Fearlessly Courageous
From the Desk of Dennis Piller
7 26 2023
The Freedom in Forgiveness…there is Life After Death!
Can you recall the last time you had to ask for forgiveness? Did they extend forgiveness back to you or hold it back? The decision of offering forgiveness and even the decision of asking for it becomes easier with every word of vulnerability. As we mature in God, we get glimpses of the free grace that God administered to us to do that. With the empowerment by the holy spirit comes more freedom, more release of that natural resistance, natural resentment, with every word… because it is breaking the strongholds of pride and this self-serving attitude, (How could they do this to me?) this preservation or survival to what we want or feel we deserve. I wonder what emotion Jesus was feeling as these stripped him naked and disfigured him beyond human recognition. John 19:1, Mark 15:15, and Matthew 27:26,
I have wondered if some people struggle more with unforgiveness and if there are additional layers of arrogance and pride with some even being contemptuous or jealous of those without it. We struggle so much with it, but it appears that others don’t. But we hold those resentful thoughts inside because we don’t want others to know of our struggle or that they hurt too much to even bring it up. (And they fester!)
Survivors of child abuse, or the betrayal of family, relatives or friends,
or even business people who may have cheated us,
How can they hold the course and forgive, while the perpetrators, in a sea of worldly pride, don’t even acknowledge any regret or sorrow?
We cannot do that in our own strength or our own will as much as we would like to release these cancerous emotions. But they do well up at times and the emotions can be overwhelmingly powerful, creating great pain and anxiety.
It will only be through the grace of God that we will overcome. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can help us in those desperate times. We must release this venom, that the other side is typically not even aware of or even carrying themselves. In Jesus name, you must let go of me. Unforgiveness, resentment, uncharitableness, retaliation, hatefulness, revenge, and even small-mindedness are spiritual attacks against God and us as his children. We must battle them in the Spirit by the blood of Jesus. They must flee. We must stand on his word. Release our faith through countless promises found in Scriptures like Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength”) and Romans 12:21 (“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”),.
Jesus gives us the command to forgive others. “…‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.’ ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’” Matt 18 – 32-33
Look, this is not about instant exoneration, )“the action of officially absolving someone from blame; vindication)”. Personally, I think we forgive in stages. I believe that because I have often forgiven and then found out that I would be seeing them at some event, and I had the immediate sense of…I not going! But I said I know I forgave them. 20 times I have forgiven them as those bad memories came alive in me. I believe there’s a deeper level of forgiveness that takes a deeper walk in the spirit to live in. We have to simply die to more of ourselves. I have to grow in the knowledge of remembering God’s forgiveness. Of the debt he paid. Considering that, I must wash my emotions and memories time and time again with his word. These feelings may even be towards someone no longer living. Forgiveness does not have to be accepted or even asked for. I need to obey to know the freedom of forgiveness. I must release the hurt no matter the depth of it. I must burrow down into God’s word and become saturated in the love and forgiveness of his calling and example. And then… I need to continue to forgive even as it will
raise its ugly head from time to time.
Remembering, it is by the blood…by His grace… Through His power.
Look at John 12:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal”.
Jesus died so we could live. Who have we died for? He died for us when we were yet sinners, people who wanted nothing to do with him. Have we died for any family member that we love by forgiving them before extracting a few ounces of flesh…retaliation, revenge, or just due?
Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24–26)
Yet, we seek justice when we are offended. When we are disrespected, embarrassed, mocked, ignored, overlooked, or defamed. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:5 “Love is not easily provoked or offended. So, it’s unloving to be easily offended”. Our response is, I don’t love them…I don’t even like them and maybe now I am close to hating them!
There is certainly a lot of spiritual immaturity in those sentiments. We have not stopped to look in the mirror at the many less-than-appropriate behaviors we have been guilty of. We are even blind to so many of them…sadly.
Jesus tells us of the cure for an unforgiving spirit: Matt 18:25 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Not by might or power but by my spirit says the Lord!
casting crowns Only Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eQd3K2Fxp4&list=PL3oW2tjiIxvTstLS9GlgaT_mqONT0WVDw&index=18
