When we were little kids and I would sulk; my sister would ask what's wrong. I wouldn't even answer until she had asked me 5 or 6 times. I determined that she wasn't going to ask anymore, so I answered quite pitifully: "You did this to me, remember." I would say almost to the point of tears.
My sister would respond with wisdom: "Well, I did that because of what you did. We'd go back and forth until we were exhausted never resolving anything.
The most that we knew about forgiveness at that6 time from a practical sense was saying: "I'm sorry."
Now, in my house if you said it, you had to mean it; at least that's what I believed. My parents were pretty passionate.
A lot of people bring those childhood habits of keeping score into adult relationships and it's just not the best way to handle things. I wonder if it impacts our divorce rates, crime rates and how much it spills over into our everyday affairs.
Keeping score twinges on unforgiveness; it hinders the love walk.
Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Showing posts with label Unforgiveness is like an attack on the heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unforgiveness is like an attack on the heart. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Advanced Thinking by Elaine Davenport (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)
Dearest Friend,
God loves you. I know it. I have lifted you up in prayer everyday and will continue to do so. I was originally praying for financial, physical, psychological, emotional or any other kind of healing and then I stopped. I had to. The bible says that” by his stripes we were healed. That means you,( your sister, your brother, your mother, your father, your friend, your cousin etc.) already are. Even, if it doesn’t look like it. I always say especially if it doesn’t look like it.
I have a wonderful example for you, but it’s going to do one of three things. It’s either going to make you laugh, think I am crazy or it’s going to make you be astounded. Okay, here goes. Everyday I go to the library because I have to write my books and research. I always ask the Holy Spirit to reserve me a parking space in the first or second row. Sometimes, I just ask for the first row. I have a witness for all of this too. But, I’ll tell you about that later. Today, I sent my prayer out early and not at the last minute. Our new library here is extremely popular. A decent parking spot in the first four or five rows is treasured. Forget the front row. No one comes out. A lot of people think the people who work there take the good spots. But, I don’t have to worry about that. I have faith. Another reason that this is important is because going to the library is not my hobby. I like it, don’t get me wrong. But when I go, I go on a mission. God sends me there to do what He has called me to do. I feel like a V.I.P. and I should park like one.
Okay, so I arrived at the library and looked. It was quite crowded and there were no spots in the front row. Not at all phased, I drove around again. Without hesitation, I said: let me just sit here in the front row and wait for my spot. It is promised to me, it is mine.
About two seconds after I said that, a lady and a man came from nowhere and pulled a mini van out right in front of the door. I praised God. He is that good.
I decided to travel to travel to Toronto to save souls for Christ. Originally I planned to go with one of my friends from early morning prayer. Every obstacle that you can imagine came up against us. When you decide to work for God, the rewards are great, but the tribulation will come. I think we ended up with several plans to go with various people. At one point it was so funny, people kept saying: “How are you getting to Toronto?” and I would say: “I don’t know how. I just know I’m going.” You see, I was able to do that because I stayed close to God and I kept getting the message that I was going. So I stood on that word. It all worked out at the very last minute. I went. It was wonderful. Toronto is so diverse. We met people from all different backgrounds. There was no confusion, no division. It was very nice. I’ll tell you, I had two praying roommates. They prayed away a horrible headache that I had. When I drove away from that city, I had written down fourteen revelations and I had an idea for a revolutionary book. God is so faithful.
Enough about me, let’s talk about you. Whatever you are believing God for, He wants you to have it. All that you need is faith. The bible has a lot to say about faith, for example:
The just shall live by faith. Habakkuk 2 v. 4
Thy faith hath made thee whole…Matthew 9 v. 22
According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9 v. 29
Have faith in God Matthew 11 v. 22
Thy faith hath saved thee. Luke 7 v. 50
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Luke 22 v. 32
If you need to know about any area in your life that you want to stand on based on God’s word do this. Look in the subject area at the back of your bible. It is called the Concordance. You can look up many subjects back there. They will tell you where to find all of the scriptures that apply to your need. Look them up and read them daily. While you’re at it apply your faith and you’ll be successful. A lot of you who get this will say I already know this. So, it makes even me wonder why am I sending this to you. I don’t know, but there is a reason. Maybe, you need to apply more diligence, get rid of unforgiveness, praise God more, spend more time in the word or maybe it’s just a confirmation that you are doing everything right and that you have been patient and that you are about to reap a wonderful harvest. I sure hope so. Be Blessed. I love you.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
God loves you. I know it. I have lifted you up in prayer everyday and will continue to do so. I was originally praying for financial, physical, psychological, emotional or any other kind of healing and then I stopped. I had to. The bible says that” by his stripes we were healed. That means you,( your sister, your brother, your mother, your father, your friend, your cousin etc.) already are. Even, if it doesn’t look like it. I always say especially if it doesn’t look like it.
I have a wonderful example for you, but it’s going to do one of three things. It’s either going to make you laugh, think I am crazy or it’s going to make you be astounded. Okay, here goes. Everyday I go to the library because I have to write my books and research. I always ask the Holy Spirit to reserve me a parking space in the first or second row. Sometimes, I just ask for the first row. I have a witness for all of this too. But, I’ll tell you about that later. Today, I sent my prayer out early and not at the last minute. Our new library here is extremely popular. A decent parking spot in the first four or five rows is treasured. Forget the front row. No one comes out. A lot of people think the people who work there take the good spots. But, I don’t have to worry about that. I have faith. Another reason that this is important is because going to the library is not my hobby. I like it, don’t get me wrong. But when I go, I go on a mission. God sends me there to do what He has called me to do. I feel like a V.I.P. and I should park like one.
Okay, so I arrived at the library and looked. It was quite crowded and there were no spots in the front row. Not at all phased, I drove around again. Without hesitation, I said: let me just sit here in the front row and wait for my spot. It is promised to me, it is mine.
About two seconds after I said that, a lady and a man came from nowhere and pulled a mini van out right in front of the door. I praised God. He is that good.
I decided to travel to travel to Toronto to save souls for Christ. Originally I planned to go with one of my friends from early morning prayer. Every obstacle that you can imagine came up against us. When you decide to work for God, the rewards are great, but the tribulation will come. I think we ended up with several plans to go with various people. At one point it was so funny, people kept saying: “How are you getting to Toronto?” and I would say: “I don’t know how. I just know I’m going.” You see, I was able to do that because I stayed close to God and I kept getting the message that I was going. So I stood on that word. It all worked out at the very last minute. I went. It was wonderful. Toronto is so diverse. We met people from all different backgrounds. There was no confusion, no division. It was very nice. I’ll tell you, I had two praying roommates. They prayed away a horrible headache that I had. When I drove away from that city, I had written down fourteen revelations and I had an idea for a revolutionary book. God is so faithful.
Enough about me, let’s talk about you. Whatever you are believing God for, He wants you to have it. All that you need is faith. The bible has a lot to say about faith, for example:
The just shall live by faith. Habakkuk 2 v. 4
Thy faith hath made thee whole…Matthew 9 v. 22
According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9 v. 29
Have faith in God Matthew 11 v. 22
Thy faith hath saved thee. Luke 7 v. 50
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Luke 22 v. 32
If you need to know about any area in your life that you want to stand on based on God’s word do this. Look in the subject area at the back of your bible. It is called the Concordance. You can look up many subjects back there. They will tell you where to find all of the scriptures that apply to your need. Look them up and read them daily. While you’re at it apply your faith and you’ll be successful. A lot of you who get this will say I already know this. So, it makes even me wonder why am I sending this to you. I don’t know, but there is a reason. Maybe, you need to apply more diligence, get rid of unforgiveness, praise God more, spend more time in the word or maybe it’s just a confirmation that you are doing everything right and that you have been patient and that you are about to reap a wonderful harvest. I sure hope so. Be Blessed. I love you.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Spiritual Heart Attack by Elaine Davenport (Monday, June 18, 2007)
Unforgiveness is very real; it is an attack on your heart!
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him." Luke 17:3-4 NKJV
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” Mark 11:25 NASB
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 NASB
ASK YOURSELF
Ask yourself, who it is that allows you to feel pain, hurt, resentment, anger, rage and offense. The answer should not surprise you. I am responsible when my emotions try to lead me. Yet, even though I know it, it doesn't make it any easier when it happens.
Some years ago, when I made a decision to become a prayer warrior, I was led to make a list of people that I needed to forgive from throughout my life. Yt, I was able to make a two page list. I had all that unforgiveness inside me and I didn't even realize it. Some of the people, I forgave right away. Others took some days but I completed the list. From time to time. other people would cme to memory and I would forgive them too. They were spillovers from my my "pre" born again life.
None of them were hard cases except one. I had already forgiven the man who had murdered my father. That had taken years and lot of God's grace, but it had come before that. If we're not careful, unforgiveness can turn into bitterness which can grow and fester.
Let me say that I really was character wise a nice person all my life even before I truly became born again. Being nice won't get anyone a pass to heaven; though a lot of people think it will. I went the extra mile for people because I wanted to help them. I was raised that way. My grandmother fed the neighbors for years; just because. My mom used to pick people up in a blizzard going out to the bus stops and giving free rides. This was in the 60's. It was all I ever knew to do. Yet, as I entered adulthood with all of my spiritual knowledge, I changed. It was because I subscribed to the school of thought which says: "I'll forgive you, but I'll never forget it."
It would be years before I realized that this was not true forgiveness but a coping mechanism allowing myself to give people a "conditional" pass, not a complete pass. I think it's healthy to keep your eye on everyone including yourself, but there s a fine line between that and unforgiveness. It's a line that the believer can't cross.
Underneath all of the rhetoric; unforgiveness may be some sort of defense mechanism whose activation is triggered by our willingness to protect our hearts from further or future attacks. However, I suggest that unforgiveness is in of itself and attack on the heart ever so subtle.
Just as I was thinking that I was stronger than that; I was tested.
More tomorrow on how I coped with the flood of emotions that come as the believer tries to fight off rage and anger that can result in unforgiveness.
____________________________________________________________________
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, "I repent,' you shall forgive him." Luke 17:3-4 NKJV
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” Mark 11:25 NASB
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 NASB
ASK YOURSELF
Ask yourself, who it is that allows you to feel pain, hurt, resentment, anger, rage and offense. The answer should not surprise you. I am responsible when my emotions try to lead me. Yet, even though I know it, it doesn't make it any easier when it happens.
Some years ago, when I made a decision to become a prayer warrior, I was led to make a list of people that I needed to forgive from throughout my life. Yt, I was able to make a two page list. I had all that unforgiveness inside me and I didn't even realize it. Some of the people, I forgave right away. Others took some days but I completed the list. From time to time. other people would cme to memory and I would forgive them too. They were spillovers from my my "pre" born again life.
None of them were hard cases except one. I had already forgiven the man who had murdered my father. That had taken years and lot of God's grace, but it had come before that. If we're not careful, unforgiveness can turn into bitterness which can grow and fester.
Let me say that I really was character wise a nice person all my life even before I truly became born again. Being nice won't get anyone a pass to heaven; though a lot of people think it will. I went the extra mile for people because I wanted to help them. I was raised that way. My grandmother fed the neighbors for years; just because. My mom used to pick people up in a blizzard going out to the bus stops and giving free rides. This was in the 60's. It was all I ever knew to do. Yet, as I entered adulthood with all of my spiritual knowledge, I changed. It was because I subscribed to the school of thought which says: "I'll forgive you, but I'll never forget it."
It would be years before I realized that this was not true forgiveness but a coping mechanism allowing myself to give people a "conditional" pass, not a complete pass. I think it's healthy to keep your eye on everyone including yourself, but there s a fine line between that and unforgiveness. It's a line that the believer can't cross.
Underneath all of the rhetoric; unforgiveness may be some sort of defense mechanism whose activation is triggered by our willingness to protect our hearts from further or future attacks. However, I suggest that unforgiveness is in of itself and attack on the heart ever so subtle.
Just as I was thinking that I was stronger than that; I was tested.
More tomorrow on how I coped with the flood of emotions that come as the believer tries to fight off rage and anger that can result in unforgiveness.
____________________________________________________________________
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