Today's "Faith Food" by Kenneth E. Hagin is VITAL!
Forgiveness
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:26).
"Brother Hagin," a woman once said, "cast this old, unforgiving spirit out of me. I've got something against a woman here at church, and I can't forgive her. I don't seem to have the ability to forgive."
I replied, "Do you ever have to forgive your husband?"
"Oh, yes. I have to forgive him, and he has to forgive me."
"I thought you said you didn't have the ability to forgive."
She laughed and said, "I can forgive, can't I?"
"Certainly," I said, "if you can forgive one person, you can forgive another."
She understood and replied, "I can forgive. I do forgive. That's it!"
And it's just that simple. Don't complicate forgiveness. Jesus said, "When ye stand praying, forgive." That means we can forgive. Jesus didn't ask us to do something we can't do.
Confession: I can forgive. I am quick to forgive. And my Father in Heaven forgives me.
Unforgiveness will steal more of God's tremendous blessings from us than almost any other sin! How do I know this? Look at Matthew 18:23-34:"Brother Hagin," a woman once said, "cast this old, unforgiving spirit out of me. I've got something against a woman here at church, and I can't forgive her. I don't seem to have the ability to forgive."
I replied, "Do you ever have to forgive your husband?"
"Oh, yes. I have to forgive him, and he has to forgive me."
"I thought you said you didn't have the ability to forgive."
She laughed and said, "I can forgive, can't I?"
"Certainly," I said, "if you can forgive one person, you can forgive another."
She understood and replied, "I can forgive. I do forgive. That's it!"
And it's just that simple. Don't complicate forgiveness. Jesus said, "When ye stand praying, forgive." That means we can forgive. Jesus didn't ask us to do something we can't do.
Confession: I can forgive. I am quick to forgive. And my Father in Heaven forgives me.
23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a human king who wished to settle accounts with his attendants. 24 When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents [probably about $10,000,000], 25 And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made. 26 So the attendant fell on his knees, begging him, Have patience with me and I will pay you everything. 27 And his master’s heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [cancelling] the debt. 28 But that same attendant, as he went out, found one of his fellow attendants who owed him a hundred denarii [about twenty dollars]; and he caught him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe! 29 So his fellow attendant fell down and begged him earnestly, Give me time, and I will pay you all! 30 But he was unwilling, and he went out and had him put in prison till he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow attendants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and told everything that had taken place to their master. 32 Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you? 34 And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers), till he should pay all that he owed.
Notice that the master had compassion on this man and forgave his debt of an equivalent of $10 MILLION! You would have thought that this man would be SO very grateful that he would just be searching for someone else to bless out of sheer elation for his debt forgiven! But, instead, he tried to force someone else to pay HIM $20! The easiest way for us to forgive others is to begin each and every day in gratefulness and thankfulness for ALL that HE has done for us! AMEN! With that mental attitude, the CHOICE to forgive should be easy. It may NOT be easy on the flesh to come to that decision to forgive, but forgiveness itself is NOT an emotion, but a decision of our will! WILL you forgive, as HE has instructed? If you will, then you CAN! Holy Spirit will cause our emotions to come in line with God's Word, when we CHOOSE God's Word! Thank YOU, Holy Spirit! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Worship with "Behold (Then Sings My Soul)":
Shalom in Him!
