My check engine light came on in my car a few days ago. I kept looking at it with dread... Knowing that it wasn't a good sign, but not wanting to deal with what it *might* really mean, I knew it was a symptom to a problem, one that I would need to get resolved. I have a great new friend who is an experienced auto mechanic who told me he would be happy to take a look at my car, and would fix it for me. It was a sweet gesture, one that I sincerely appreciated, but I bought my car a year ago and it is under the warranty of the dealership - I knew where I needed to go to get it fixed - straight to the source, back to the dealership. Sometimes the same thing happens to us. A "check yourself" light appears (which most consider their conscience, but which I have come to know as a prompting of the Holy Spirit). When that "check your spirit" light comes up within me, I know that I need to go right to my Creator and get checked and fixed for whatever isn't sitting right within me.
We often forget
that when Jesus was crucified on that cross, He was crucified for YOUR sins and
MINE. He took upon Himself all the sins
of the world. That is amazing to me… He looked through the course of history, down
the road straight at you and I and added our sins to the load he was
carrying. Everyone else’s too. We contributed to the pain and anguish Jesus
took upon Himself on the cross. It’s
really humbling when you think about it.
Forgiveness - We
are called to walk in it. It is not a
choice it is a command. The truth is that in order to receive forgiveness from
God, we need to forgive. You can’t move
forward in your life if you are stuck on what someone else “did or didn’t do”
to you, and in not walking in forgiveness, the only one who remains hurt by it
and stagnated by it ultimately is – you.
You won’t be able to get past it.
You won’t be able to move forward – forgive. The peace that floods your soul is well worth
it.
It is easier
said than done. One of the hardest
things to do; is to forgive. Or even to
ask for forgiveness. But God commands us
to do so. The Bible says:
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put
away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
We need to stop pointing the finger at someone else and take a good,
hard look at ourselves. “He did this to
me! She did this to me! They said this! They did this!” What did you do? Examine your own heart. Stop pointing the finger at someone else and
take a good hard look at your own self.
From the beginning of time, beginning with Adam and Eve, people have
blamed someone else for their own sins instead of taking responsibility for
their own actions. We feel ashamed when
we go against God and therefore look to alleviate the blame and guilt by
blaming someone else.
Why didn’t Adam dispute what the serpent said to Eve? Why didn’t he protect her? He was there.
He knew that what the snake had said was totally opposite to what God
had told him. He not only allowed her to
listen and eat of the fruit, but also ate some himself. Eve was quick to blame the serpent and Adam
was quick to blame Eve. They chose not
to take responsibility for their own actions.
“They (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of
the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his
wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the
garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because
I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The
woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The
woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:8-13)
This is something that many of us still
do today. Instead of taking responsibility for the hurt and pain we have
inflicted on someone else – we blame the individual, instead of taking
responsibility for our own actions. It
is the same thing that Adam and Eve did.
"If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar
and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1-5)
It is easy to see the wrong that someone else does, without first examining our own hearts to see what wrong we have done. It has been the course throughout history.
The best thing we can do is pray. Ask the Lord to check our own hearts to see if there is anything we need to correct within them and trust that if we have given our lives over to Him, He will help us to change whatever needs changing.
It’s not easy to forgive someone for hurting you. I think the more you love someone, the more it hurts. Maybe that is the measure? It may take time, it may take a lot of prayer or even fasting to get through it. Be honest with God, let Him know that you are struggling with this. Ask for His help. There are some things we can’t do in our strength, we need to ask Him for His. In forgiving someone it releases the “sting” of the pain of whatever the situation is and allows you to move forward resting in the knowledge that just as God has forgiven you, you have forgiven them, even if you have to start out by just faithfully saying what you are not yet feeling in your heart. As you verbalize it over and over again it will eventually happen to be a reality, in God’s time.
“Lord, I’m hurting. I’m angry, I don’t feel forgiveness in my heart for
this situation I feel deceived and really hurt. I ask
you to help me forgive _____________________ (name of individual(s)) as you
have forgiven me for my sins. I ask you to help me to release (her/him/them) from the pain they have caused
me. I willingly forgive
(her/him/them). Help me to walk in
that forgiveness and make the words of my mouth be the truth in my heart. I plead the precious blood of Jesus over this
pain and ask that you make my forgiveness a reality so that I can let go and
move forward. I pray that (her/him/they)
would come to know You as Lord and Savior so that they too can experience the
forgiveness I have experienced in personally knowing you as my Lord and Savior. I also ask for any pain I have unknowingly, unmeaningfully caused (him/her/them). Release me from unforgiveness and help me to move forward. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. AMEN.
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