In thumbing through my Bible this morning, looking for something to share from God's Word, I came across this passage from the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 43:18 - 19 - "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert, and streams in the wasteland".
I think all of us at some time or another, tend to cling to, or hold onto things of the past - why we do, is the question. The Lord is telling us in the above scripture, that He wants and desires to give us and to show us newness of life. He even makes a way for us in times that are hard, but we have to let go of the past, and trust him with today, and with the future. Most of the time, the things we hold onto seem hard to let go of - they're familiar - they deceive us into thinking they are a safe place to hide emotionally. They've taken up permanent residence in our hearts and in our lives, and holding onto them aren't benefitting us at all, but hinder us in our emotional and spiritual growth.
Past hurts undealt with, paralyze us - if not dealt with, those hurts turn into anger and unforgiveness. Once unforgiveness takes a solid place in our hearts, it turns into bitterness, which the Bible says in Hebrews 12: 15 - "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many". The Greek word for bitter is the same word for manure or dung. Think about manure - it's waste - something to be expelled from the body.
Manure is also used as a fertilizer, so although that can be beneficial in growing beautiful flowers, food and such, in this case, it's use is of no benefit whatsoever. Fertilizing this root causes it to take hold of every area in our life, bringing troubles and defiling many. It can and will affect every relationship in one's life, choking out God and His word, His plan for our life, It can and will destroy every relationship in one's life, if not dealt with.
Don't let another day go by without giving these things of the past to the Lord. Let Him heal the hurts, and guide you to a new life, full of His grace.
Janelle
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Choked Out Life
I asked the Lord to show me a passage to post this morning, and He led me to Hebrews 12: 12 - 15.
There are many who at this time of year, are depressed and lonely; feeling like their life is being choked out by circumstances - and the Lord addresses this in this passage, and also tells us what might be the cause in some cases, for those who are feeling this way.
"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and your weak knees. Make level the paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live at peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many".
Sometimes the things we face are brought on by our own choices that we've made, and when those choices end up differently than we'd planned, it can cause a spirit of unforgiveness to surround and overtake our lives, which leads to the root of bitterness.
The passage here tells us that this root of bitterness will bring on nothing but trouble and will affect every area of our lives, and every person we are connected with.
In order for us to live the life of joy that the Lord desires for us, we need to follow his direction and lay all our burdens, our sorrows and troubles at the foot of his cross. We can't turn back time or change the choices we've made that weren't the ones that God had planned for us, but we can go to Him and be delivered from the bondage of bitterness that those choices have brought upon us.
The way we face and handle the challenges in our lives is a witness to the world - do we want our witness to be that of Jesus and his grace, mercy and love, or is our witness one of sorrow, bitterness and therefore, disabling those who are searching?
I pray for those who feel like their life is spinning out of control and are entangled in a life that's being choked out by a root of bitterness. I pray for freedom and deliverance by our Lord Jesus.
Janelle
There are many who at this time of year, are depressed and lonely; feeling like their life is being choked out by circumstances - and the Lord addresses this in this passage, and also tells us what might be the cause in some cases, for those who are feeling this way.
"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and your weak knees. Make level the paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live at peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many".
Sometimes the things we face are brought on by our own choices that we've made, and when those choices end up differently than we'd planned, it can cause a spirit of unforgiveness to surround and overtake our lives, which leads to the root of bitterness.
The passage here tells us that this root of bitterness will bring on nothing but trouble and will affect every area of our lives, and every person we are connected with.
In order for us to live the life of joy that the Lord desires for us, we need to follow his direction and lay all our burdens, our sorrows and troubles at the foot of his cross. We can't turn back time or change the choices we've made that weren't the ones that God had planned for us, but we can go to Him and be delivered from the bondage of bitterness that those choices have brought upon us.
The way we face and handle the challenges in our lives is a witness to the world - do we want our witness to be that of Jesus and his grace, mercy and love, or is our witness one of sorrow, bitterness and therefore, disabling those who are searching?
I pray for those who feel like their life is spinning out of control and are entangled in a life that's being choked out by a root of bitterness. I pray for freedom and deliverance by our Lord Jesus.
Janelle
Friday, December 5, 2008
Amen, Lord
Happy Friday!
Yesterday's passage in Jeremiah 11 ended with Jeremiah saying, "Amen, Lord". That's something we should say, no matter what the Lord asks of us. The word Amen can be translated to "So Be It". No questions, no hesitations, just "Amen, Lord".
Today's verses are 6 - 11 : "The Lord said to me, ' Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; "Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. From the time I brought your forefathers up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, ' Obey me'.
But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep".
Then the Lord said to me, ' There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ' I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them'".
I read on a dear friend's blog, a prayer by Reverend Billy Graham, read by his daughter on the CBS Morning Show on Thanksgiving Day this year. What I love about Billy Graham is that he boldly proclaims the gospel without EVER sugar coating it, and I think he nailed this right on the head about our country and the sins we have given way to. I thought it fit in very well with all that we've been reading and studying in Jeremiah, and how the people of Israel had fallen into the sins of their forefathers.
“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen.”As families gather for the holiday, please remember there is no reason to have a holiday called Thanksgiving unless there is Someone to thank.Thanks to God and Jesus Christ His Son for all the blessings on our fair land".
Pray for our nation, and that we not only see our sin, but that "we, his people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray and seek his face and turn from our wicked ways, THEN He will hear from Heaven and will forgive our sin and will heal our land". II Chronicles 7: 14
"AMEN, LORD".
Have a blessed Friday...
Janelle
Yesterday's passage in Jeremiah 11 ended with Jeremiah saying, "Amen, Lord". That's something we should say, no matter what the Lord asks of us. The word Amen can be translated to "So Be It". No questions, no hesitations, just "Amen, Lord".
Today's verses are 6 - 11 : "The Lord said to me, ' Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; "Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. From the time I brought your forefathers up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, ' Obey me'.
But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep".
Then the Lord said to me, ' There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore this is what the Lord says: ' I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them'".
I read on a dear friend's blog, a prayer by Reverend Billy Graham, read by his daughter on the CBS Morning Show on Thanksgiving Day this year. What I love about Billy Graham is that he boldly proclaims the gospel without EVER sugar coating it, and I think he nailed this right on the head about our country and the sins we have given way to. I thought it fit in very well with all that we've been reading and studying in Jeremiah, and how the people of Israel had fallen into the sins of their forefathers.
“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen.”As families gather for the holiday, please remember there is no reason to have a holiday called Thanksgiving unless there is Someone to thank.Thanks to God and Jesus Christ His Son for all the blessings on our fair land".
Pray for our nation, and that we not only see our sin, but that "we, his people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves and pray and seek his face and turn from our wicked ways, THEN He will hear from Heaven and will forgive our sin and will heal our land". II Chronicles 7: 14
"AMEN, LORD".
Have a blessed Friday...
Janelle
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Cleansing of Our Hearts
As the Lord speaks to Jeremiah in chapter 9, it only deepens the sadness and sorrow for his people in Judea and Jerusalem. He must've been totally exhausted much of the time, from his intense weeping for these people. It shows to me, that his heart was as the heart of God - he had a real love for the people, and wanted so badly for them to turn their hearts back to the Lord.
Today's verses are 10 -16 - where the Lord continues to outline the coming events to the land and of it's people.
"I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the desert pastures. They are desolate and untraveled and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds of the air have fled and the animals are gone.
'I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there. What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
The Lord said, "It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them".
God was about to scatter the Jews, leaving their own land desolate. They had defiled their land by their constant sin and rebellion, and it seems to me that the Lord was doing a purging and cleansing of everything, so he could later bring it back to what he intended it to be - a place of worship to Him.
The Lord does this within our hearts - his Holy Spirit shows us our sin, and brings us to a place where it can be purged and cleansed, making it a pure place of worship of our Lord. When we feel the conviction of sin, it is best if we act on it immediately with a repentant heart. We don't want our hearts to become cold and hard towards the Lord, which can and does happen when one continues to ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It puts a wedge in our relationship to the Lord and makes us spiritually stagnant. Jeremiah's people had gotten to that stagnant place, and we have seen, and will continue to see what will come of them because of it.
Everytime there is a hard lesson speaking of the judgment of God, I battle Satan 's little imps about posting this on my blog; I get this sense of "you don't want to post more of that, do you? People will quit reading your blog and they get tired of hearing about God's judgment."
It's then that I know I MUST keep going, because to not point out that there are consequences of sin, would be for me to disobey the Lord in sharing what He is telling me, and fall into the trap of listening to and obeying the voices of darkness.
Our world has become a place where this generation is coddled, and taught that to speak of things like sin and judgment, could cause injury to one's self esteem. It's pride at it's best - and the author of that sin was thrown from Heaven because of his pride. He was and is egotistic, and has deceived our world into the same mindset.
People are hungry for answers, and the world tells them things that tickle their ears, in order to bring about peace. For those of us who are Christians, we know that this "tickling of the ears" benefits no one, and that the "peace" that is so often promised in order to keep rioting from breaking loose, is a false sense of peace.
I will not attempt to "tickle the ears" of anyone. I have been called to teach straight from God's word, and at times his word has to point out sin, if we want to be freed from it.
Ask the Lord to show you places in your heart that are in need of his purging.
Psalm 51 is a psalm of David, after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. He came to a place of knowing his need to repent and be forgiven by the Lord. Let this be our prayer for ourselves today.
"Have mercy on me O God,
according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquities and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, and you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me".
This psalm goes on for several more verses, and I hope you will read it in its entirety.
Let today be the day that we all say, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me".
Today's verses are 10 -16 - where the Lord continues to outline the coming events to the land and of it's people.
"I will weep and wail for the mountains and take up a lament concerning the desert pastures. They are desolate and untraveled and the lowing of cattle is not heard. The birds of the air have fled and the animals are gone.
'I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, and I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there. What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
The Lord said, "It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have destroyed them".
God was about to scatter the Jews, leaving their own land desolate. They had defiled their land by their constant sin and rebellion, and it seems to me that the Lord was doing a purging and cleansing of everything, so he could later bring it back to what he intended it to be - a place of worship to Him.
The Lord does this within our hearts - his Holy Spirit shows us our sin, and brings us to a place where it can be purged and cleansed, making it a pure place of worship of our Lord. When we feel the conviction of sin, it is best if we act on it immediately with a repentant heart. We don't want our hearts to become cold and hard towards the Lord, which can and does happen when one continues to ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit. It puts a wedge in our relationship to the Lord and makes us spiritually stagnant. Jeremiah's people had gotten to that stagnant place, and we have seen, and will continue to see what will come of them because of it.
Everytime there is a hard lesson speaking of the judgment of God, I battle Satan 's little imps about posting this on my blog; I get this sense of "you don't want to post more of that, do you? People will quit reading your blog and they get tired of hearing about God's judgment."
It's then that I know I MUST keep going, because to not point out that there are consequences of sin, would be for me to disobey the Lord in sharing what He is telling me, and fall into the trap of listening to and obeying the voices of darkness.
Our world has become a place where this generation is coddled, and taught that to speak of things like sin and judgment, could cause injury to one's self esteem. It's pride at it's best - and the author of that sin was thrown from Heaven because of his pride. He was and is egotistic, and has deceived our world into the same mindset.
People are hungry for answers, and the world tells them things that tickle their ears, in order to bring about peace. For those of us who are Christians, we know that this "tickling of the ears" benefits no one, and that the "peace" that is so often promised in order to keep rioting from breaking loose, is a false sense of peace.
I will not attempt to "tickle the ears" of anyone. I have been called to teach straight from God's word, and at times his word has to point out sin, if we want to be freed from it.
Ask the Lord to show you places in your heart that are in need of his purging.
Psalm 51 is a psalm of David, after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. He came to a place of knowing his need to repent and be forgiven by the Lord. Let this be our prayer for ourselves today.
"Have mercy on me O God,
according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquities and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, and you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me".
This psalm goes on for several more verses, and I hope you will read it in its entirety.
Let today be the day that we all say, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me".
Friday, September 12, 2008
Remembering My Mother
On September 12, 1997 my mother died - just a few weeks shy of her 69th birthday. The last time I'd spoken with her before she left this earth was on my 39th birthday, and sad to say, it was not a great chat; typical of our conversations.
To say we had a "strained" relationship is pretty accurate; it was the same way with her and all my other sisters as well. She just didn't know how to nurture her children, and I'm sorry that she missed out on the opportunity to have really good, loving relationships with the four daughters the Good Lord blessed her with.
There were so many unresolved issues with her and I, and I wish we had of worked them out before her death, as it made having closure even harder. There were things I'd not forgiven her for that haunted me for several years afterward.
Growing up in a household in which the mother was great at things like cooking, sewing and cleaning, had it's benefits, but I really wish she had been more of a "Mom". I craved a relationship with her that I saw my friends have with their moms, but my mother was bitter towards my daddy, and that affected all her other relationships - especially with me, as I was a daddy's girl from the start.
I have since her death, forgiven my mother for not protecting me, and allowing certain things to happen to me that shouldn't have happened. I have learned from her how NOT to treat children, and for that I am grateful. My heart's desire when I had Sarah and Dude was to be the Mom to them that I never had - to listen to them, to protect them, to have the kind of trust that enabled them to come to me with any and everything.
My advice for anyone - make sure you forgive quickly, do all that you can to make the most of your relationships and tell the ones you love that you love them - don't take it for granted that they know.
I know that my mother was a Christian, and that she just had things that she didn't know how to deal with. I know that I'll see her when I get to Heaven. All the past hurts that we had here on earth will be gone, and at last I'll be able to have the best relationship with her - one in a place where there is no hurt, no crying, no sorrow, and no pain.
Have a safe weekend - pray for our leaders, our soldiers who are protecting our freedoms here in the USA, and for those who are in the path of Hurricane Ike.
Janelle
To say we had a "strained" relationship is pretty accurate; it was the same way with her and all my other sisters as well. She just didn't know how to nurture her children, and I'm sorry that she missed out on the opportunity to have really good, loving relationships with the four daughters the Good Lord blessed her with.
There were so many unresolved issues with her and I, and I wish we had of worked them out before her death, as it made having closure even harder. There were things I'd not forgiven her for that haunted me for several years afterward.
Growing up in a household in which the mother was great at things like cooking, sewing and cleaning, had it's benefits, but I really wish she had been more of a "Mom". I craved a relationship with her that I saw my friends have with their moms, but my mother was bitter towards my daddy, and that affected all her other relationships - especially with me, as I was a daddy's girl from the start.
I have since her death, forgiven my mother for not protecting me, and allowing certain things to happen to me that shouldn't have happened. I have learned from her how NOT to treat children, and for that I am grateful. My heart's desire when I had Sarah and Dude was to be the Mom to them that I never had - to listen to them, to protect them, to have the kind of trust that enabled them to come to me with any and everything.
My advice for anyone - make sure you forgive quickly, do all that you can to make the most of your relationships and tell the ones you love that you love them - don't take it for granted that they know.
I know that my mother was a Christian, and that she just had things that she didn't know how to deal with. I know that I'll see her when I get to Heaven. All the past hurts that we had here on earth will be gone, and at last I'll be able to have the best relationship with her - one in a place where there is no hurt, no crying, no sorrow, and no pain.
Have a safe weekend - pray for our leaders, our soldiers who are protecting our freedoms here in the USA, and for those who are in the path of Hurricane Ike.
Janelle
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Clothing Our Hearts
Yesterday's passage spoke of the things we as believers need to get rid of; today's passage tells us what to "clothe" ourselves with.
Colossians 3: 12 - 14 says, "Therefore, as chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which holds them all together in perfect unity".
This says we are chosen and holy - meaning that as believers and the body of Christ, we are to be seperated from all that is unclean. The virtues which we are told to clothe ourselves with are the same ones that Jesus clothed himself with, no matter what circumstance he was in.
Sometimes it's very hard to be humble, and to be kind and patient with people, especially when they aren't acting the same way, but the Lord is telling us that it's our responsibility as believers to don these attitudes in order for the world to see the difference in us. Then He tells us to do the hardest thing in the world for most of us - forgive one another. Our hearts sometime scream, 'but do you know what that person DID'? And we deem them unworthy of forgiveness. None of us are worthy of the forgiveness that the Lord bestows on us, but He forgives us over and over again day after day. When I've been convicted by the Holy Spirit to forgive someone, I most always have to tell him that I forgive them in my head because He tells us we must do this, but that He will have to work it into my heart. It doesn't mean that what that person did or said was right, but it frees me from the prison of unforgiveness, which builds a wall between me and the Lord.
The last thing we are directed to do in this passage is to put love on first - unconditional love will enable us to more easily act with the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Have a wonderful day!
Janelle
Colossians 3: 12 - 14 says, "Therefore, as chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which holds them all together in perfect unity".
This says we are chosen and holy - meaning that as believers and the body of Christ, we are to be seperated from all that is unclean. The virtues which we are told to clothe ourselves with are the same ones that Jesus clothed himself with, no matter what circumstance he was in.
Sometimes it's very hard to be humble, and to be kind and patient with people, especially when they aren't acting the same way, but the Lord is telling us that it's our responsibility as believers to don these attitudes in order for the world to see the difference in us. Then He tells us to do the hardest thing in the world for most of us - forgive one another. Our hearts sometime scream, 'but do you know what that person DID'? And we deem them unworthy of forgiveness. None of us are worthy of the forgiveness that the Lord bestows on us, but He forgives us over and over again day after day. When I've been convicted by the Holy Spirit to forgive someone, I most always have to tell him that I forgive them in my head because He tells us we must do this, but that He will have to work it into my heart. It doesn't mean that what that person did or said was right, but it frees me from the prison of unforgiveness, which builds a wall between me and the Lord.
The last thing we are directed to do in this passage is to put love on first - unconditional love will enable us to more easily act with the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Have a wonderful day!
Janelle
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Living in Peace
We hear the word "Peace", and the world's view of it is not the same as God's view.
In Hebrews 12:14 it says, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many".
This peace mentioned is that which comes from forgiveness - another word and action that is highly confusing. When we hold someone in unforgiveness, it opens the door in our hearts to a root of bitterness taking over. When that happens, everything and everyone in our lives is affected by it.
How do I know? I lived in that state of unforgiveness for many years. As a child, I was abused in many ways, held in the prison of silence, unable to share what had happened to me out of fear of my abusers. Not only did bitterness take hold of my heart, I also developed a hatred for those who hurt me.
I was at a women's prayer meeting in Orlando, FL in 1986 and the speaker changed the message she was going to deliver right before the meeting was to open. She said the Lord told her she needed to speak on forgiveness. I was not thinking that this message was going to be for me or my benefit, but BOY did I get a rude awakening! As she spoke, she began to tell a story which every detail sounded like she'd interviewed me, or had seen a movie of my life and all it's hidden and dark secrets.
I thought I was going to shake right out of my chair! How did this woman know this about me? Was there anyone else in the room, because I felt like I was the only one there and was glued to every word she spoke.
At the end of her message, she gave an invitation for anyone who needed prayer in this area. I literally JUMPED up out of my chair, sobbing like a baby, and said, "That was for ME! I am that person you were talking about". Little did I know that one of my older sisters had also been seated in that meeting; she was towards the back and I hadn't seen her come in.
As I made my way toward the front to get prayer, I felt my knees buckle and the presence of God overwhelm me. My sister joined me at the altar and confirmed to the speaker that everything she had said was in fact, the story of her little sister's life. A small group of women laid hands on me and prayed for me to let go of all the hurt that I was carrying, and for me to be able to forgive my abusers.
When they were finished, I felt like some kind of giant Q-tip from heaven had been inserted into my body and my heart.....I felt this freedom that I'd never known before - I felt CLEAN! I knew the Lord was telling me that I was to go to one of my abusers that day and tell him "I forgive you".
I found someone to watch my two young children, and drove the 40+ miles back to where my abuser lived. I approached him - the man whom I hated with a passion, and told him that I forgave him, and the look on his face and the physical demeanor of this man changed before my eyes. He broke; crying and telling me how sorry he was.
Did that make the things that he did ok? Hardly - but what it did do was free me from being eaten alive by that root of bitterness and hate. Those things are a wall of division between one and God, and on that day - the Lord broke down that wall and set me free. I was then able to worship Him in holiness, as is mentioned in verse 14.
If you are walking through life with unbearable hurt, unforgiveness and bitterness, I beg you today to take it to the Lord. He wants to free you from that prison and give your life a new meaning; a new direction, and a peace that passes all understanding.
He's waiting on you to ask Him to be your deliverer.
May July 1, 2008 be your day of deliverance....may your life be changed and be filled with the Peace of the Holy Spirit, now and forever more.
Janelle
In Hebrews 12:14 it says, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many".
This peace mentioned is that which comes from forgiveness - another word and action that is highly confusing. When we hold someone in unforgiveness, it opens the door in our hearts to a root of bitterness taking over. When that happens, everything and everyone in our lives is affected by it.
How do I know? I lived in that state of unforgiveness for many years. As a child, I was abused in many ways, held in the prison of silence, unable to share what had happened to me out of fear of my abusers. Not only did bitterness take hold of my heart, I also developed a hatred for those who hurt me.
I was at a women's prayer meeting in Orlando, FL in 1986 and the speaker changed the message she was going to deliver right before the meeting was to open. She said the Lord told her she needed to speak on forgiveness. I was not thinking that this message was going to be for me or my benefit, but BOY did I get a rude awakening! As she spoke, she began to tell a story which every detail sounded like she'd interviewed me, or had seen a movie of my life and all it's hidden and dark secrets.
I thought I was going to shake right out of my chair! How did this woman know this about me? Was there anyone else in the room, because I felt like I was the only one there and was glued to every word she spoke.
At the end of her message, she gave an invitation for anyone who needed prayer in this area. I literally JUMPED up out of my chair, sobbing like a baby, and said, "That was for ME! I am that person you were talking about". Little did I know that one of my older sisters had also been seated in that meeting; she was towards the back and I hadn't seen her come in.
As I made my way toward the front to get prayer, I felt my knees buckle and the presence of God overwhelm me. My sister joined me at the altar and confirmed to the speaker that everything she had said was in fact, the story of her little sister's life. A small group of women laid hands on me and prayed for me to let go of all the hurt that I was carrying, and for me to be able to forgive my abusers.
When they were finished, I felt like some kind of giant Q-tip from heaven had been inserted into my body and my heart.....I felt this freedom that I'd never known before - I felt CLEAN! I knew the Lord was telling me that I was to go to one of my abusers that day and tell him "I forgive you".
I found someone to watch my two young children, and drove the 40+ miles back to where my abuser lived. I approached him - the man whom I hated with a passion, and told him that I forgave him, and the look on his face and the physical demeanor of this man changed before my eyes. He broke; crying and telling me how sorry he was.
Did that make the things that he did ok? Hardly - but what it did do was free me from being eaten alive by that root of bitterness and hate. Those things are a wall of division between one and God, and on that day - the Lord broke down that wall and set me free. I was then able to worship Him in holiness, as is mentioned in verse 14.
If you are walking through life with unbearable hurt, unforgiveness and bitterness, I beg you today to take it to the Lord. He wants to free you from that prison and give your life a new meaning; a new direction, and a peace that passes all understanding.
He's waiting on you to ask Him to be your deliverer.
May July 1, 2008 be your day of deliverance....may your life be changed and be filled with the Peace of the Holy Spirit, now and forever more.
Janelle
Monday, April 28, 2008
Mercy
After a long, but fun weekend, it's time to get back into my daily routine.
I start out today from the book of Proverbs, and my passage is from Chapter 28:13
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy".
One of the hardest things to do as humans is to say "I'm sorry" when we've hurt someone, or admit that we have sinned. We want to think that we are always in the right, and God tells us that to fear sin and it's consequences brings mercy into our lives. In I John 1:9, we read that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
I know that when I walk around being stubborn and not wanting to admit my sins or perhaps harmful words or actions against another, I feel horrible and in a sense, tormented. It's only when I've gone to that person and confessed, asked for their forgiveness, that I am released from that torment and feel clean.
None of us deserve the Lord's mercy or forgiveness, but He has promised us that if we trust Him to be the Lord of our lives, we can be free from the torment of sin and it's consequences. He also teaches us to practice that in our lives - show mercy, show forgiveness - let Him live through us. He can and will get each one of us through everything that life throws at us - it's all a matter of humbling ourself and going to Him to admit our need of Him, thank Him for the sacrifice He made for us, and walk through each day dependent on His strength, mercy and grace.
Have a blessed week!
Janelle
I start out today from the book of Proverbs, and my passage is from Chapter 28:13
"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy".
One of the hardest things to do as humans is to say "I'm sorry" when we've hurt someone, or admit that we have sinned. We want to think that we are always in the right, and God tells us that to fear sin and it's consequences brings mercy into our lives. In I John 1:9, we read that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
I know that when I walk around being stubborn and not wanting to admit my sins or perhaps harmful words or actions against another, I feel horrible and in a sense, tormented. It's only when I've gone to that person and confessed, asked for their forgiveness, that I am released from that torment and feel clean.
None of us deserve the Lord's mercy or forgiveness, but He has promised us that if we trust Him to be the Lord of our lives, we can be free from the torment of sin and it's consequences. He also teaches us to practice that in our lives - show mercy, show forgiveness - let Him live through us. He can and will get each one of us through everything that life throws at us - it's all a matter of humbling ourself and going to Him to admit our need of Him, thank Him for the sacrifice He made for us, and walk through each day dependent on His strength, mercy and grace.
Have a blessed week!
Janelle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)