Forgive And Let God Take Care Of The Rest

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

People like to say, “I can forgive, but I cannot forget.” Have you heard that before? Now, in the first place, nowhere in the Bible does God tell you to forgive and then to forget. It is not in the Bible! The devil is adding something here to make the whole thing burdensome.

God only tells us to forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us a debt we cannot pay. When we do this, we do ourselves a favour because bitterness and unforgiveness in the heart can sometimes destroy our health!

So just forgive and let God take care of the rest. When you really forgive, sometimes, He makes you forget. But sometimes, you still remember the incident because it was a major thing in your life. Yet, when you look back at it, the pain is no more there. The sting is gone and you are not bitter.

Joseph forgave his brothers before they came and bowed before him. He remembered what they did to him, but he did not remember it with bitterness. (Genesis 50:15–21) So you may remember the incident, but the bitterness is gone because you have put the cross in the picture — “God in Christ forgave me. Daddy, I forgive you. Mama, I forgive you. "

When you forgive, forgive by faith, not by your feelings. We live by faith, not feelings. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Some people are waiting for feelings — “I am waiting, Father, for the right emotion to come on me to forgive.” You will wait forever!

No, forgive by faith, and do it once and for all. Spend time in prayer. Take out your diary and write it down: “Father, I bring this person before you. You know what he did to me. Father, as You forgave me through Jesus’ cross, even though I did not deserve it, by faith, I now forgive this person and I let my anger against him go in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Once you forgive by faith this way, you will see the sting of bitterness removed from your heart. You will experience the peace and joy of God filling your mind, and see a greater measure of wholeness in your body!

Discovering Life’s Purpose

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

When we follow God’s direction, we will experience spiritual peace, joy, and contentment. To discover our purpose, the first step is receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. In other words, we must be saved.

Our part in salvation is to acknowledge we are sinners, admitting to God that we’ve lived in rebellion against Him. (Romans 3:23) We profess our belief that Jesus’ death on the cross fully paid our sin-debt, and we ask God’s forgiveness. We recognize Jesus as personal Savior and Lord, and we commit our life to Him. (1 John 1:9; Romans 10:9; Galatians 2:20)

Since He is now in charge, our orders and direction will come from Him. Once we become part of God’s family, we have His Spirit to help us discover and carry out our Father’s plan.

God’s purpose for His children always includes sanctification, stewardship, and service.

“Sanctification” describes progressive growth in holiness. The Holy Spirit, with our cooperation, transforms our character to be Christlike.

"Stewardship" means managing and prioritizing the time, talents, and treasures He has given us. Service for the kingdom is to mark our lives, just as it did Jesus’ life. (Matthew 20:28) We serve our Father by obediently ministering to others.

As we seek the Lord’s specific plan for our lives, we can know with confidence that it will include a change in character, an investment of our resources for His kingdom, and ministry to others.

Know Whose You Are

1 John 3:1, See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.”

The truth is sometimes we forget who we belong to. we forget that God alone gives us our identity. If we dig a little deeper and answer with complete honesty the question of who we are, our answers include these responses: I am someone who struggles with losing the same ten pounds; sometimes I respond in fear rather than faith; I can be selfish and not want to serve others; I’ve made mistakes in the past and can carry them around like a ball and chain.

The truth is that sometimes we let our past, our feelings, and others’ disapproval of us define us; rather than letting God and His Word define who we are.

However, the closer I grow to the Lord over the past few months, the more I understand that those other definitions are lies, not the truth. God’s enemy, Satan, is a liar who wants to keep me from walking in the truth. The truth of who I am is found in God’s Word. I know who I am when I know Whose I am.

Let these statements remind you of who you are and Whose you are:

Nothing can separate you from God’s love (Romans 8: 35 – 39).
You are God’s work of art, His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).
God does not condemn you (Romans 8: 1,2).
God loves you so much that the price He paid to have a relationship with you was His own life (1 Corinthians 6: 20).
Jesus is your Daddy (Romans 8:15).

God’s love for us is everlasting and unfailing. He wants us to have a relationship with Him where we grow closer to Him and look more like Him as we abide in His truth. Rest in the truth that His steadfast love never fails.

Let us pray...
Dear Father, I am so thankful that I am Your child and that You love me. I am thankful that Your love never changes and that nothing will take Your love away from me. Open my eyes to any lies I’m believing about myself and my life. Help me to believe only You – not Satan, not my feelings, not what anyone else says. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

God’s Plan for Our Life

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

How do we discover God’s plan for our lives?

We must first learn to glorify Him. He commands us to let our lights shine before men so we’ll bear spiritual fruit that glorifies Him. As our lives increasingly follow the Savior’s pattern, our thoughts and responses will bring Jesus praise and point others to Him.

Another way to discover God’s will is by conforming to Christ’s likeness. With each opportunity that we encounter, we must make ask if we will become more like Jesus or if we’ll be tempted in our weaker areas and turn away from Him. If we submit our minds and emotions to the Lord, His Spirit will build Jesus’ character qualities into our lives. As we rely on the Holy Spirit, He’ll help us make wise decisions and guide us safely past temptation.

When trying to decide if something is God’s will, ask yourself, Is this in line with the Bible? Throughout the Scriptures, the heavenly Father has revealed what pleases Him. His commands are clear regarding the way born-again believers should live. Our homes, businesses, and community lives are to function according to His will.

Whether in your family, workplace, or neighborhood, don’t let yourself be pressured into actions or decisions that upset God. Train yourself to stop and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal whether each choice will bring God glory, help develop Christ’s character in you, and keep you in the center of God’s plan and purpose. Wait on Him, and don’t step ahead until you have an answer.

Worthy or Worthless

Psalm 139:14-16 (NCV), “I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there, you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.”

I can still remember the terror I felt each time my elementary teacher announced, "Today, we will play softball at recess." My stomach clenched in dread as I contemplated the tortuous hour stretching out before me. I hated playing softball because I was a terrible athlete! Overweight, I huffed and puffed around the bases…if I ever got lucky enough to hit the elusive softball. I had no idea how to wear a softball glove, so the thought of actually trying to catch the ball was terrifying. I was always assigned to the outfield where few balls came and where I had the least chance of doing any damage. The most horrible part of the whole experience was the dreaded team selection process. It was always the same. Two captains were chosen, usually Sarah and Tim because they were slender, attractive and popular - everything I was not. Sarah and Tim would step to the pitcher's mound and begin the process of choosing their teams. I can still remember trying to look as if I didn’t care that everyone around me was defecting to the other side while I waited, praying that I would hear my name called by somebody…anybody. I was usually one of three or four children left standing, staring at the preferred ones already taking their positions on the field. Sarah usually took pity on me and picked me before Jeff and Alicia. At least I wasn’t the last one chosen.

We tend to find our identity and worth in the fact that we are chosen by someone. Take sheep for example. Every shepherd chose his sheep - one by one - with great deliberation, thought and care. A choice implies ownership, pursuit and a deliberate action on the part of the one doing the choosing.

Over the years, I have spent a great deal of my life energy and costly time in an ongoing attempt to validate my identity. Much of the pain, frustration and stress I experienced could have been avoided by simply remembering whose I am - a chosen child, a daughter of the King, and an indispensable part of God's heart. That’s right! I am indispensable to no one but God. No one can take my place in my Father’s heart.

The knowledge that I am chosen frees me to serve Him whole-heartedly and boldly without bowing to the unrealistic expectations imposed by others and by my own fragile heart. The knowledge that He created me allows me to embrace the gifts He has given me and encourages me to strain every choice, every decision through the filter of God’s perfect plan for my life. Knowing whose I am draws my attention away from both the critics and the cheerleaders in life and fixes my gaze on the only one I have to please…God.

God is an up-close and personal God. He met Nicodemus at night; He met the woman at the well of Samaria ; He met the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda and He touched the blind man, giving him sight. As He walked through Jericho , Jesus saw a little man perched in a tree and called to him, "Zacchaeus, come down. We have a lunch appointment". He met Matthew at the customs' table and told him, "Rise, and follow me." We come to Jesus alone. There are no "group rates" when it comes to knowing God. It’s always one-on-one and very personal. What you believe about Him in the silence and stillness of your own heart is what makes the difference in your life journey. The heart is where all spiritual transactions are made and the transformation process begins.

Knowing whose we are settles our souls and directs our steps toward the path God intended when He shaped us. You and I were created as a living, fleshed out depiction of God’s love. Just think of it! God Himself supervised our formation. We were created in love – for love – with a specific and holy purpose in mind. We can rejoice with the Psalmist who wrote, “Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends” (Psalm 100:3 NCV)

Claim Your Restoration!

Acts 3:20–21… that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

As a believer, you have the right to expect restoration of the things that the devil has stolen from you. It may be your health, marriage or finances, but payback time is definitely coming!
Acts 3:20–21 tells us that before Jesus comes back for His church, we will experience “the times of restoration of all things”. What a hope that gives us, knowing that God will restore to us all things before Jesus returns!

My friend, if the devil is attacking you in any area, tell God, “Father, I will not allow the devil to rob me of my health, marriage, children or finances. These blessings are blood-bought and paid-for by Your Son!” Claim your restoration in Christ and heaven will hear you.

There will be such times of restoration of all things to the body of Christ that His people will only get better, stronger, healthier, and more prosperous and glorious! When God restores, even under the Old Covenant, His people always received much more than what they had originally lost, in terms of quality and quantity. How much more will our restoration be under the New Covenant because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God!

My very first blog entry

A good friend of my bought me farewell lunch today and suggested that I blog my trip to Hillsong Church in Sydney and Shanghai so that friends that care about me can read on-line how I am coping with life in a foreign land. I told him I prefer to keep my personal life private rather than "announce" to the world what mischief I've been up to but at tonight's party so many friends have been telling me to write back. I reckon I would end up spending alot of time write the same thing over and over again to various friends in emails... therefore I am going to heed my friend's advice and blog. All friends... Thank you so much for caring about me. Even though I may be far away in a foreign land, know that my heart is always with you... :)