Inner Healing Through Forgiveness (4)
Just like in the physical world we have the law of gravitation, and God doesn't play with it, the same way, in the spiritual world one of the laws is "reap what you sow". Choosing forgiveness, we'll never have to taste the bitter fruits of the putrid wounds left behind by all the evil circumstances in our lives.
The loss of material things can be felt especially when you are in need and you depend on that money for survival, yet, more than different objects or amounts of money, (which can eventually be replaced), there are robbers who might have stolen irreplaceable possessions like reputation, sexuality, time, health, children, family, identity, etc.
How to deal with those?
Let's deal with one example that includes more in a single gesture: Josef in the Bible, has been wrongfully put in prison because of the ruler's wife lie and he was imprisoned for a few years!
Now imagine yourself in his shoes: falsely accused of sexual abuse, lose the reputation you had, lose your job, lose your position, put to prison. All of a sudden, to have reputation taken away, position taken away, time stolen! Not easy!
But if you have been robbed of these you can have an idea of what it tastes like. If not, you can imagine how it feels to have your friends, acquaintances and relatives gossiping because of something which is not true. It is painful, and stealing someone's good name is a very serious sin before God. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16
Yet when you look from God's perspective, God can restore your reputation as He did with Joseph as well. Keep in mind that whenever your reputation is stolen, God is the One that will bring the truth to light!
It is painful when your friendships are affected because of the lies told about you, but it is even more painful to keep the pain of unforgiving inside and carry it around on daily bases! It is like constant salt on an open wound or like a twisting knife in the wound.
Remember that God is the one who has the right to revenge, not you! Besides, you could never come up with such a great revenge plan anyway! The only revenge we are to perform is one of the "burning coals". Putting burning coals on the heads of our enemies means to do good to them on every opportunity. A paradox, isn't it? Yes but it is God's way of teaching us how to revenge.
Psychological and sexual abuse is spread in all areas of life these days. Although sexual relations have been intended by God in the safety of marriage environment, every time when a sexual abuse takes place, there is an ungodly bond created that has painful consequences. Only God can break those bonds and start the restoring process, but the key that allows God to start this healing process in forgiveness. No one can erase what happened in the past, but the future can be different, because God has the power to heal a broken heart. The price of this operation had already been paid by Jesus Christ, God's Son at the cross.
When time is taken away from you, due to unfair processes -just as they did to Joseph mentioned earlier- or as it happened in the case of many Christians tortured and imprisoned for their faith, it is again, forgiveness, the only key to heal the wound left behind by such an experience.
Health is also an important constituent of our life that enables us to enjoy it. Yet when someone deliberately (physically) hurts us, and the consequences are severe...we are talking about deep wounds. What if an accident leaves you disabled and it wasn't your fault? Hating the one who did it for the rest of your days will only increase the pain you feel. Of course you feel anger and the pain of loss! It is nothing but normal, yet the pain can turn into deep roots of bitterness and resentment if not dealt with using the key of forgiveness. The effects of the negative experiences might be devastating to your health, yet choosing not to forgive the ones responsible will only make things worse.
My cousin died stabbed in the back...he was only 31. His mother was a Christian and she chose to forgive the murderer. This brought healing to her heart, the pain to have lost her son was big enough, and she did not need any extra. The choice to forgive freed her and allowed God to mend and restore her broken heart.
Choose to unconditionally forgive now and the chains of pain will be broken!
There are many ways as to how people can steal from us. But if you decided to free yourself and free them as well by forgiving them, simply ask God to show you all the occasions when you've been robed. While you put their names on paper, keep in mind that now those are things that belong to the past and if you don't forgive, the only person affected by them will be you. Loudly express your forgiveness towards those people and after you are done with all the names from the list, throw that list away and utter the strongest prayer on earth:"Father, forgive them".
How to deal with those?
Let's deal with one example that includes more in a single gesture: Josef in the Bible, has been wrongfully put in prison because of the ruler's wife lie and he was imprisoned for a few years!
Now imagine yourself in his shoes: falsely accused of sexual abuse, lose the reputation you had, lose your job, lose your position, put to prison. All of a sudden, to have reputation taken away, position taken away, time stolen! Not easy!
But if you have been robbed of these you can have an idea of what it tastes like. If not, you can imagine how it feels to have your friends, acquaintances and relatives gossiping because of something which is not true. It is painful, and stealing someone's good name is a very serious sin before God. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16
Yet when you look from God's perspective, God can restore your reputation as He did with Joseph as well. Keep in mind that whenever your reputation is stolen, God is the One that will bring the truth to light!
It is painful when your friendships are affected because of the lies told about you, but it is even more painful to keep the pain of unforgiving inside and carry it around on daily bases! It is like constant salt on an open wound or like a twisting knife in the wound.
Remember that God is the one who has the right to revenge, not you! Besides, you could never come up with such a great revenge plan anyway! The only revenge we are to perform is one of the "burning coals". Putting burning coals on the heads of our enemies means to do good to them on every opportunity. A paradox, isn't it? Yes but it is God's way of teaching us how to revenge.
Psychological and sexual abuse is spread in all areas of life these days. Although sexual relations have been intended by God in the safety of marriage environment, every time when a sexual abuse takes place, there is an ungodly bond created that has painful consequences. Only God can break those bonds and start the restoring process, but the key that allows God to start this healing process in forgiveness. No one can erase what happened in the past, but the future can be different, because God has the power to heal a broken heart. The price of this operation had already been paid by Jesus Christ, God's Son at the cross.
When time is taken away from you, due to unfair processes -just as they did to Joseph mentioned earlier- or as it happened in the case of many Christians tortured and imprisoned for their faith, it is again, forgiveness, the only key to heal the wound left behind by such an experience.
Health is also an important constituent of our life that enables us to enjoy it. Yet when someone deliberately (physically) hurts us, and the consequences are severe...we are talking about deep wounds. What if an accident leaves you disabled and it wasn't your fault? Hating the one who did it for the rest of your days will only increase the pain you feel. Of course you feel anger and the pain of loss! It is nothing but normal, yet the pain can turn into deep roots of bitterness and resentment if not dealt with using the key of forgiveness. The effects of the negative experiences might be devastating to your health, yet choosing not to forgive the ones responsible will only make things worse.
My cousin died stabbed in the back...he was only 31. His mother was a Christian and she chose to forgive the murderer. This brought healing to her heart, the pain to have lost her son was big enough, and she did not need any extra. The choice to forgive freed her and allowed God to mend and restore her broken heart.
Choose to unconditionally forgive now and the chains of pain will be broken!
There are many ways as to how people can steal from us. But if you decided to free yourself and free them as well by forgiving them, simply ask God to show you all the occasions when you've been robed. While you put their names on paper, keep in mind that now those are things that belong to the past and if you don't forgive, the only person affected by them will be you. Loudly express your forgiveness towards those people and after you are done with all the names from the list, throw that list away and utter the strongest prayer on earth:"Father, forgive them".
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