What is forgiveness? Week 48, 2011

“I won’t talk to him, I just can’t!” I thought you said you have forgiven him. “I have, but I can’t forget what he has done. I won’t harm him, won’t block his way; but don’t expect me to actively help him. He is proud, knowing nothing …supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself 1Ti 6:4, 5(MKJV). ” Don’t use any scripture as an excuse to retain an unforgiving spirit; don’t be like Absalom. Absalom wouldn't speak at all to Amnon. He hated Amnon 2Sa 13:22(GW). “I said I have forgiven him; I just want to be left alone.” I won’t push you but remember Col 3:13(GNB): Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. How can you have forgiven if you won’t talk to him or pray for him? Love your enemies, and be good to everyone who hates you. Ask God to bless anyone who curses you, and pray for everyone who is cruel to you Lk 6:27, 28(CEV). “Oh I’ll pray for him alright: may he reap what he sows in Jesus’ name.” That’s certainly not what you asked me to pray for the last time you realised you offended God: you asked for mercy. Treat others just as you want to be treated Lk 6:31(CEV). You have to truly forgive.
“You weary me; what does it mean to forgive? I hope you are not expecting me to forgive and forget. I don’t have memory failure.” True forgiveness is no memory failure but a removal of the poison of bitterness, the desire for punishment and revenge... “I am not punishing him now!” Wait, let me finish. It shows up in blessing the offender. Consider Joseph and his brothers. For him forgiveness was not to distance himself from them when they came into Egypt. He could have had his revenge but he didn’t; he could have been aloof and not talked at all with them but he took them in. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them Gen 50:21(ESV). Genuine forgiveness is shown by blessing the offender.
“I don’t want to be a hypocrite; I certainly don’t feel like blessing him.” Whoever talked of feelings? Speak with your mouth before God what you must in obedience; feelings will come later. Walk by faith not by feelings. “I can’t do this on my own.” I know, I know, let’s come before God and ask for grace, and set a date all of 3 of us will see. If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you Prov 25:21, 22(ESV).

Unanswered prayers Week 47, 2011

“What kind of a woman is this? Hehn? I’ve never seen a more wasteful...” Take it easy that’s your wife you are speaking about; the very mother of your children. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them Col 3:19(ISV). “So it gives her the right to drain my money? My hard earned money!” I thought the money belongs to you both. “Don’t start your preaching now. That woman is just the cause of my downfall. All my labours in prayer and fasting; I can see why I have received no breakthroughs. All the seed faith, all the ...”
Ah thank God you have received the revelation of your errors. “Yes, yes, I erred in marrying her. We should just separate. If I go from her I will be free from these quarrels. She’s a witch in short.” Stop that! Who has bewitched you? You are the reason your prayers are hindered not her. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered 1Pt 3:7(ESV) .
“Why blame me; always siding with my foes.” Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth? “Look, other women are not like her.” Other women? Are you being secretly enticed to unfaithfulness? You want God to close your heavens? Have you read Mal 2:13, 14(CEV)? And what else are you doing? You cry noisily and flood the LORD's altar with your tears, because he isn't pleased with your offerings and refuses to accept them. And why isn't God pleased? It's because he knows that each of you men has been unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young. You promised that she would be your partner, but now you have broken that promise. “I haven’t committed adultery.” I didn’t say you had. Your problem stems from unforgiveness not her. If God is to respond to any prayer of faith then the one praying must forgive: Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith. Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you Mk 11:24, 25(CEV).
It is never the right thing to rail at anyone, especially your wife. You have several faults of your own God has forgiven. Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ. Eph 4:31, 32. Unforgiveness hinders prayers greatly.

Forgive him Week 46, 2011

“You do not know what he has done. Look at how he abandoned me to pursue his own business.” But he is your husband; the money from that business goes to meet your needs. “What needs? What greater need than the presence of my husband when the pregnancy he caused is being threatened. I am bleeding and he runs off, saying he has some commitments.” But you are in good hands... “Which good hands? Don’t defend the indefensible.” Please forgive him; you have offended God far more than he has you. “Why are you always defending him? Look if I let go and leave him he will do worse. When I deal with him now thoroughly he will think twice before trying something funny next time. Only put your hand on him, and see what a fight you will have; you will not do it again! Job 41:8(BBE)” I am not here to defend him but to crown you. “What are you talking about?” Do you remember the story Jesus told on forgiveness? The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts. He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. Mt 18:23-24 (GNB). “This is talking about money…” It’s talking about forgiveness. “So how does that crown me?” Notice it is a king who forgives the offence. The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go Mat 18:27. When you fail to forgive, you are a servant: the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he said Mt 18:28 (GNB), and remain a servant at the same level with him who offended you. The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount Mt 18:34(GNB). Make yourself a king over him by forgiving him. Refusing to forgive not only robs one of the grace and mercy he is already enjoying; it is a missed opportunity to be a king over the offender. "That's a funny way to interpret a parable." Ah! Have you forgotten Be merciful just as your Father is merciful Lk 6:36(GNB). It makes you like God; it makes you godly to forgive. “But it makes me weak not strong to let go all the time, it sounds a bit foolish.” Remember what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men 1Co 1:25(BBE). I would like to be a king from heaven’s perspective won’t you?

You too can walk with God Week 45, 2011

“What does it mean to walk with God?” Well it is what God requires of you. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Mic 6:8. It means to fellowship with God, to have Jesus as your companion. You must humble yourself to walk with God.
To walk with God is the privilege of all who refuse to soil themselves. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy Rev 3:4. If some at Sardis could keep their garments, you too can in the midst of compromisers.
“That’s just the point: I have been a habitual sinner.” Consider Rahab, consider Mary Magdalene from whom seven demons had gone out Luk 8: 2 she did not dwell on the past but walked with Jesus: When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem Mar 15:41. Did you have a sinful past? You too can walk with God.
To walk with God is to live in wholehearted loving obedience to His word. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book 2Ki 23:3 .
“I think family life will get in the way...” Enoch was the son of a man. Are you a child? You too can walk with God. Married with children? Facing challenges of quiet time and home pressures? You too can walk with God Gen 5:22-24.
“I am yet to see God’s promises fulfilled to me...” Noah was 500 years before he got 3 sons Gen 5:32. That was never recorded before in scripture. The promise of God had not manifested in his life yet he walked with God. Methuselah was alive in his time, and Adam lived to Methuselah’s. Even if he told Noah it has never happened before, Noah still walked with God. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God Gen 6:9. Are you yet childless after so many years? You too can walk with God. Have you waited so many years to see answers to your prayer and now you are old like Elisabeth and Zechariah? You too can walk with God.
Can I say that Jesus may walk with you but will not follow you? You must follow. Those who walk with God walk in His presence, and also walk after Him. Follow the glory cloud Num 9:16-23.