Yesterday, an unsaved friend shared a horrible circumstance.
Her anger is hot and her heart is full of unforgiveness.
She can barely talk about it as I perceive she would rather scream.
I sought the Lord about this.
I have to be careful what I say or do as I do not want to comfort her in her sin.
Nor do I want to say the wrong thing. I want to be led by the Holy Spirit.
I asked Him what I can say to her.
He said, Pray for her.
If there is a time for me to talk to her about it, it is not yet.
Another friend told me about a situation
where she has so much hate for someone.
This was someone close to her, who had caused much division and harm to her.
I mentioned forgiveness.
She refused. Her heart is filled with hate and sorrow.
She tells of the things he had done that hurt her and her family very deeply.
It made me very sad. I know what it means when people do not forgive.
It means the Lord will not forgive them.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15
Forgiveness takes humility. It takes putting God’s word above your own feelings.
I was very young when this happened. Maybe 19.
I was in Hawaii and I was witnessing to an island guy.
We talked about him being attached to his heritage.
The Hawaiian heritage serves many idols.
We were also talking about forgiveness.
He told me about his ex-wife who had committed adultery
and done terrible things that destroyed his children’s lives and his family.
He said he could not forgive her.
I did not know what to say to him.
I asked the Lord about it later.
I knew He heard what the man had said.
I brought the conversation before the Lord
and the Lord knew I agreed with the man that forgiveness would be difficult
if not impossible.
He said, It does not matter what someone else has done.
Forgiveness is a command.
I have never given any excuse in My word to hold unforgiveness in your heart.
It was too late to find that guy and tell him what the Lord had shared with me.
If he humbles himself before the Lord, then that is good, if not,
he will not be forgiven.
That man has the same opportunities that we all do,
to listen, to read, to hear from the Lord while on Earth.
Pray for the people the Lord allows you to know and care about.
God can do what we cannot.
Forgiving is an act of submission to the Lord.
Submitting to His word, to His thoughts, to His ways.
Unforgiveness puts us in the place of Judge, which we are not.
The office of Judge belongs to God.
When we judge righteous judgment, that is not taking God’s place,
but rather, it is agreeing with God.
It is not an emotional decision by human standards.
I had some unforgiveness in my heart this week.
I let it go. I asked God to forgive me for not forgiving
and help me since I wasn’t forgiving.
I can’t even remember who it was or what it was.
God helped me.
It’s a constant battle.
Unforgiveness is one of those things that can linger or pop up again
once we thought it was gone.
His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Submitting, humbling ourselves and choosing love, choosing Jesus
and letting things go.
They will not matter in a thousand years.
Jesus has given us far more forgiveness that what we deserve.
Our hurts and misgivings can be given to Him.
Let Him bear the burdens of pain and insult.
He already did.
Live in Jesus’ forgiveness. Walk in Jesus’ forgiveness.
Forgiveness is key.