Forgiveness Leads to Freedom

Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And put your trust in the LORD.

~ Psalms 4:4-5

No matter how justified we may believe we are in holding a particular grudge, the act of forgiveness feels so cleansing and freeing.  Why is that?  I believe it is because God calls us to forgive not just once, not seven times, but "up to seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:22).  In other words, just forgive.  God forgave us unhesitatingly when He went to the cross as Christ as an atonement for our sins.  He forgave those who mocked Him, spit in His face, lied about who He was, placed a crown of thorns on His head and nailed Him to the cross.  The Son of God, they nailed to the cross.  Naked.  And God forgave them.  Is there anything, then, that prevents you from forgiving a debt against you?  Do you hold fast to stubborn resistance?  I find that some of the most stubbornly resistant people not only have the hardest time forgiving, but they also seem to have the hardest time submitting their wills to Christ.  Therefore, they stay stuck in bad habits and addictions, unforgiveness and unresolved anger.  They forfeit the fullness of life God intends for them to live.  If you are stuck in unforgiveness, pray to God to open up your eyes and soften your heart to be able to forgive and move on.  There is such freedom in forgiving even the most unforgivable debts.  I pray that if this message speaks to you, that you will accept the forgiveness Christ offers freely to you, and in turn forgive those who have hurt you.  There is such freedom in forgiveness.

Our Greatest Advocate

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

~Isaiah 41:10

When I start the day with these words, I cannot think of any reason to doubt that it will be an amazing day.  Regardless of what series of events unfold, we have an Advocate who is there for us when we turn to Him.

Giving it back to God...

Honor the LORD with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

So your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

~ Proverbs 3:9-10

I used to think I was not a slave to my possessions, until I went through financial hard times and the meanings of "want" and of "need" became more clearly defined for me.  I had always given freely to the church and to those in need, had no debt to speak of, and was extremely proud of my impeccable credit rating.  I never would have classified myself as a foolish spender.  In fact, I saved.  I counted every penny and calculated my giving.  I was proud of my retirement portfolio, and how lovely it all looked on paper.  I thought I was "set".  Then, like many business owners, the mix of a soured economy and outsourcing hit me hard.  I walked through a "desert" in my life for about 5 years, digging my heals in to save my home and investments and praying it would all get better.  I figured it had to, because I figured I had done everything right.  What the Lord revealed to me was that I had an issue of pride.  Pride is sin.  Sin gets in the way of God blessing us.  I had to let go of my attitude, as well as a lot of tangible, meaningless "stuff" (meaningless in view of eternity).  Both are baggage, and both stand in the way of us coming to know and experience Christ, God's only Son who spent His adult years walking the earth without a home.  I can now say I really appreciate the meaning of a roof over my head, food on my table, and bills when they get paid.  I don't have new clothes every season, have never bought an iPod, reuse just about everything I can, and still have not repaired the damage my car suffered 3 years ago in a minor accident.  It's just not important to me anymore to have a closet full of cute shoes.  These days, these happy days, I have discovered the freedom of letting go and running barefoot through life.  There is freedom in knowing my life is now led by my trusting and allowing God to make the decisions for me.  I now know He knows better than I do what is right for me, and now I am listening for the Spirit's voice.  While I once thought it was enough to honor Him with my financial firstfruits, I now understand what He really wants is my heart, my focus, my finances and my time, uncalculated.  This is a God I will know for eternity, so it seems only fitting to get to know Him and trust Him now, because what we do here in life today matters.  I have learned that sometimes the only way God can truly get our attention is to strip away the strongholds in our lives, the things that keep us self-centered.  I was not aware I even had any, until He revealed them.  Then, with the ability to see clearly as through an open window, one free of clutter and pride, there I finally saw the character of God, and each day has become a new journey with Him.  And now, slowly but surely, my vats are being filled as with new wine, and my barns to overflowing.

Dr. Charles F. Stanley book signing

Today I was honored to meet one of my spiritual heroes, Dr. Charles F. Stanley (In Touch Ministries), at Family Christian Stores in Elgin, IL.

"Fleshly power and reasoning are worthless in a spiritual conflict.  Therefore, we must submit our minds, wills, and emotions to the authority of God's Spirit."

~ Dr. Charles F. Stanley, from his book Handle With Prayer

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,

Searching all the inner depths of his heart.

~ Proverbs 20:27

God's Way

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. ~ James 3:17-18

New Every Morning

Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

~ Lamentations 3:22-23

Pureness of Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

~ Matthew 5:8-12

He is Trustworthy

When you question why things happen the way they do, trust that God's plan is better than your own. Sometimes it is a blessing when we don't get our way, because there is something better waiting for us. Just trust Him. 

‎"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways." says the LORD.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts." ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

We can never know the full power of God until we fully trust Him.