" Forgive "
I was reading an article in the Believers Voice of Victory by Kenneth Copeland that I found very timely.
It was about forgiveness and the importance of removing all un forgiveness from your life.
He talked about a time when he asked God why he wasn't walking in power the Lord showed him that faith works by love.
God went on to tell him that it was like a pipe, God was pouring the power in one end and it couldn't come out
the other end in full force because the pipe was stopped up with little trespasses.
God told him it wasn't the big things that were stopping the power but it was the little things that he wouldn't let go of.
God told him just a little discord here and a little grudge there was causing the stuff to pile up and stopping the flow of power.
God then told him to purge the pipe. 2 Corinthians 7:1 tells us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness,
forgiveness and strife and judging definitely fit in that category.
I can tell you from recent experience that when you cleanse your heart the power of God
will begin to flow in a way it wasn't flowing before.
Just this past week God showed me some things in my heart, some against others, some against myself and some against Him.
I dealt with them as soon as He showed me and I have seen a drastic change in the power of God in my life -
it is just as Kenneth Copeland said - I purged the pipe and the power flowed once again...immediately.
That is reason enough to cleanse our pipes don't you think?
Most Christians think they have no unforgiveness.
Or they think they have no hard feeling but the truth will come out when you run across that person at Wal-Mart of hear their name.
If you hear their name and get a little 'icky' in your gut, then you are still carrying something that you need to get rid of.
Another thing Christians often think is that they can get rid of those feelings and forgive, like God forgives, totally on their own.
That is usually not the case. Normally it will take God's help.
I don't know how many times I have prayed 1 John 1:9 when dealing with bitterness or anger.
It says when we confess our sins that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins AND cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
As I pray for carrying a grudge or having hard feelings I ask God to not only forgive my sins
but to also cleanse me from all unrighteousness.
He does it, every single time. Every time it amazes me at how he removes all the bad feelings from my heart.
It doesn't happen immediately but each time I have a bad thought about that person,
I will again say 'God you have forgiven me of that and I thank you that you are cleansing me of all unrighteousness.'
And He does.
If you have been hurt or disappointed you will probably need God's help to get rid of the feelings
from the hurt and disappointment. You may not be able to do it on your own.
Seek God for help in getting rid of all bitterness, anger and unforgiveness.
As I said earlier, once you get rid of all those things that are stopping up the well of God's power,
the power of God will begin to flow in your life once again.
You may think 'but you don't know what has happened to me.'
I can confidently say no matter what it is it is not worth walking in unforgiveness another day,
because the word of God says if we don't forgive others then God won't forgive us -
that is a price that is simply too high to pay, don't you think?
I have a sign on my desk that people often comment on; it says FORGIVE EVERYONE EVERYTHING.
Most comment that this is a hard thing - perhaps, but it is not as hard as knowing God won't forgive me if I don't forgive them,
nor is it as hard as knowing the power of God is available to me but can't work because I have my pipe stopped up with un forgiveness.
Forgive Everyone Everything...and do it today.
==========================================
" Confessions for Husbands "
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
Love and faithfulness will never leave me, I bind them around my neck and I write them on the tablets of my heart.
Proverbs 3:3
I will live joyfully with my wife whom I love all the days of my life which He has given me under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 9:9
=====================================
Attitude and Emotions - Powerful Lesson
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When someone is doing something or is about to do something, in a way we don't want it to be done and when we are not able to accept it, we become angry.
However, when someone is doing something or is about to do something, in a way we don't want it to be done – and we are able to accept it – We remain tolerant.
When someone has something which we don't have, or someone is able to produce the results which we are not able to produce – and we are not able to accept it – we become jealous.
When someone has something which we don't have or someone is able to produce the results which we are not able to produce and we are able to accept it we get inspired.
When Someone is present in our thoughts, but if not physically present and we are not able to accept it – We say 'I am missing you'.
When someone is present in our thoughts, but not physically present – and we are able to accept it – We say 'I am thinking of you'.
Then emotional equation is quite simple.
Something + Acceptance = Positive Emotion
Something + Non Acceptance = Negative Emotion
So, it is not 'Something' or 'someone' who is making us feel positive or negative, but it is our 'acceptance' or 'non acceptance' of something or someone, which is making us feel positive or negative.
It isn't the world but the quality of our response to the world (acceptance or non acceptance) that determines the quality of our emotions.
Next time we feel disturbed with a negative emotion, instead of asking who or what is disturbing us, we will examine who or what we are resisting (not accepting) that is causing this disturbance in us.
We will replace resistance (non acceptance) with acceptance, and the negative emotion will turn into a positive one.
Emotional management begins by stopping to blame that 'something' or 'someone' and starting
to take the responsibility to respond to life with 'acceptance'.
No comments:
Post a Comment