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27th June 2024
ThursdayReflection
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Joyce Meyer shares
'The Poison of Unforgiveness'
Freeing Yourself and Others
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Many people ruin their health and their lives by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.
If we do not forgive people, we get turned over to the torturers.
In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
.....Matthew 18:23-35
(AMPC)
If you have a problem in this area or have ever had one, I'm sure you bear witness with what I'm saying.
It's torture to have hateful thoughts toward another person rolling around inside your head.
Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you?
Actually, you're helping yourself more than the other person.
I always saw forgiving people who hurt me as being really hard.
It seemed so unfair for them to receive forgiveness when I had gotten hurt.
I got pain, and they got freedom without having to pay for the pain they caused.
Now I realize that I'm helping myself when I choose to forgive.
I'm happier and feel better physically when I'm not filled with the poison of unforgiveness.
I'm also helping the other person by releasing them so God can do what only He can do.
If I'm in the way - trying to take revenge or take control of the situation myself - God has no obligation to deal with that person.
However, if we trust God and choose to forgive, He will take care of the rest.
See, the act of forgiving is our seed of obedience to His Word.
Once we've sown our seed, He is faithful to bring a harvest of blessing to us one way or another.
Would you like to become more successful at forgiving others?
There are practical steps that must be taken.
One time I asked the Lord why so many people want to forgive but aren't successful doing it.
And He said, "Because they aren't obeying what I tell them to do in My Word."
As I searched the Word, I found the following instructions:
1. Decide - You will never forgive if you wait until you feel like it.
Choose to obey God and steadfastly resist the devil in his attempts to poison you with bitter thoughts.
2. Depend - You cannot forgive without the power of the Holy Spirit.
It's too hard to do on your own.
If you are truly willing, God will enable you, but you must humble yourself and cry out to Him for help.
3. Obey -
a. Pray for your enemies and those who abuse and misuse you.
Pray for their happiness and welfare.
As you pray, God can give them revelation that will bring them out of deception.
They may not even be aware they hurt you, or maybe they're aware but are so self-centred that they don't care.
Either way, they need revelation.
b. Bless and do not curse them.
In the Greek to bless means "to speak well of" and to curse means "to speak evil of."
Forgive the person who badly hurt you long ago and also the stranger who stepped on your toe in the grocery store.
Take those two extremes and forgive them in addition to everyone in between.
Forgive quickly. The quicker you do it, the easier it is.
Forgive freely. Matthew 10:8 (AMPC) says,
Freely you have received, freely give.
To Forgive means "to excuse a fault, absolve from payment, pardon, send away, cancel, and bestow favour unconditionally."
Forgive God if you are angry with Him because your life didn't turn out the way you thought it should.
God is always just.
There may be things you don't understand, but God loves you, and people make a serious mistake when they don't receive help from the only One who can truly help them.
You may even need to forgive a situation or an object - the post office, bank, a certain store that may have cheated you, a car that always gave you trouble, etc.
Get rid of all poison that comes from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.
And remember Proverbs 4:23 (AMPC):
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance...for out of it flow the springs of life.
Unforgiveness is spiritual filthiness, so get washed in the water of God's Word to forgive and stay clean.
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
Joyce Meyer
is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers.
She is a New York Times bestselling author, and her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ.
Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on how the Word of God applies to our everyday lives.
Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences, and helps others understand how to apply biblical principles to their own lives.
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