here I was; suffering day in and day out. And as a child that is an injustice.
I carried all that with me and justified it so. And I even became a Christian, sat in church and thought nothing of it. I then became baptized in the Holy Spirit and still carried it with me. I was a victim and forgiveness was really not on my radar to the full. Sure I said the words years in the past but what would there be beyond that? A ton I later learned!
What I learned was that my resentment and anger was about me. My unforgiveness was about me too. And my harboring it was all my doing. I was satisfied in keeping all bottled up; even though I was nothing but! I didn’t even know how deep it was until after the fact. And it goes something like this:
I resented what happened to me. I resented that no one cared. I even resented God for not even being there because let’s face it- if God was so loving why would He even allow it in the first place? Oh yeah I was not a happy person by any means. And I resented that. I resented the holidays and seeing families together because I didn’t have that. And I resented happiness because it was something I could not have. I resented all the pretty people in school and those that bullied me. I resented the boys who used me and I certainly resented my adoptive father who was the biggest weenie that he never stood up for me. And to top it off the fact that I had to forgive just about sent me over the edge- the edge of Resentment Road! But then things changed. And in big ways. I learned something.
I learned that resentment, unforgiveness, and anger were not something I had to keep. I learned that while I was yes the victim of much; that I chose to stay that way. God revealed to me that He is loving and that He has a plan. He revealed that my unforgiveness and resentment was keeping me in the past and not flowering in the future. And well; I resented that too because I wish someone, anyone would have told me that although I’m not sure if it would have helped.
I also learned that unforgiveness is disobedience and rebellion. I learned that God was on my side as I chose the side of forgiveness; or that of life. I started feeling hope and peace in ways unexplainable. I was being healed and delivered through each act of forgiveness and repentance of unforgiveness. My resentment was disappearing like the snow after a Colorado blizzard. What I was shown was that all I had to do was keep my eyes focused on the Lord and that He would avenge all that occurred to me. He would redeem me. He would restore all that has been lost. He would and guess what? He is! And He will do the same for you.
The bottom line is that regardless of how you feel; your obedience is what must be the focus. It is not fair that things happen or that you are a victim; but what you do about it is what will move mountains. When you live life based upon how you feel you will never get where you want to go. If you allow resentment to reign; forgiveness will too. If you allow forgiveness to reign, resentment will too. And more importantly; that separation from Jesus will too. And when I got that I didn’t ever want to be resentful and miss out on the abundance of life that God ordained for me. My prayer today in the name of Jesus is that you see the treasure that you are; that you have all that you could ever dream of and that He created you to be more than a conqueror! I pray that you don’t allow resentment to rule but rather you trade it for freedom and forgiveness. Then you taste and see the goodness of the Living God. And resentment will be a thing of the past.
Stinking Thinking ,
You have a choice about what you think about. What you choose to think about will dictate where you go in your life. God’s Word tells us to ‘choose life so that you and your family may live’. It is a measure of protection that begins in the mind. The stinking thinking that you allow in will distort everything else in your life. Removing the stinking thinking will protect you and your family and will bring more of God and His larger plans into your life.
God’s Word also tells us to demolish every argument and pretension set up against the knowledge of God and so therefore; as we do that our lives will change. This is so that we can live in the freedom that comes only through taking every thought captive unto Him.
Brothers and Sisters; God is on your side. He wants the best for you it’s just time that you align yourself with you to align with God’s Word to receive just that.
You are not alone- He is with you!
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