Forgiveness

Driving to church this past Sunday morning, I was listening to a Christian radio station. I am not sure the name of the program but they were talking about what inspired the song, “Forgiveness” by Matthew West. How many times do you listen to the words of songs? I mean, actually listen to them. Most of us just go through singing along not paying any attention to the lyrics or the meaning that those lyrics convey to the world. I know I have been guilty of it.

I have listened to this song several times since it aired and liked it and the lyrics but not one time did the lyrics touch me in the way that they did this particular Sunday morning. This songs inspiration, based on the interview, was from a mom who lost her daughter to a drunk driving accident and how, with God’s help, forgave the young man. This forgiveness transformed the young man’s life! I sat there and listened intently to the lyrics this time. As I listened to them and associated them with the story that was told prior to the song playing, I asked myself, “Could I ever forgive someone who took my child from me?” Could you?

John 3:16 (AMP) says, “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He gave up His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God showed or modeled tremendous love for us by doing this. For He already knew what was going to happen when He sent Jesus down to earth. Jesus had a destiny and that was to sacrifice Himself for us!

Jesus Himself said, “Father, forgive them for they no not what they do.” If Jesus can forgive for someone taking His life we should also. It will not be easy, I am sure, but in order for you to live a life of true freedom, you must forgive any and all things that have occurred in your life. The forgiveness is not so much for the other person but for you. If you harbor un-forgiveness in your heart your heart will harden. You cannot walk in the fullness or revelation of God’s love for you if you have un-forgiveness towards anyone.

But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell of fire. So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you,Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.

Matthew 5:22-24

Even though this talks about someone having something against you I would think it works both ways. How can you enter His gates with thanksgiving when you have anger, hatred, and animosity towards someone? Start the healing process in your life, forgive them for any wrong doing. Seek God for He loves you in spite of your anger.  He loves you so much that He sent His Son years ago to die for your healing. When you forgive, the person you set free is YOU!

~Ronda Sullivan

Image Credit © © Andres Rodriguez | Dreamstime.com

Seeking Time

Gateway Believer’s Fellowship is in seeking time. Last year was my first experience in joining them with this.  The phrase “seeking time” was new to me. My first time, I listened to what others were giving up and I did what they were doing.  Last year was good. I wanted this year to be even better. The dictionary said seeking means to go in search of; to strive for. I began asking myself what it was I wanted to strive for.

Since the word was seeking, I decided to do just that! I would seek the King, and find out what he would want me to give up. I was thinking it would be TV time. Maybe I would give up facebook,or all computer activity during this time. Maybe it would be my favorite food or drink. The answer I got in prayer surprised me. The Lord told me He wants me to give up hurts and grudges I have held on to. He told me I am to let go of the idea that I have a right to feel this way.

Not forgiving others hinders our prayer life. It can affect our walk with the Lord. We are to work toward laying aside these kinds of weights in our lives. We are to learn to have the fruit of the Spirit operating in our lives. This is what I am going to strive for.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.

Galatians 5:22

~ Connie Robinson

© Lisa F. Young | Dreamstime.com

Power of Forgiveness

CROSS, HEART AND DIVINE LIGHT
© Nguyen Thai | Dreamstime.com

I went to spend some time with my grandparent’s on the night of July 12,1997, so I wasn’t home to hear the rage or violent words exchanged between my parents, but that was the night my family and life as I had known it ceased to exist. In a way I was relieved, because I didn’t have to hide the hurt and agony as a result of my dad’s cocaine addiction. I didn’t have to be woken up in the middle of the night by his boots stomping on the wood floor, causing my heart to drop to my chest. No, no more fear after that night.

I was angry that I hadn’t been there for my mom that night, though. I thought maybe I could have protected her somehow. I wanted desperately to see her smile again, but all I saw after that night was a shell of the vibrant, happy person my mom once was. I hated my dad for what he did to her. My mind couldn’t fully grasp the extent of his addiction, so I blamed him. I didn’t want to look at him, and I certainly didn’t want to talk to him. He had almost killed my mom, the most precious person in my life at that time.

Years went by before I was able to really release that hurt inside of me. Sure, I was finally able to celebrate Christmas and birthdays with my dad and grandparents without seething in rage. I hadn’t really forgiven him, though. I had done just enough so that I wouldn’t hurt. I think I had become numb to the pain, to be honest. When I saw him, I would say, “Hey,” and update him on my life, but our relationship never progressed much further than that.

I watched the process that my mom had to go through to forgive my dad. It didn’t come overnight either. One afternoon we were riding down the road and my mom said, “You know you are going to have to forgive your daddy for what he did.” Immediately, I was mad. Why should I forgive him? Continuing on, my mom pointed out, “There is good in your daddy.” I replied, “Well, I know you always tell me that, but I just don’t see it!” I was just being an honest twelve-year-old child. I didn’t see it. All I had ever known was fighting, cussing, and someone who battled addiction.

My mom told me that I needed to forgive him so that God could work in my own life. Talk about a sobering moment! I decided that it was important that I forgive him. Without hesitating, Mama said, “He’s at home so just go ahead and do it now.” My heart started pounding and my palms got sweaty. We pulled in, and there he was. Mama got out of the car and said, “Madison’s got something she wants to tell you.” Looking kind of bewildered, he waited for me to get out of the car.

Looking into his eyes, I softly said, “Daddy, I forgive you for what you did to Mama.”

“What?” he replied, not sure he had heard me correctly.

So, I repeated it once more, this time tears flowing down my cheeks. “Daddy, I forgive you for what you did to Mama.”

“Oh, that was over a long time ago,” he said, embracing me in an awkward hug. My words just hung in the air, as I straightened up. Even though he didn’t have much of a reaction, I felt better. At twelve years old, I didn’t quite understand the power of forgiveness, but I did it by faith and because it was important to my mom. I knew a magic wand wouldn’t come down from Heaven and fix my relationship with my daddy, but this was the first step in the right direction.

Apostle David talks about ways we deceive ourselves and that unforgiveness is one of the traps the enemy uses against us. As a young adult, I still have to deal with feelings of rejection as a result of my past, but each day I make the choice to forgive others because I’m continually reminded of the grace God has shown me throughout my life. Who am I to deny that to others? And who are you?

~by Madison Sanders

Wrapped in His Arms

Most children look to their daddies to be their helpers: to fix everything for them when they’re too little to do it themselves. “My toy is broken, daddy. Can you fix it for me?” a child says with pleading eyes.

My story is a little different. I had a broken heart that couldn’t be easily fixed with tape or new batteries. I would have given anything for a dad who wanted to spend time with me when I was little. I used to be so sad when a movie would show a little girl climbing up in her daddy’s lap because that was something I never experienced.

I never felt safe around my daddy growing up. He was tall and had a booming voice that made me jump when he entered the room. I couldn’t just go up to him and say, “Daddy, I need a hug,” because he was often too busy doing his own thing. After a while, I just quit waiting for him to play with me because the sting of rejection was too much for my little heart to take.

When I came to Gateway, I was just a young girl still trying to get used to my parents’ divorce. I remember hearing sermons about the Father’s love. It was unlike anything I’d ever heard of before. Apostle David would explain that God loves each one of us unconditionally. I desperately wanted to believe that, but I had been so disappointed many times before in my life, and I needed help believing even that. Thank God that Holy Ghost is my helper! As I learned to pray in tongues for my own growth and edification, my Helper showed up to fix my broken heart.

After being able to grasp that God really wanted a relationship with me, scars and all, I began to let Holy Ghost heal my heart little by little. It started with praying in tongues and meditating on the words of the songs each time we worshipped in church.  I would find myself humming the words during the week when I was alone. Holy Ghost would take those words and help me see how they applied to ME personally.

It wasn’t always easy, but over time, Holy Ghost helped me see that it didn’t matter if my daddy ever told me that he loved me or not. God’s love became real to me, and I knew that HE cared for me. Through surgeries, falls, and awards ceremonies at school, Holy Ghost has helped me get through it all, letting me know and experience His love. He was there to help me let down the walls that I put up to keep others out, and through that I began to experience God’s love through those around me as well. I have found that I don’t have to do anything to impress God; I don’t have to be perfect. He just loves me for me. How awesome is that?!

You may think that you are too broken, too messed up, or too shameful for God to ever love you. That’s not the case, my friend. Once I let Holy Ghost help me experience God’s love, my life has never been the same. As I fully submitted to God, trusting Him to be the father I never had, He has given me an unspeakable peace concerning my daddy. God’s Holy Spirit has helped mend that void in my life, and He can do the same for you.

I dare you to believe Holy Ghost to be your Helper. He is all that you need! See what happens!

~by Madison Sanders

Thirsty for God’s Love

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

~John 4:14

Jesus was sitting by a well one day when a woman came up to get some water. She was just going about her daily life like she always did, but this day would be different. A few words from Jesus, and she realized that what she had been looking for would never quench her thirst, but what Jesus offered… love and forgiveness of sins… would change her life. Jesus knew that she was living with a man who was not her husband. He knew that she had five husbands before that man. He knew that she had failed in her relationships and was in sin. But He offered her a new chance at life anyway, and she took it.

I can relate to that woman so well. When I first came to this church, I didn’t have a clue about anything. I was just living day-by-day, flowing whichever way the wind blew, because that’s all I knew. I had no focus in my life…no purpose that I could tell. At a very young age, I had already been in more relationships than I like to admit and had my first child when I was still very young. I believed that anyone who messed up so early in life certainly couldn’t have much to look forward to. The best I felt I could do was just hope to make it through each day.

But God had a different plan for me. When I came to Gateway, I had just gotten out of a bad relationship and jumped right into a new relationship, which usually doesn’t work out very well. But this time, my boyfriend brought me to church where I soon learned that God loves me regardless of all the mistakes I’ve made. I realized that my relationship with Him quenches that thirst for love and acceptance that once drove me in the wrong direction. Not only have I learned how to receive God’s love, but I have also learned how to receive true, Godly love from other people. Coming to this “well” has changed my life. I realize I have purpose and that God really cares about my life and my relationships. That boyfriend who brought me here is now my wonderful husband of 12 years and one of the many blessings God has given to me.

We all have our stories and excuses for the reason we are the way we are, but we can’t let those things keep us on the wrong track with the wrong mindset. If we’ll trust Him and act on His word, then we can find His purpose for our life and walk it out. Even though Jesus knew all about that woman at the well and her husbands, He still took the time to speak to her and offer her forgiveness. Jesus knows all my mistakes, but He loves me anyway, has a plan for my life, and has given me purpose. He will do the same for you if you will just trust Him.

~by Guest Contributor  Michelle Parrish

A Spiritual Raking

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness for God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.” ~ Matthew 6:14, The Message

I was outside cutting grass after all the rain and had to rake up the grass clippings because it had been a while since I had cut my grass. My goal was to have all my grass cut the same length, because I can’t stand to have a piece not uniform with the rest. Even though I was enjoying raking my little piles up, I started to get irritated at the grass in areas. In some places in the yard, raking produced areas that I thought were cut but actually were not. Well, I went back over these areas with the lawnmower to cut them down, but when I raked again I realized that there was another piece that needed to be cut! I finally put the lawnmower blade down one level and went back over the whole spot. I was frustrated by all the extra time I had spent on it, but I got it taken care of eventually!!

As I worked on my yard, it occurred to me that we have areas in our lives that we think are okay until we examine them closely and find uneven places that need some trimming. I could have left my yard alone, and it would have been a job well done for most people. If I had not raked up the waste left in my yard, I would never have found the areas of grass that escaped the trim. If we never exam ourselves a little closer than usual, we will overlook the little things that escape the first pass of prayer or repentance. Our spiritual landscape may pass for a while, but that one piece that we overlooked will eventually grow and raise its ugly head above all the other areas of our lives if we don’t take the time to properly eliminate it in the first place.

How often have we thought something in our life was taken care of only to find it surfacing later on down the road? It is the little things that we think we have taken care of that will sneak in and, before you know it, cause us not to walk with God the way that you should or experience the fullness of what He has for you.

So rake through, and let your spirit show you that little twig of grass that needs to be dealt with. Whatever it represents, put your spiritual mower on it and get it out of your life so it doesn’t cause you problems on down the road!

By Ronda Sullivan

Miracles in My Mess

Have you ever noticed how God shows up in the most unlikely places with the most unlikely people? Six years ago, I started working in my local elementary school. If you had asked me 15 years ago if I could see myself doing that, I would have said, “NO WAY!” My self-esteem was so low. Relationships have never been the easiest thing for me. I tried to appear collected on the outside, but on the inside I stayed in turmoil in my mind and emotions. But GOD used a lady at work to help me change all of that. No, she wasn’t a great friend who made me feel welcome; she was actually quite mean and hard. She was always abrupt and cold. I couldn’t understand why she hated me! Her attitude toward me certainly didn’t help the self-esteem issues I was dealing with! Or did they?

I remembered what Apostle David always says: hurting people hurt people. So, in the middle of all of my own hurt, I cried out to God for her. I asked Him to show me what I could do to love her, in spite of herself. The Lord dealt with me to pray for her. I also asked Him if there were something I could do for her, and I heard Him say, “SMILE at her.” And so I did…in spite of how hard it was!

Did things change? Sure, in only a few short years. Yes, I said years! Not days or weeks, but years. Then one day, out of the blue, she ran up to me and said, “Sherrie my husband got saved!” I rejoiced with her and gave her Apostle David’s book on prayer, which she soaked up like a sponge! She took hold of the message in that little book and lost 50 pounds! She even got off her blood pressure medicine. Now, she and I are good friends. But she wasn’t the only one who had changed…I had changed, too. Through all of this, God used this woman to show me that one way to break down walls in me is to cry out to Him for someone who is hurting me. What I saw as a mess, God saw as a miracle in the making…for two!

~Sherrie Vaughn, guest writer