Obedience to God’s Word comes with a choice just as much as disobedience does as well. Your choice to forgive comes down to your choice to choose obedience to God’s Word. In the Garden of Eden it is written in Genesis 3:15-17 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (NIV) Notice carefully at this point that 1) God commanded Adam, 2) Eve was not yet created. It wasn’t verse 21 that Eve was brought to existence.
Genesis 3:21-22 reveals Eve’s debut: “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” (NIV) It must be noted the order of events because there has been incorrect blame placed on Eve when she was not given the order by God. Keep reading.
It is important to recognize this because the level of obedience a person has will be based upon their understanding and knowledge; and if one is truly to be obedient to God in full it will definitely require knowing His Word and not some other misinterpretation of it. As such; Eve was deceived into disobedience by her choice of ignorance but also because Adam, who was given the command, did not rise to the occasion and intercede. His choice of disobedience caused the fall of humanity and was the first downfall of marital leadership and headship of man. It is equally important to recognize how easy it is to be disobedient and another reason of support to know the Word so as to not be deceived. In Genesis 3:1-6 it tells us “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
What is interesting to note is that the serpent was more crafty than all the animals the Lord made; and it was the serpent who deceived Eve. Perhaps she would not been deceived by a pug or Koala bear; but alas the serpent was there. Eve was also at a disadvantage because she was not given the command of what to eat or not to eat; and she would not have had enough wisdom on her own to know to ask what she could and could not eat. The level of assumption is curious. Perhaps she too did not know what it would mean to have her eyes open; yet obviously the serpent did and took appropriate steps to cause her to be disobedient. It is similar to unforgiveness in the way that the enemy will cause thoughts contrary to God’s Word to justify keeping unforgiveness; although scripture commands otherwise. As the story continues we read, starting in verses 6-7: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
Eve made the choice to look at the fruit. She liked what she saw and she made a choice to act upon it. Because of her level of ignorance she fell; and humanity went right along with her. What people do not truly grasp is how the mind can be a trap of disobedience if not recognized and renewed in accordance with God’s Word in Romans 12:2. Adam disobeyed the direct order of not eating from the specific tree; yet his mind was not in right alignment because he went along with the Even to be disobedient. He made the choice to elevate Eve above God. Similarly; a choice to not forgive is one that causes a fall; and those around the unforgiver lose out as well. It is vital to pay attention to what you are looking at and to know the scripture the way they are written in order to not be deceived by any serpent who brings purposeful misinterpretation for a false outcome.
The more disobedient one is the more his or her eyes and heart are open to sin and the nature of bondage that comes with it. There is never freedom in sin. There cannot be because that would mean that without Christ there is freedom; and there is no such thing. So long as the mind is prepared to be obedient fully to the Word of God; there are less chances of falling and failing to a lifestyle against God and one of rebellion. And we can simply look around and see the turnaround that must take place for full freedom to reign once again.
I was reading an article this morning about change and I reflected on all the change that surrounds us. There are changes in the economy, rental market, food prices, within the church; and then I stopped to reflect on the changes with my relationship with Jesus.
If you are not changing as much in your relationship with Him ask yourself what it is that you are doing or not doing that is the reason. You see; where you go with Him is up to you.The enemy will do everything he can to distract you from getting in relationship with Him, from giving your time to Him; and from reading your Bible. Have you ever noticed that when you want to read your Bible you have an itch, the dog needs to go out, you get tired, thirsty, people who haven’t called you in 50 years all the sudden do so; and the list goes on. Before you attempt to go to church you fight with your spouse, people drive slower, Starbucks line is too long to wait in because you want the good seat. Oh- and then you get there only to realize you forgot your Bible- and hers too. Perhaps you have been there. I hope you see the game. And no not the football game but rather the game the enemy is playing with your life. Forgive yourself for not seeing it; and then do something about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euO-31_EvMg
Time is running out and the message of forgiveness and love is a message that we must get and soon because life is changing before our very eyes. The only thing we have to give to Jesus is ourselves. And if you choose to give more time to your hobby than Him what will you have; more trophies? More trophies won’t do much for you in crisis. But He will!
And so I say all of this to say that when you set your mind on Him and the things above; you will start to see the snares. You will see the traps before you fall into them. There will always be another football game, another fashion trend, phone; another dance competition. There will always be another something to steal your time away from Him. That is what it’s designed to do. And when you see it and overcome it you will have victory. Your eyes will not bother with the things below because you and your heart will be set on the things above; the thing that is most important: your relationship with Him.
Don’t take it for granted. You would hate to turn back and He’s not there because you forsook Him. Go to Him while you still can; He is waiting.
For more about love and forgiveness watch ‘Living in Forgiveness’ Monday-Friday at 9:30pm CST on the UANetwork. Check your local listing. Stream live at www.uanetwork.tv Also on Roku and On-Demand
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Love in today’s society must reign. it doesn’t matter what part of the world or who you are. Love must reign. It must if we intend to live as Christians. And in these times; we must stand in accordance with God’s Word to love our neighbors regardless of what we think of them. We must love and be prepared in and out of season to walk and live in love.
In a recent conversation; I listened to a story about a group of people were discouraged and disappointed after studying and watching to learn about the Shemitah, the blood moons; and other various things that were expected to take place.
These people followed along intently and believed all the words spoken and all the concepts taught; and waited for what would occur. Sounds great right? Except; it didn’t. The expected calamity did not strike on the day or the days that were prophecied. As a result; the group was left with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Situations like this are not uncommon; they are just not probably talked about daily at the dinner table. It is one though that leads us all to be prepared and in a way that only is in love.
You see; you can be the best prepper and listen to this alleged prophet or that and have every study guide and 2,000 rounds of ammo but if you have no love for your neighbor you have nothing. What do you think you will do when calamity strikes and you instead of love; hate? What will happen to not only your neighbor but to you as well? If you allow yourself to get discouraged by one person then what will happen when there are three or four or more that have a false word? There can be no room for anything but love; and love for another.
No one is doubting that these are tough times for the world. One doesn’t need bifocals or binoculars to see it. It’s here. Look around. Some are looking for that specific date except the largest clue that is evident when Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 25:13: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (NIV) The search to know this or that instead of focusing on love and hearing from God will only serve as a distraction and right now; who needs more distractions?
It is time that in order to know and be in the know that it isn’t about this person teaching or speaking that; but the Almighty God speaking directly to you. Period. When you get to a place of hearing directly from Him and in love- you will be more prepared for anything than you can possibly imagine.
The most important command in the Bible is clear; and it’s serious. The command to love they neighbor it is written in Mark 12:31 ‘The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Interesting isn’t it? You may have grown up hearing it but not now where it comes from. I ask again- do you really love your neighbor? It seems in our society that we love twitter, we love a great shoe sale or Duke basketball; even when they miss a championship here or there. But do we love the obese man next door? Do we love the African American across the? Do we love the homosexual couple? Or do we just think we are speaking a good idea in theory?
See; all too often we interact with people and base whether we like them on political stances instead of the people themselves. You like more Democrats if you are one and well; Republicans too like their kind. The Bible is clear to love and missing that means we miss the entire point. Remember it was Jesus at the well speaking to the woman out of love. It was Jesus that died for your sins and for mine; and if you ever claim to be a follower of Christ but have no love then are you truly His follower? Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are and right where they are. Don’t you? The good news is that you are if you merely look to Jesus.
Today I ask you: “Are you loving your neighbor?” Are you living in the land of love or are you too busy judging others because they are not the size 2, driving the vehicle that you think is cool, or drinking your favorite beer? They don’t agree with your stance on refugees or Donald Trump and therefore you are just not ok with them. Are you forcing tolerance in the name of tolerance while being intolerant yourself? Are you looking down on someone because they don’t attend your 40k member mega-church? Or better yet; judging those ministers publicly because of something you think they stand for instead of realizing that in love you cover a multitude of sins? It is simply not the place of any of us to judge anyone as that in and of itself is sin. Who is anyone to look at the life and path of another and condemn them? Am I not just as guilty for the sins I have committed? Sin is sin and we have to remember that. Sure the outcome may be different but that simply is not the point for this moment.
It’s amazing how many don’t realize the magnificent and the magnitude of the words Jesus spoke before His death: ‘Forgive them Father for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34) and how true it is! People are hurting by their sins so why judge them even more?
I remember a few years ago I was walking out of a store and a strange gentleman asked me my plans for the evening. I replied ‘none’ and his reply was ‘oh another beautiful lady home on a Friday night.’ Ouch! What I saw though was that the pretty ladies are judged for their looks just as much as the not so pretty ladies; whatever they even look like. In the end- all are home alone on a Friday night and still be judged. And that’s not cool!
We are only called to love our neighbors. It’s that simple. None of us know the specific path that someone has been through. We just don’t. Know one has walked my journey with me except for Jesus and the same is for you. I will be dealt with on Judgment Day as will all of us whether we believe it or; like it or not or want it or not. Through all of this so long as we hold over those who we believe are more sinful than ourselves we are simply playing God. It is not up to any of us to place ourselves in that position as what we think today may be different tomorrow. It is only our responsibility and duty to reach out and love our neighbors and demonstrate that love so that others can see the light and forever be changed. It is our duty to love. And through forgiveness more love will come.
Forgiveness is one of those tricky things that until you get it; it makes no sense. When it comes to forgiving others when they don’t deserve it; that can make it all the more tricky. It’s hard when someone hurts you and you have to be the one to forgive. Sometimes it’s not fair; but let it be known that it wasn’t fair when Jesus carried that cross for you and for me either. And so when it comes to forgiveness forgiving others when they don’t deserve it is just part of life.
So how do you do? Why should you do it? Well; I can give you the obvious. It’s a command. But that doesn’t typically justify it for most people; especially in our self gaining society. It’s not fair that we have to forgive when others did us wrong but here is the thing that must be stressed that I want you to get today.
Your level of forgiveness isn’t about what others have done to you. Period. I want to say get over it but that probably wouldn’t help much so let me share it another way. Your level of forgiveness is between you and God. Period. When you get that your life will change. And I wish someone told me that decades ago. You see; when you forgive you are focusing more on Christ and how He can redeem you than focusing on what others did to you that you can’t change.
When we look outward instead of upward we miss the point. We miss the point of Christ on the cross. We miss the point of His obedience and in laying down the foundation of it along with the message of forgiveness. There is nothing that can’t be done on your behalf but you have to choose. You have to choose to let go what others have done to you. You can harbor it but for what point? What will it get you? Let me tell you what it got me: bitterness, anger, broken relationships, separation from Jesus and a whole lot more. I didn’t feel justified in forgiving others because I was the victim; seriously. I was the victim. But is there the thing. The longer you choose to stay the victim you are just more disobedient and rebellious to God’s Word. And that isn’t a place that I wish for you to stay-trust me!
And so when we examine this further your level of forgiveness is about you making the choice to go to God and lay down you ego. You cannot ‘Edge God Out’ while ‘Edifying God Only’ as you cannot serve two masters. When you go to Him and relinquish the pain of what happened, the emotional attachment to how it made you feel; and what you have harbored you will be restored. You will be restored one step closer to the real you that God intended from the beginning. And all of this has nothing to do with other people or whether or not they deserve to be forgiven. Why? Because the very same thing could be asked of you. Do you deserve to be forgiven for the pain you have caused? What makes you any different? And case in point Jeffrey Dahmer got it- he gave his life to Christ before He was murdered in prison. In other words- none of us are deserving and when we remove our own idea of judgment of right and wrong and understand grace and mercy- we are changed.
If you look at those who have harmed you ask yourself if they truly knew what they were doing. Jesus said it clear: Forgive them Father for they know not what they do. And if we follow that how much do any of us really know what we are doing? So then how possibly are we to the ones to play God and choose whether or not to forgive when the Word tells us to forgive. It’s for our protection, healing, peace of mind and obedience that we must remove everyone and everything else from being a distraction so we can place our focus where it should be: our relationship with Christ and obedience for obedience is worth more than sacrifice.
The best news of it all is that when you release the pain of the hurt you are free. The more free you are the more able you are to love and see people as Jesus. The more love you have within you the more you are then able to follow the greatest commands which are to love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. Whether or not someone else is deserving of your forgiveness then isn’t even the focus because you seek the best things; the things above. And that is where the true freedom is. Recognize that regardless of where you are or they are; you and we are all the same. So forgive. Be the example of freedom that frees others. Jesus did it for you. So be like Him and do it too.
How does your future look? It is like a breath of fresh air or more like the stock market; not so good? Your future will have a different look to it simply based upon forgiveness. Your future delivered through forgiveness will tell the world where you are and where you are going. Easy as that. So the question is what do you want your future to look like? You can get the better future and through forgiveness what your future will never be the same.
What does this mean? It means that you may be at a fork in the road; and you may or may not know it. If you are like me; I had no idea! I had no clue 1) that I had unforgiveness, 2) how to deal with it, 3) the impact it would have, 4) that it would be the deliverance that I needed, 5) that a forgiveness and deliverance ministry would have been born out of it. This is what you don’t know when you live in unforgiveness. You can’t know. You can’t know what you need to know because what you need to know is blocked because you haven’t yet removed it and been healed and delivered. And that is what is keeping you from your real future. Of course it is inclusive of the entire future that God created you for in the first place.
Bottom line is this: if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired it’s time to get real. It’s time to stop playing church. It’s time to stop pretending everything is fine. It’s time to stop placating the message of forgiveness. It’s time to get the fact that unless you deal with it; your future will look like your past. It cannot look like anything else. I am not saying this because it’s funny; but because it’s what I lived. And for far too long!
What it is time for is to be honest, to look in the mirror, to humble thyself and to go before God and ask of Him: “What unforgiveness and it’s symptoms do I have? What in its entirety must I repent of? To whom do I need to forgive?” It is time to get the revelation that unless you understand it in full that there are almost ’40’ symptoms you may have one or two; or if you are like me I had them all and didn’t know it! It’s time to get that your future is waiting for you and it’s up to you to do something about it.
When and only when you grasp that your future is based upon the level of forgiveness you choose will your life change. It is only when you grasp that reality that you were created for more than what you are probably living right now and that on the other side of unforgiveness is where it is then you can be moving toward the life and its abundance. It’s only when you recognize that Christ died so that you don’t have to live in the wreckage and bondage of life that you can be healed and delivered. It’s when you step up and take the reigns of obedience to Christ will your future come forth and in big ways.
It is when you are on your knees before the Most Holy One being real that you are in fact a sinner and that you are ready for healing, deliverance and forgiveness to reign that your life will change. For me it was two full days of it. I cried the entire time because the pain of my past was so wretched. The horrific things that happened to me I couldn’t bear- and I didn’t have to! You see He died for me. And He died for you too. I was healed and my soul was restored. I was reunited with the Father in the ways unimaginable. My eye color and my voice changed! And this ministry came forth so that you too can be free, delivered and healed through the message of forgiveness. Think about the lives of those whom you will change once you too are on the other side. It will blow your mind. It did mind. And that’s the God we serve!
That wonderful future is there for you. You simply just have to make a choice- life or death. Freedom or bondage. Sure you may try to tell yourself you are fine- and how’s that working out for you? I did it so I know; I get it. I now see through. You may think you are so smart to fool others but fooling yourself is more dangerous and know you can’t fool God. But what you can do is go to Him. You can do that. I know you can. I know too that you can get to the full life that He already has planned for you. And I can tell you too that it’s far better than living in the high rise, sitting in owners boxes of NHL teams, flying in private jets and driving sports cars. It’s better than going to private Bare Naked Ladies concerts and having dinner with the Red Wings or Miami Dolphins; or sharing seats with Paul Newman. It’s better than all that. By far. So today get what’s better for you. Get forgiveness. Get free. Get your future.
For more about forgiveness watch ‘Living in Forgiveness’ M-F at 9:30 pm on the UANetwork. Check your local listing.
The past is time gone by. You can’t get it back and you can’t change it. If you want to build the future that is there waiting for you; you can do just that by forgiving your past. If you are a top salesman but wanted to always be a gym teacher; forgive yourself and go for it. There is no reason to dwell on what you did or did not do then; what matters is what you do now. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the time of yesterday or yesterday; but what does matter is what you are doing now to build that better future. Forgiveness is the method of travel to your future.
1. Make the choice to forgive. If you want to live a wonderful present and see the bright future the past cannot be what you live. There is a reason why the front windshield of a vehicle is larger than the rear. Make forgiveness the choice and know that until you do; you will live in the past. What you choose to do starts in your mind and today is the day for your mind renewal according to Romans 12:2.
2. Take back your power. When you choose to live in unforgiveness you are choosing to let others have all the power. Forgiveness and unforgiveness alike are not about anyone else but you. When you forgive and start living a life of forgiveness you are not allowing the sins and behaviors of others to put you in bondage. Recognize that people are allowed to treat you the way you allow them to. When they have all the power; they can do what they want. When you remove that power through forgiveness; you and your life will be on the path toward what you are destined for. It’s time for you get back what you have given away through unforgiveness. It took me years; decades to be honest to get the reality that I was living a life with no power because I gave it all away. Unforgiveness strips you of all of it!
3. Start living your real life. You can’t live your real life until you forgive. It is not possible. I can tell you from personal experience that it is not possible. Unforgiveness distorts your thoughts, behaviors; and identity. With all of that distortion how do you think you honestly could build the right life or one even following Christ to the full when God’s Word commands forgiveness? There is a plan for your life and unforgiveness keeps you from it. Once you make the choice to forgive and get your power back; your future belongs to you. And there is much power in that!
Forgiveness is the path to your future. Unforgiveness is the path of the past. It is up to you to decide what you want and the steps to take to getting it. Unfortunately many take the easy way out yet die much too soon. It is the strong that forgive. It is the strong that at all cost; do not give others the control to influence them through such nastiness as unforgiveness. If you want your future; the real future that God has for you it’s time for you to step up and get it. The rewards for obedience are there. The freedom that comes with it is there waiting for you. Everything you could ever dream of is right there- in your future. All you have to do is take this present to get that future and walk away from the past. It’s that simple. Build your future on forgiveness today. Then live in it!
There is much talk lately about identity theft and for good reason.What’s sad is that as much as it’s talked about; unless it happens to you there doesn’t appear to be much concern. What’s worse is that when it comes to identity in Christ; it appears even less are concerned. It’s a shame because without forgiveness in Christ there is no pure identity. And without that; people perish. Isn’t it time you got your true identity back?
When we go to the beginning we can see that it was all laid out accordingly; but because of free will people have the choice to grow closer to God; or depart from Him. Before Adam made the choice to be misled by his wife Eve; he had a clear identity and plan. It’s clear in Genesis 2:15-18. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (NIV)
God gave Adam his identity and purpose; He created Him with one and the same is for you too. Obviously God and Adam had a relationship as well which is truly no different than people today; except many choose to forsake God through rebellion. They take what little identity they think they have created to go live a life they think is unto God yet know Him not. God knew Adam and Adam knew God. The plan was for Adam to take care of the garden and expand God’s Kingdom with his lovely wife Eve. What is your purpose? What are you doing to protect your identity in Christ?
While we know that Adam’s sin was putting his wife before obedience to God, that Adam was told to protect all that was in the garden; and that Eve was deceived. What we must recognize is that through the choice to sin; identity was lost. Period. When you make the choice to turn away from God to live your life your way; you lose out and in more ways than you can possibly imagine. Nothing was the same for Adam or Eve. It couldn’t be. Nothing will be the same for you either unless you choose the path of forgiveness in Christ to get your real identity.
Your identity in Christ is really all you have. Period. Outside of that you have and are nothing. Period. Sure you may have a nice title at work; but so what? Who cares? At the end of the day does it define you? And if it does what happens when you lose the job and title? Then do you allow the title of ‘unemployed’ define you? If your identity is found in the beautiful car you flaunt yourself in for everyone to see; why are you thinking so lowly of yourself that that is all you are worth is a car that depreciates every mile you drive? If your identity is created by sleeping with men with hoping they will love you knowing otherwise I want you to know that beyond it all there is something so much bigger in your identity!
You are worth so much more than you have settled for. I know this to be true because I have lived through the pain of not knowing. It wasn’t until I truly understood forgiveness, how to forgive, and what it even is that I started to have an identity. You see; unforgiveness separates you from God. It brings distance between you and Jesus. But once you make the choice to overcome you will have life and to the full. Acts 3:19 is clear: “Repent and seek forgiveness, so that times of refreshing may come.” (NIV) Your identity is part of the refreshing package!
As you forgive and truly seek the Lord for your identity in Him; your life will change. It has to! You will never be the same- in Jesus Name. The things of the past will no longer have the impact they once did. The people who used you, abused you; and reused you will have no power to harm you. They can’t. Those who stole from you will never be able to do because you know who you are in Christ.
The things that you gave away to get what you never could will be a thing of the past. You and your identity will be treasured in ways that could only come from Him. God’s Word is clear that He will never leave you or forsake you; and isn’t it time that you stop forsaking Him? It’s beyond time! It is time now for forgiveness to reign, for your identity to be restored and the real you to stand up for the assignment that He has waiting for you. That is what it is time for!
You have a future. Your future through forgiveness will be much different than what you ever could image at this very moment. How do I know? I am living it! I never thought that my life at this very moment through forgiveness would be what it is. Praise God! And I share this with you so that you too can live a real life that isn’t filled with the things of the past.
I was one who knew there was a call on my life; like most people. I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know how to get to it; and I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And what I didn’t know what the one thing that had the most significant impact on my life. Forgiveness.
Forgiveness changes life. ‘Sure sure’ you may think but until you go through the full experience of forgiving you can’t quite know. Until you grasp the depth of what it is and how life changing it is you can’t know. It is no different than seeing pictures of the Eiffel Tower compared to being at the top of it or getting married in it. You can’t fully know something until you experience it.
What I have learned through forgiveness is this:
1- You are a new creation in Christ. You are never the same person. You can’t be because it is Him working in and through you and when we surrender to allowing that; we are never the same.
2- Your physical manifestations of unforgiveness are gone. When I sat in my room for 2 days dealing with ‘all’ of my unforgiveness my life changed. I knew that. What I didn’t know what that my voice changed and my eye color changed too. See; the pain and emotional turmoil we go through takes it toll. It manifests and when there is a release; the release is more than we can imagine at that current time or moment. It was huge for me!
3- Your future will come forward. When you make the choice to forgive your future; your real future can be revealed. Before I made the choice to forgive and before I understood ‘all’ of what it is and how it is life changing; I didn’t know. I didn’t know the magnitude of what good would come before me and to me. There is no way to know. When there is forgiveness in the way it blocks you from living out the fullness of what is intended for you.
I thought in the past I was living what I thought was a good life; until I started understanding what my life really was and what it was to be. Through forgiveness I was healed and could see what was really set aside for me. I could move toward life in freedom and toward purpose. Forgiveness paves the way . And it will for you too. Your life won’t be the same because you won’t be the same. Your future will be forever changed as mine was. And that is the best thing in the world.
Forgiveness is a lifestyle; just as much so is unforgiveness. Creating a lifestyle of forgiveness is doable. In fact for Believers it is a command to live a lifestyle of forgiveness. When Jesus was asked by Peter how many times one should forgive He simply replied, ‘Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’ Matthew 18:22. Therefore; living a lifestyle of a Believer is there and available for you. Yes you! So how do you get there?
1. Recognize that you have the choice to forgive. The choice to forgive is yours. The choice to not forgive is also yours. When choosing a lifestyle that you want that brings the most peace it is a choice. You have the power to choose and making the choice is the first step to living your life empowered and moving in the right direction for your life.
2. Accept that people make mistakes. People let people down; it is part of life. When we focus on what others do we misunderstand that they are not perfect. Only Jesus was and is perfect and when that level of expectation is placed on others the mistakes they make reign control. When you understand and receive the revelation that people are not perfect and do not allow what they do to control you; you will be in better position to live in freedom and forgiveness of them for their mistakes.
3. Accept yourself. Accepting yourself is part of a lifestyle of forgiveness. Regardless of where you are or what you have done; self acceptance is a major component of living a lifestyle of forgiveness. When you accept your imperfections and mistakes; peace can enter.
The lifestyle of forgiveness is one that requires daily maintenance. Life happens. It’s what you do and how you handle it that matters. The choice ultimately is up to you. Forgiveness or unforgiveness is a lifestyle and the choice of what you choose is yours.