Forgiveness: It Flows Out Of Love
Definition: Forgiveness means to endure, sustain, pardon of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty, release from bondage or imprisonment. (Original Greek & Hebrew meanings)
FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURES
Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Mark 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Romans 5:5, "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
Forgiveness comes from love.
Forgiveness is a free gift from God, but it is conditional.
Forgiveness is a command from God
Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Mark 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Romans 5:5, "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
Forgiveness comes from love.
Forgiveness is a free gift from God, but it is conditional.
Forgiveness is a command from God
Unforgiveness is an enemy of Love, it hinders our love walk, it hinders our destiny.
Why is it sometimes so hard to forgive? Unforgiveness is a form of fear. It holds us back from releasing forgiveness because we fear being hurt again and not being able to recover from the damage someone else caused us. Learning to forgive is a process, it’s an act of the will that requires you to make a decision to forgive by faith, just as in healing, you decide to believe the Word of God that you can be healed, and hold onto and confess the scriptures until they produce your healing. You know you have the ability to forgive (love- forgiveness flows out of it) inside you, it was deposited in your heart when you accepted Jesus. Paul says in Romans 5:5, "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
Now,
1. Make the decision to forgive (act of the will)
2. Pray for those who hurt or used you
3. not allow the devil to stir up all those bad emotions over and over again, causing you to fall back into the turmoil of unforgiveness, just rebuke satan immediately and remind him, you have already forgiven them and your not taking that stuff back!!!
God would not command us to do something we were incapable of doing. So know, that God has given you the ability to forgive! Start confessing the Word! Start releasing your faith about it! Get rid of those fears. Confess scriptures that lift you up out of that hurt such as: "No weapon formed against me shall prosper, (Isaiah 54:17) and stand on the Word that "God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus", (Philippians 4:19) Let the knowledge of the merciful, protective love of God cast out all your fears, (1 John 4:18).
To forgive, just make a decision now, in faith, don’t wait on your feelings to change, make them change by quoting the Word of God and remember the devil is behind all the negative things people do. Fill your mind and heart with the promises of God that apply to your situation. Always speak and act in accordance with that decision. Don't say anything negative about that person. Do not rehearse the problem in your mind or with your mouth. Look for ways to bless that person...
Jesus says in Matthew 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you..." and one more thing, these three steps work when forgiving ourselves for all the wrong things we have done to ourselves and others. Do not allow satan to have control over you through the negative emotion of unforgiveness.
I've told my friends, there's one more thing I wanted to teach them to do when their mind becomes overwhelmed by the accuser of the brethren, another name for the enemy or devil because he accuses us of all the wrong things we do to make us feel bad, guilty or confused and that is when we perfect praise, praising God for how good he is and how much we love him, the devil hates this and will flee. In Psalms it says God will inhabit His praises. So when in need of some peace and or joy in your mind say, thank you Lord for all you do, thank Him over and over, tell Him you love him, sing a praise song or hymn, but be real about it or try to. Release your faith aloud by quoting scriptures, it will build up your faith in Him and stir up your spirit and bring you joy in the Lord.
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Make A Joyful Noise
Make a joyful noise ~
all of God's chosen people
let your praise be heard
from the highest steeple.
Open up your mouths,
and sing victories song
let all His faithful ones
gather and sing along.
Great are His mercies,
awesome is His grace
come one and all
join the faithful race.
He's our mighty fortress,
our everlasting stronghold
He makes the frail and weak
into His soldiers, bold.
Come join His army,
for there's a battle to flight
do not fear the enemy
for you are led by His light.
Make a joyful noise ~
for the battle is ours to win
let your praise be heard
for we have victory over sin!
all of God's chosen people
let your praise be heard
from the highest steeple.
Open up your mouths,
and sing victories song
let all His faithful ones
gather and sing along.
Great are His mercies,
awesome is His grace
come one and all
join the faithful race.
He's our mighty fortress,
our everlasting stronghold
He makes the frail and weak
into His soldiers, bold.
Come join His army,
for there's a battle to flight
do not fear the enemy
for you are led by His light.
Make a joyful noise ~
for the battle is ours to win
let your praise be heard
for we have victory over sin!
