Choosing Forgiveness…

Two or three weeks ago I started a book called “Choosing Forgiveness” by Nancy Leigh Demoss

Each time I complete a chapter I will share my revelations.

I started this book for the fact that I know, like many believers, I am walking around with un-forgiveness in my heart. No matter how major or minor that un-forgiveness is, I still know it is there waiting for the next situation to come to rear its ugly head.

As I seek Christ in every aspect of my life, with this desire to walk beside him, I know that the un-forgiveness was something I would have to deal with.

Scriptures state we are to forgive.

Matthew 6-14-15

“For if ye forgive  men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. “

Matthew 18:35

“So Likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you if ye from your HEARTs forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses. “

I know exactly what is said in scripture, but I do not know how to make it come alive in my heart or life. “No where in scripture, will we come across a magic word or  secret formula” (from the book) to forgiveness.

“Forgiveness is not a method to be learned as much as truth to be lived”(from book)

Forgiveness is a choice. Until that choice is made,  forgiveness never sets completely into your heart.  You never  realize that you have not forgiven until something happens or a similar situation occurs, not only do you deal with the situation at hand but all of sudden you also remember the previous situation or the previous.I wonder though, if we get “stuck” in these situations because we missed the object lesson from the Lord the first time, so we had retake the test.

The Lord wants us(all believers) to react in goodness,gentleness, longsuffering…. (Galatians 5:22-23) in EVERY situation. What happens if you do not react that way? Do you think that same kind of situations comes around again?  I believe it does. He is the potter and we are the clay. He is constantly molding us into the image of His Son.

“ The outcome of our lives is not determined by what happens to us but by how we respond to what happens to us” (from the book)

“ Alot of what happens to us in our lives is out of our control, the only hope we have is knowing that we do have a choice in how we respond to those situations in our lives.”(from book)

If we believe what scripture says, His grace is sufficient for all our needs(2 Col 12:9), then we need to realize that within ourselves we have the power to respond as Galatians 5:22 states, if not then we poison ourselves, or place ourselves within a prison of un-forgiveness, or even worse we are  disobeying the Word of God.

Help us Lord to love our brothers and sisters as Christ did. Show us Heavenly Father and give us strength as we face each day and each situation with Your Holy Spirit. Help us to learn, and continue to mold us into the image of your Son.  AMEN!