Forgive And Be Free

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9 NLT

Good Morning Girlfriends:

Oh no, my brother-in-law is home for the weekend and I know what this means, he will be inviting my husband to come over for a night of watching a hockey game and a few drinks and a late night before coming home. Catching onto the reason why my brother-in-law had stopped coming over to our house anymore for a visit, was because there was no smoking or drinking allowed, oh how I hated the thoughts of being home for the weekend.

This was becoming a problem, for me it was anyway, I could see that I was becoming angry at the mention of his name and thinking about every time he would be in town from being out working, made me cringe, as that was all I could think about.

Girlfriends, this is exactly where the enemy wants us, he wants us to stay stuck in our thoughts about that other person. Why does he do this...it is so he can keep us in that state of anger, hating this other person, and so that a bitter root can take place. This is what I had learned, as I began to realize it was me who was being angry and loosing sleep over it, my brother-in-law was not, he didn't even know that I was upset with him.

Thinking about how it had caused many arguments between my husband and I, it was me who had to let things go, I couldn't control what my husband did and I couldn't control what my brother-in-law did, but I could control my actions and reactions. When I asked God for forgiveness about holding onto resentment and anger against my brother-in-law, but my husband as well, it didn't change what they were doing but it changed me on the inside to be set free.

God set it up that I met a dear sweet girl the other day, that she began to share with me her situation, similar to mine but with a different family member. I began to share with her that when her boyfriend lets go of what happened in his life, he will be set free as well. A lot of the times things happen in our life that's not even our fault, but we take it on as though it is and begins to affect us to a point that we can become hardened or bitter.

The thing we have to remember, is that we can flip the script, we do not have to be like the other person who we see doing things that we do not like, we don't have to follow in their footsteps, we can choose a different path, a different life, one that will set us free. Look at our key verse, "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." God doesn't want there to be a wedge between us and a family member or a friend, it is better to forgive so that a bad weed does not grow in us. Look at what Prov. 10:12 says, "Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love overlooks insults." Before I had learned to let the anger and hatred go towards my brother-in-law, and my husband, it had caused many arguments in my marriage.

Remember girlfriends, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he died on the cross even for the people who mocked Him, spat at Him, beat Him, and as He hung on the cross He spoke out "Father forgive for they know not what they do." How many times we as a mother, have had to scold our children for doing something wrong, but as we look at their little faces, we move on from what they had done because we cannot hold anything against them afterwards, it has been dealt with and forgotten. This is what we are still to do with an adult who may have done something wrong against us, we are to forgive them and move on, and sometimes as hard as it may be, the word tells us that we are to forgive that same person over and over as it says in Matt. 18:21-22. If we do this, Matt. 6:14 confirms to us that if we forgive other people when they sin against us, then our Heavenly Father will forgive us.

Let's make a check in our hearts to see if we are holding onto anything that we should let go of so that we can live free, Amen, Amen!

Let's Pray,

Father God, Thank you for being a merciful God, one who forgives us of all our wrong doings and casts them away as far as the east is from the west. Lord, I lift up that one who may be holding onto some unforgiveness, I declare that today is the day for letting go, so that you will move forward and walk in forgiveness and freedom. Lord, I speak blessings and favor upon them right now in the Mighty name of Jesus, as they begin to walk in the fullness of Christ, Amen.

Be blessed and pass the blessings on. Thank you for passing this message on in hopes to bless others.