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The Power of Forgiveness Rom.14:9-10 (KJV) “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. {10} But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Jesus Christ was beaten, and mocked, and crucified to death, and then rose from the grave to give mankind forgiveness. This forgiveness is not limited to His forgiving us, but is given to us in abundance that we may forgive others as well. Mat. 6:14-15 (KJV) “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: {15} But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” That portion of the text speaks volumes, but the main key is that forgiveness is ongoing. If we have received forgiveness for our sins from the Lord today, and then tomorrow refuse to forgive someone else, we will not be able to receive forgiveness again until we are again willing to forgive, therefore forfeiting the power of forgiveness. Luk. 6:36-37 (KJV) “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.{37} Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” One of the most devastating results of walking outside of the power of forgiveness is that we will become prone to giving up on ourselves, and fall short of living the victorious Christian life that Christ died to give us. That happens because the unforgiveness that we distribute always comes back to us. It takes grace to lead someone to repentance; therefore we must be willing to keep giving grace if we hope to keep receiving it. Mat. 6:12 (KJV) “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” In the area of forgiveness many Christians feel like they are failures because they still retain the painful memories of offenses, both in their conscience as well as their sub-conscience minds. To overcome in this area we must remember that: 1. Forgiveness has never been painless, and 2. Forgiveness is a deliberate act of the will; therefore we must proclaim that we forgive, and take the pain to the cross. Thanks be to God that because of the power of forgiveness failure is not final -Kurt Thurston April Newsletter 2004 | It Is Finished | Digging for Gold | Pastor's Journal April 2003 The Power of Forgiveness | Partakers: With Whom and Of What? part 1 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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