About Forgiveness

I’m finding it difficult to find the words to start this post. I know what I want to say, I just don’t have a clear idea how to get there, yet. Have you ever done that? You can see where you want to go, but you’re not quite sure how to get there? I think forgiveness can be like that sometimes.

We know that we should forgive someone for what they’ve done, either to us or in spite of us, but there’s that persistent little devil inside with a death grip on your emotions. He wants to squeeze every bit of resentment, hate, and rage out of you before it’s satisfied that it has ruined another relationship for you. In times like that, we feel like we don’t want to forgive. We want to be angry. We want to justify our words and actions.

We know that forgiveness will bring our hearts and minds the peace we so desperately need, so why do we so often choose to wrap ourselves in a blanket of bitterness instead? In my opinion, we do so because we harbor no hope for reconciliation. Since we see no path forward, we embed ourselves in the disappointing ground we know so well.

In that moment, forgiveness seems so close you can touch it, yet too far to grasp.

Okay, enough of the “woe is me” nonsense for now. Let’s look at things from God’s perspective.

Forgiveness, as He sees it, covers the past, present, and future because He is outside of time. It is an integral part of His eternal, unchanging nature and therefore has and will continue to exist forever. That is the true nature of forgiveness. And, unfortunately, according to the rule of opposites, unforgiveness also encompasses the past, present, and future.

I think I can explain this better with the following analogy.

If someone offends us and that offense endangers the relationship, then no matter how much good they have done for us in the past, your present unforgiveness prevents them from ever approaching you to resolve the issue in the future. So long as you harbor hate in your heart, there is nothing they can do to repair the relationship regardless of how hard they try.

But, if we follow His example, then hope springs eternal. When we presently choose to forgive someone of their past offense, then we open the door to a future moment when the offender humbles themselves, acknowledges their wrongdoing, and repents of what they have done, thus restoring the relationship. This is what true forgiveness must look and act like because it is what He has done for us.

God has already forgiven all of our sin. Past, present, and future. That does not mean that we are all going to heaven by default. That means that the door to heaven is open and we have free access to approach the throne of God and receive it through humility, contrition, and repentance. He isn’t waiting to strike us down the moment we attempt to approach Him. He isn’t standing in judgement of our sin until we do, either. The moment we die is when our choices become permanent. Until then, there isn’t anything that we have broken that He isn’t willing and able to fix.

Forgiveness and unforgiveness are flip sides of the same coin and thus both are eternal.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14 & 15 (NKJV)

God isn’t telling us that to manipulate us. It’s called informed consent. He’s letting us know the consequences of our choices before we make them and “I was upset” will not be an acceptable excuse for them when we stand before Him in judgment.

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;” Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV)

None of us are so perfect that we can afford to hold on to offence. Let it go.

About Discernment: Repost

When I sat down to write the other day, I thought I knew what I wanted to say. As I stared at the blank screen, I found myself turning inward to listen to the voice of God. As I did, I heard that discerning His voice is what He wanted me to discuss.

Now, there are a plethora of teachings out there about how to hear His voice, so I don’t intend to reiterate what has been exhausted elsewhere. Rather, I want to add clarification to the subject and touch on the supernatural a bit in the process. Before I proceed with the former, let me qualify the latter by saying that communicating with God is a supernatural process, and as such, a certain stigma surrounds it.

There are those who are staunchly opposed to Christians delving into the supernatural to any degree because one opens oneself to the demonic. This is true. It is undeniable. More importantly, if you dip a toe in these waters, it is unavoidable.

Let me say that again: It is unavoidable.

This, however, is not a reason to ignore it.

Imagine, if you will, sitting in a crowded restaurant with your friends, coworkers, or family. People are laughing, eating, drinking, clamoring for attention, and speaking in a cacophony of tones. You see service workers taking orders, delivering food, seating patrons, and filling beverages all around you. You didn’t come here to talk to the guy five tables away who is arguing with his wife. Nor did you want to hear the woman behind you tell her colleagues about the stock trade that finally made the boss take notice of her. You want to enjoy the meal you ordered, but the smell of the fajitas at the next table is overpowering your senses. As the dessert tray passes, it bumps your elbow, and you notice a slice of cheesecake with your name on it. Can you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch it all?

The only way any of that background noise prevents you from focusing on your meal, your companions, and your time there is if you let it distract you. You can’t kick everyone out just so you can enjoy yourselves. You can’t tell everybody else to shut up so you can hear your spouse say they love you. Neither can you exhaust the smell of all the other food out of the room to make it easier for you to savor the aroma of your steak.

This is what it’s like when you open your spiritual senses. You can’t choose what you want to hear, see, smell, taste, or touch. It’s all there. Virtuous and venerable. Righteous and wretched. Demonic and divine.

What you must do is concentrate on the holy; at least for a while, anyway. Sometimes it behooves us to see what the enemy is up to, but if you are new to this, you better learn to discern the deific like the back of your hand before you try your hand at devil recon.

To that point you also need to know who is speaking to you from the heavenlies: The Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. Yes, there is a distinction to their voices, and it will help you appreciate each of them more once you learn to hear the difference. When you can do that, it is easier to filter out what isn’t heaven-sent.

First off, God the Father is the Creator of all things. So, when He speaks to you, His voice is prophetic and proclaims His plans for you. Now, since He is the Creator, that means that when He speaks, it is backed by His perfect faith. Because of this, He doesn’t talk to you about sin, judgment, or your problems. If He did, they would become permanent.

The book of Revelation tells us that Jesus is the only one worthy to open the books of Heaven’s records, so He is the one who talks to you about where you’ve been and where you are right now. His blood paid the price for your sins, so He is the only one who can discuss them with you. As hard as that may be for some to believe, it is recorded fact. You can come to Jesus and discuss anything with Him. He cleanses you from all sin and takes it upon Himself so that you can approach the Father.

The Holy Spirit, as the promised Helper, is the one who guides you from where Jesus rescued you to where God has called you to be. He will tell you what to do, how and when to do it, and where you need to go to fulfill your calling. He will also guide you to people who need help and give you the words to speak to comfort them.

All three members of the Godhead are actively involved in your life on a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute, second-by-second basis. The Father declares His plans for your future. The Son talks you through the pain of where you are. The Holy Spirit speaks of the journey between. When you get to know their voices, all of the distractions blur into the background as your senses focus like a camera lens on the pious.

Yes, you will experience things that may frighten you. I see terrifying stuff on the road every day, but it doesn’t stop me from driving. Don’t let fear prevent you from pursuing a supernatural, intimate relationship with God. He has great things in store for you.