Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
In 48 hours I have watched my world spin before me. Satan is attacking....and at his best. I sing those words above in the the song "You never let go" and tonight, that song has never meant more to me than it does right now. How quickly life can change from one moment to the next to make you appreciate what you have, regardless if life goes your way or not. I don't want to live my life in fear of what "man" can do to me, but yet, what God won't do for me if I don't obey his word.
2 Timothy 1:7 God didn't give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control ourselves.
I believe I am a strong person because God made me that way. I believe man has made me afraid, scared, fearful, of the things in this life. When I allow fear to take over, I am allowing Satan access to my heart. God gives us the guidelines to live and all we have to do is follow them. Easy huh? Yeah...not always. There is always a challange....but not one that He put before us.
My biggest challange and goal this week is forgivness. I have to choose love and forgivness because that is what I am taught to do. It's not always easy, but I am praying so hard that God makes it easy for me. Where is that warm and fuzzy feeling you were supposed to get with forgivness?
I've learned by reading the story in Matthew about how Peter questioned God on how many times he had to forgive. There is no doubt in my mind that forgivness is a must.....not a maybe! And I figure if Peter can forgive, so can I.
I am very thankful that God has made it so easy today for me to forgive. How could I possibly hold something against someone when I am not a perfect person myself. Where would I be today if others held me accountable for my shortcomings? Jesus died on the cross for me.....forgiving me for my sins! Am I willing to put someone else up there with Him? No. He died for me, and He died for those that hurt me. He loves me....and He loves them too.
I pray that God gives me the gift of grace, mercy, love and encouragement so that I can be at peace in my heart......true peace that only comes from Him.
The opposite of forgive is to 'give for' so that I can give back what He gave me.
I praise Him today as He fills my heart with such joy and that my spirit can find peace and rest in His arms.
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5 comments:
Wow, such a powerful post! You said something today that just clicked with me: "am I willing to put someone else up there (on the cross) with Him?" I realized that I HAVE put someone else up there with Him because I have not truly been willing to forgive them for something they did to hurt one of my children; not today or yesterday, but YEARS ago...so I have come face to face with my hypocricy. Thank you for this post that is a life-changing moment for me. Love you, girlfriend!
So many times I have been caught hanging myself up on the cross as well.....totally ingnoring the fact that He already did that for me. Sometimes, it takes a lot to forgive ourselves for the things we do in life. And if we can't forgive ourselves, then how can we ever learn to love and forgive as He has? Forgivness is hard, but only because we make it hard. And the pain of someone doing something to our children even makes it worse.
It's not our job to put punish others for what that have done. It is our job to love and forgive them and leave the rest up to Him. Until we can get that right, forgivness will always difficult for us.
Today....I am choosing to love and forgive and not just because he tells us to, but because it's the right thing to do and it makes me feel better. And the fact that I can't let Satan win. It just won't happen.
After your post today, I feel if this particular person walked in the room, I could actually have a civil conversation with him. I don't feel the bitterness I usually feel toward that person. I don't begrudge him success in his life/ministry now. It feels kind of odd not to have that weight hanging around my shoulders. You're absolutely right, I had to make a choice not to hold onto that anymore, because Satan was laughing every time I couldn't think about him without resentment.
Thanks again...
Linda I am so glad you have found comfort through these words. They are not mine but God's. I am happy to know you have released some of those fears and allowed God to take care of it. It's truly a joyful feeling.
You....are a power walker!
I love you today!
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