DAILY WORD – THURSDAY 05 JANUARY 2006

“LISTEN TO ME! YOU CAN PRAY FOR ANYTHING AND IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE IT; IT’S YOURS! BUT WHEN YOU ARE PRAYING, FIRST FORGIVE ANYONE YOU ARE HOLDING A GRUDGE AGAINST, SO YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL FORGIVE YOU YOUR SINS TOO.” (MARK 11:24+25)

FIRST FORGIVE THEN PRAY

We need to understand and acknowledge that unforgiveness disguises itself in many forms such as offence, misunderstandings, anger, bitterness, hurt feelings, and even so called ‘spiritual’ judgment of others.

There was a dark time in my life where I felt that all my prayers were hitting a metal ceiling, but my heart was full of anger and bitterness towards someone who had deeply hurt my family. These feelings ate away at me like a cancer slowly permeating every area of my life with bitterness, unbelief and cynicism.

It was only when I made a decision to turn away from the lie that God didn’t care and was ignoring what had happened, and let go of my desire for some type of spiritual revenge (a bolt of lightening from heaven would have been my idea of just punishment at that stage of my life) that my breakthrough came. I’m not saying that this was an instant change, no rather the more I admitted and yielded all my angry belief systems and feelings to the Lord, the more His grace and love replaced all the bitterness and unforgiveness. Today, only because of His unfailing grace and love, I am free!

Hurting people hurt people! When we hurt, we judge everything out of that hurt. It is like a filter that negatively colours everything around us until ultimately we are barely able to function at all. Depression and despair become the order of the day. Satan will eagerly encourage us in this, as He knows that unforgiveness destroys our intimacy with our Heavenly Father. In fact he’ll even get you to entertain the lie that in some way its Gods fault, to keep you from going to the only place where you can find healing and restoration, and eventually your anger and unforgiveness will extend to God Himself.

So today let go of any feelings you may have that God doesn’t know or care about your hurt, and that in some perverse way He is allowing it to mature you. God doesn’t use destructive methods to build our character. God is love, and it is His love that changes us, turning our mourning into joy! In Christ is the power and grace we need to forgive!  

FORGIVENESS = ANSWERED PRAYER.

CHOOSE LIFE, CHOOSE ‘THE WORD’

Have a forgiving Thursday.

Much love

Chrissy  

Further scripture reading Matthew 18:23-35

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