LIFTING MY VOICE: FORGIVENESSUnlocking the Prison DoorTo be a Chri...

LIFTING MY VOICE: FORGIVENESSUnlocking the Prison Door

To be a Chri...: FORGIVENESS Unlocking the Prison Door To be a Christian is to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C.S....

FORGIVENESS

Unlocking the Prison Door

To be a Christian is to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C.S. Lewis 

Forgiveness is when you open the door to set someone free and you realise you were the prisoner. Unknown

Forgiveness is the best form of love.

It takes a strong person to say sorry

and an even stronger person to forgive. Unknown

FORGIVENESS IS NOT EASY

TO GIVE TO OTHERS WHEN WE'RE WRONGED,

BUT IF WE DO NOT GIVE IT

OUR HURT AND PAIN WILL BE PROLONGED.

LIKE A WOUND THAT IS INFECTED

AND GETS WORSE AS TIME GOES BY,

WE CAN NOT JUST IGNORE IT

NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRY.

SOMETIMES THERE ARE NO REASONS

FOR THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO, 

NO EXCUSES OR EXPLANATIONS

THAT JUSTIFY WHAT THEY PUT US THROUGH,

BUT REMEMBER...JESUS TOLD US TO FORGIVE

THE SAME WAY OUR FATHER FORGIVES US,

SO WE CAN MOVE TOWARD THE LOVE

INSTEAD OF STAYING BITTER AND CALLUSED.

FORGIVENESS RELEASES THE NEGATIVE

THAT HAS CONSUMED AND TAKEN OVER,

IT FREES US, TO LOVE AND LIVE AGAIN

AS OUR HARDENED HEART GROWS SOFTER.

YES...FORGIVENESS CAN BE VERY HARD

BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE MUST DO,

IF WE WANT GOD TO FORGIVE US

THEN...WE MUST FORGIVE OTHERS TOO!

(A poem called "Forgiveness" by Janet Mullaly Copyright 2008)

In Matthew 18:21-35, we read what is referred to as the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

Peter has asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother if he sinned against him or offended him in some way. He was expecting a finite number, querying "seven times?" Jesus replied not seven times, but seventy times seven - in effect saying we should always be ready to forgive.

Jesus went on in the passage quoted above to relate a parable of two servants. The first owed his master, the king a huge amount of money, a debt he could in no way, pay. The king ordered his wife and children and all he had to be sold to help clear the debt. The servant pleaded for mercy. The king responded with great compassion for the man, and forgave him all his debt.

The parable continues, as that same servant, whom Jesus calls a wicked servant, went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount of money in comparison with the debt he himself originally owed. When this second servant begged for mercy and to be forgiven his debt, the wicked servant refused, ordering him be sent to prison until he could pay the debt.

The wicked servant was reported to the king, his master, and because he was not willing to show mercy and to forgive his fellow servant, the king ordered him to be delivered to the torturers until he could pay the debt, which you might remember was huge.

Jesus concludes with this very sobering statement: "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

This last verse from Jesus in the above passage reminds me of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:12 and 14, where He says "And forgive us our debts,

                                                        As we forgive our debtors."

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses."

Sounds so simple, doesn't it - yet many people, even many Christians who should know better, by their stubborn refusal to forgive - are trapped in a prison of unforgiveness, bitterness and even hate towards those who have offended them, in fact, or whom they perceive to have been offended by them.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 tells us For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant above, we were under God's wrath, having by our sinfulness been deserving of death - the payment for our sin - BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved;)

And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:4-6

Hebrews 12:14-15 warns: Pursue peace with all men, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, watching diligently so that no one falls short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up to cause trouble, and many become defiled by it.

 TO BE CONTINUED

                                                  

LIFTING MY VOICE: THE CREATIVE POWEROF SPOKEN WORDSPART TWOOur word...

LIFTING MY VOICE: THE CREATIVE POWEROF SPOKEN WORDSPART TWO
Our word...: THE CREATIVE POWER OF SPOKEN WORDS PART TWO Our words have the power to impart life and hope and blessing to those we speak with, if they ...

THE CREATIVE POWER

OF SPOKEN WORDS

PART TWO

Our words have the power to impart life and hope and blessing to those we speak with, if they come out of the overflow of hearts filled with the Holy Spirit, and the love of God. At the commencement of His earthly ministry, Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth says of Himself, in quoting Isaiah 61:1,2 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

Jesus brought salvation, healing, deliverance from demons, hope to the hopeless, impartation of faith to His hearers and more by the words He spoke under the direction and anointing of the Holy Spirit, as He was motivated by great love and compassion for people everywhere He went.

As followers of Christ, born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we too are to expect God to use our words to minister life and hope and healing and health and wholeness to our hearers.

When we study the early chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible - the book of beginnings, we see clearly the creative power of God's words to create the universe, and in particular the earth on which we live, in all its complexity.

Looking at chapter One and the six days of Creation, the Bible records ten statements of God prefaced by "Then God said..." Each time God spoke, His words created tangible physical realities out of nothing. Amazing! Simply amazing!

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was without form and void;

and darkness was on the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The God said: "Let there be light,"

                      and there was light.

                      And God saw the light, that it was good

                      And God divided the light from the darkness.

When, in verse 3 it says: Then God said, "Let there be light," the literal Hebrew meaning of the statement is apparently: Then God said "Light be!" providing an added sense of awe at the creative power of the Word of the Living God.

Verse 5 of Genesis 1 says: God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. (Emphasis mine). So God spoke a command which brought creation into being in all its various aspects, and after the word of creation followed a calling of the things He had created. Such was the fellowship the first man, Adam had with the Creator God, that the Lord brought every creature of land animals and birds before him, and he had the honour of naming each one.

The prophets of the Old Testament were called to speak powerful words to the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, as the Holy Spirit anointed their mouths to speak as God's mouthpieces to the nations - words of correction, judgment, and also words of comfort and hope.

In the New Testament, every believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit's anointing power to be used to proclaim words of life, words of edification, exhortation and comfort to other Christians, and to those who are yet to come to the Lord. In a real sense, we, as Christ's ambassadors, can create life and hope and impart blessing by the words that we speak. What a wonderful privilege to speak, as Peter says in 1 Peter 4:11 as the "oracles of God."

It is certainly true, as Kenneth Copeland says that: One word from God can change your life forever.

If you have read this blog, and would like to know more about how you can become a Christian, and come to discover the purpose for your being: Go online to www.vision.org.au This is the online home of Vision Christian Media in Australia. Click on the "Grow your faith" tab at the top of the page, then from the dropdown menu, click on "Looking for God?" God Bless!

                     

LIFTING MY VOICE: THE CREATIVE POWER OF SPOKEN WORDS"Sticks and sto...

LIFTING MY VOICE: THE CREATIVE POWER OF SPOKEN WORDS
"Sticks and sto...: THE CREATIVE POWER  OF SPOKEN WORDS "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This is a saying that ...

THE CREATIVE POWER 

OF SPOKEN WORDS

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

This is a saying that I remember my mother quoting to me a number of times as a child, particularly during my primary school years, as I bore the brunt of playground taunts directed at me because of my facial deformity from birth. I was born with right-sided facial paralysis, combined with a deformity to the left side of my face, resulting in an asymmetrical mandible (lower jaw).

Fortunately for me, I cannot remember receiving those same taunts at high school, although I was acutely aware of my appearance, so underwent four plastic surgery operations during my teenage years.

Back to the quote above. I must say that, although my mother had the best intentions in trying to help me navigate the cruelty of those early years, the statement "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is simply not true, at least not the second part.

Words spoken have the power to create, and to destroy - to build up, or to break down.

Proverbs 18:21 says Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

The Bible has much to say about the power of words, both to build up, or to break down or destroy.

Ephesians 4:29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

I don't know how many times I have heard about children and teens being told by their parents, teachers and even peers that they would never amount to anything.

These words, in many instances have led to children growing up to believe they are losers and are not capable of making anything worthwhile out of their lives.

Thankfully, for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and who have given heed to the Word of God, many have had a revelation of the truth that each person has an eternal worth in God's sight, when reborn by the Spirit of God. As the apostle Paul states in Ephesians 1:7,8,6b "in Him [Jesus], we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, that we are accepted in the Beloved."

Words of death and curse words spoken over the lives of children and adults can be broken off and the captives of these words can be gloriously be set free by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of the Living God - the Word of Truth. Failure is not a word that God uses to define His children, those who are truly following Jesus.

James 3:9,10 in the New Testament say of the tongue: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Jesus, in speaking of the power of our words says in Luke 6:45 "A good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil things stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Proverbs 15:4 says The soothing tongue is a tree of life,

but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

1 Peter 3:9 says: Don't repay evil for evil. Don't snap back at those who say unkind things about you. Instead, pray for God's help for them, for we are to be kind to others, and God will bless us for it.

TO BE CONTINUED

LIFTING MY VOICE: BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUSA CALL TO RISE UP IN BOLD...

LIFTING MY VOICE: BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS
A CALL TO RISE UP IN BOLD...: BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS A CALL TO RISE UP IN BOLDNESS Proverbs 28:1 says The wicked man flees though no one pursues,                       ...

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

A CALL TO RISE UP IN BOLDNESS

Proverbs 28:1 says The wicked man flees though no one pursues, 

                             but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

It has always been necessary for true followers of Jesus Christ, who from the early beginnings of the church have been called Christians, to be people of courage. No more has this been so, than when facing persecution for the faith. The Apostle Paul, who is credited with writing thirteen, or perhaps fourteen books of the New Testament, if Hebrews is included in his writings - states in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 

The much-parodied church ministers in films and television, often shown as weak, wimpy looking individuals with their sheepish and mindless congregation members, is not a picture of the church as God intended it to be. Christianity is not a religion for wimps. It requires total commitment and the self discipline of soldiers in an army, prepared for battle, or that of elite athletes training for the most prestigious sporting events, to live the life that God has called each of His disciples to live - with boldness, strength of character and true courage for the times.

Interestingly, a number of years ago, I received a prophetic word from a respected pastor, who was known for his accurate prophetic ministry - concerning an aspect of ministry the Lord was preparing me for, that I would lift up my voice with boldness, and in so doing would get behind people's guards, and bring the healing anointing of Jesus in situations.

I am believing for that to be increasingly in evidence in my life.

As quoted at the start of this blog, Proverbs 28:1 says 

The wicked man flees though no one pursues,

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

It would be fair to say that a lion is afraid of no one, and that is how we, as Christians are meant to be, if we are walking closely with the Lord.

In Isaiah 8:11-14, the prophet says:

The LORD spoke to me with His strong hand upon me,

warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

                      Do not call conspiracy

                      everything that these people call conspiracy;

                      do not fear what they fear,

                      and do not dread it.

                      The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,

                      He is the one you are to fear,

                      He is the one you are to dread,

                      and He will be a sanctuary;

Regarding these verses just quoted, Rick Joyner says in his book "The Harvest": If we have the true and holy fear of the Lord we will not fear anything else. Then He becomes our sanctuary! Then our work will be untainted by human motives or self promotion.

The apostolic commission of Paul was destined to arouse the rage and opposition of not only the religious establishment but of the entire Roman Empire. This frail human vessel charged unrelentingly into the face of the most powerful principalities and powers of his age with so little compromise or consideration for his own life that he shook those powers to their very foundations Freedom from the fear of man and demon is a prerequisite for true ministry. Christians, those true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who are seeking Him with their whole being, and seeking to be more like him, will be disciples who display strength in these dangerous times, and who step out boldly with real courage as they stand for uncompromising truth and righteousness in the Spirit of Love!

The bible says in Proverbs 29:25: The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.

I think of my evangelist friend, Ray Comfort, originally from Christchurch in New Zealand, who has been for the last thirty years residing with his wife and family in Los Angeles, California.  Ray was the associate pastor of a church I attended in Christchurch in the early eighties. Ray was, and still is a man who is very courageous in his stand for Jesus publicly. He is not a tall man, so it was a common sight to see Ray every weekday in the Christchurch Cathedral Square at lunchtime drawing crowds of people, as he stood on a small stepladder, boldly proclaiming for all to hear, the powerful message of the gospel. 

He had plenty of hecklers, as well as some competition from the then iconic Christchurch "Wizard", but Ray persevered over the years with boldness and courage, and saw much fruit for the kingdom of God.

Even though his ministry is respected by many leaders in the Body of Christ worldwide today, and he could easily confine himself to the safety of a television or radio studio, or a welcoming church, to proclaim his message, he still regularly witnesses to individuals face to face in the marketplace settings of southern California, where he now lives - as well as in other places. (For further information concerning Ray Comfort's ministry and to access ministry resources, go online to www.wayofthemaster.com or livingwaters.com).

In the first chapter of the book of Joshua in the Old Testament of the Bible, as we see Joshua preparing to lead the children of Israel across the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, their Promised Land, or the Land of Promise, the Lord says to Joshua three times in verses 6 to 9 "Be strong and courageous". The Lord admonished Joshua and the children of Israel to give close heed to the Law, the written Word of God to them at that time, given to and through Moses. If they would be careful to observe and meditate in the Law day and night, the promise was that the LORD would be with them wherever they went, as they boldly and courageously followed Him.

We must do the same, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:10 "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might," or in His mighty power as it says in the NIV. Christians are likened to soldiers in an army. We are in a battle and as soldiers in an earthly physical army, we, like them must be bold and very courageous as we engage in the spiritual battles for the hearts and souls of men, to see them delivered from the grasp of our arch enemy, Satan.

If you have read this blog and would like to find out more about how to become a Christian, go to www.vision.org.au This is the online home of Vision Christian Media, which includes Vision Christian Radio, and the online Youth Radio station, Vision 180. Click on the "Grow your faith" tab near the top of the page, then "Looking for God?" God Bless!