Lost In Time...

Be quick to forgive. I know it sounds like a breeze, but it’s a lot more in depth than the four short letter words. Forgiveness will take you a long way. Unresolved forgiveness will push you back in time.

Every minute, second, and millisecond, someone has made up in their mind that they want to change, and has repented in secret of their flaws. Therefore in the spirit a man might be forgiven, and God approves. However because it takes a while to condition one’s heart, renew one’s mind, and outwardly appear repentant, man is constantly not forgiven by man. Man can only see the outer appearance of a man, but God knows the heart. When you first become saved, your heart is conditioned towards seeking truth, but your mind must consistently be renewed and your actions must be reconditioned. So on the outside you may not appeared to be saved at the moment, but in the spirit God has written your name in the Lamb’s book of life. Like an alcoholic who has just made up in their mind to abstain from any alcoholic beverage, his mind is saying no, but his eyes are still blood shot red, and his veins may still be full of the remnants of alcohol. You never know what’s going on in the spirit of a man.

If not healed from unresolved forgiveness, our wounds will sometimes speak louder than the voice of God. And we think we may be hearing the voice of God in regards to someone, but really it’s our mind stuck in the past on an issue that God has thrown in the Sea of Forgetfulness a long time ago.

Forgiveness is not:

-the denial of emotional hurts
-does not repress or hold down feelings
-does not surpass the fulfillment of pain
-not pretend that everything is fine, and acts nice as if nothing existed

Dr. Dexter Easley of New Life Christian Fellowship Church stated, “Forgiveness is an act of faith, pressing past the pain. By faith you are forgiving someone, and by faith you are claiming to be healed.”

We should wake up each morning, and though we may feel like the scum of the earth, we should claim that each day is a new day. Rejoice! God sees our faith and blesses it! And before you know it, forgiveness has manifested in your heart, and you are healed. Embrace it quickly or you will be stuck in the past.

I believe God deals with us based on the conditions of our heart. Some of us, God causes us to stay close to the ones that offend us because He knows that we are spiritual and emotional strong to endure the pressure and grow. Some of us he causes them to depart for a season because He sees that our heart is not strong enough to take it. Either way, it is our duty to quickly forgive despite how we feel for their sake and for ours. If not, it is impossible to keep up with God’s new seasons.

“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day, and seven time in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”
-Luke 17: 3-4 (KJV)

What if they don’t repent? My opinion? I would rebuke them, and then forgive anyway knowing that they are man, simply so that my slate will be clean and I can move on.

A wounded heart distorts your hearing from the Lord

A wounded heart causes unnecessary tribulation

Everyone is a piece of flesh that is bound to do fleshy things. The Bible says walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Know this, that it is hard to keep up with our spirit man on a consistent basis.

God, may we have the spiritual maturity to forgive a man the way you literally intended for us to forgive. We’re only human. In Jesus name…Amen.

May God bless you according to your faithfulness and obedience to Him.

In Him,
Ashley
Philippians 3:7
Ashley Card 2008 ©