“For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.”

God. The beginning of every good thing.

He who has always been—having no beginning and no end. Sovereign. Nothing of any eternal value can happen outside of Him. And, anything—any thing that happens in our lives does so with a grand design in place to bring about that “things” best possible outcome…

Today I’d like to talk with those, all those, who have been deeply wounded.

Those, who, though saved—having a relationship with Christ, those possessing faith—even deep faith, still face areas in your life where the wounds of the past are the fetters of your present. Those who sit famished, Bible open, soaking up all that God has to say—wanting it the way a starving man uses his last crust of bread to lap up the bits of food stuck to his plate. I’m talking to those who show up early to church on Sunday, not wanting to miss one Word. Those who worship from their toes, their depths, who have felt the weigh, both of their sins and their forgiveness —those who give their tithes lovingly, serve because their heart demands that they do.

I’m talking today to me, first. And, if this fits, I’m talking to you too…

I’m talking to those whose midnight howl has been—is, “Jesus please!”

That belly howl, that sobbing, I need Thee, oh I need Thee, cry. If you’ve ever cried this cry I need not say more.

You love Him and trust Him. You’ve witnessed His miracles in your life time and again. Perhaps, like myself, death came for you—but Jesus stood blocking its icy hand from dragging you into an early grave? Perhaps drugs or sex or drinking had a grip on you? Maybe abuse, molestation, being given up as a child—abandoned as an adult, abused at the hands of someone so hurt themselves, they couldn’t see how tender the trusting soul they were bruising was? Has any of the above left you frozen—locked into a place and a time that Jesus died to set you free from?

Here me, more, here God: “It was not your fault”—if you were raped, molested, beaten, abandoned—it was not your fault!

In that moment a choice wasn’t afford you—you were robbed. Robbed of your voice, your identity, your innocence; just as surely as if a thief were to break into your house tonight and rob you! Would that be your fault too? Of course not! You were robbed! Stop blaming yourself!

Thank God however, for today…

For this new day—and the choices that are now yours—mine,  to make. Today, we have this new choice, this ability to never be robbed again—to choose freedom! And no, I’m not saying that nothing bad will ever happen again. Any more than I’m saying that what has happened was your fault. But, what I am saying—what the Lord has shared with me—is that everything you need to move past yesterdays residue, past those clinging, cloying lies that accuse you and rob you of self-esteem and true freedom, past those “things” inflicted upon you—and perhaps because of them, those things you inflicted upon yourself, is already inside of you—if, Jesus is your Lord.

God has spoken to me about forgiveness… again.

If you’re a student of Scripture, then surely you know when God sees fit to repeat something to us we are wise to pay special attention to it. What do I mean by that? He has put this message of forgiveness squarely in front of me as of late. The unconditional, unrelenting necessity of it. No matter where I’ve turned—this “theme” of forgiveness has been a thread God has used to connect one day, and its lesson, to the next. Weaving together this tapestry, this picture of what must happen in a life, our life—yours and mine, so that we might step out not only in complete freedom, but more still, to walk together with that freedom, forever forward, in the power and authority God has given us in Christ Jesus!

Unforgiveness is the fodder that fertilizes our seeds of bitterness, resentment, and hatred. And, when watered with our fears, shame, and guilt, they produce the fruits of our self-destruction. The roots of which must be pulled out—least they stay, spreading out, mocking us, just below the surface of our praises…

So important is forgiveness—so paramount, that Jesus, while looking down from His Cross at the very men whose hands were stained by His Blood, saw the need to teach us, one last time, about its law—its seed and harvest principle. He had done it earlier via the model prayer He gave us to follow and expand upon, but, how much more powerful impactful now with His last breaths? Jesus chose for us to hear about forgiveness with His dying Words: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” If Jesus, the sinless Son of God thought forgiveness so needed to be modeled in His final hour, how much more should we, the guilty, model it in our daily lives…? “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Plainly said, we will be forgiven according to the measure we forgive…

I am speaking today—rather, hear the heart of God for your life today. Please, listen, those who have been deeply wounded—robbed. In fact, we all are in need of this one lesson. Scripture informs us, and the Spirit within us will confirm, we serve a High Priest who is familiar with our every pain—our every sin, who knows us better than we will ever know ourselves, better than our parents, spouse, or best friend. He created us. Knit us together inside of our mother. He did not intend for us to carry unforgiveness.

We are, after all, made in His image, and there is no darkness in Him…

God knew—knows, how very toxic unforgiveness is. What a thief it is—what a liar. Dare I say a false idol? When we choose not to forgive, when God has brought to our attention an area in our lives, a person or situation that He is telling us we must forgive, and we chose instead to say; I know you told me that I will only be forgiven as much as I am willing to forgive, but I’m going to go with my feelings here over your Truth. Not only are we being directly disobedient we  are also blocking our own forgiveness, along with some of the blessings God is trying to get into our hands. Forgiveness is the authoritative, life-changing, galvanizing, stain-fighting, clog-busting, past eradicating, cathartic command that teaches us the true meaning of the, “free indeed” Jesus both spoke of and died for.

He wants so much more for you than your salvation alone…

And yet, a reminder here, a plea really: You must remember that even this desire to forgive and your ability to submit to it—is possible only through a relationship with God. Why? Because it’s not something we can do on our own. We’re not capable. It is only through His power—by His Holy Spirit at work in us, as our verse today so aptly describes, both willing us to forgive and, enabling us, through His power, the same power Jesus used on His Cross, to forgive.

Outside of Him we simply do not have it in us to forgive…

And, more, if we need further proofs of the power of forgiveness—the power love has over hate, over bitterness, self-pity, animosity, and revenge—on the third day, by this same power, He rose from the dead, putting an end to the powers of sin and death in our lives. Forgiveness defeated the fetters death tried to use to rob Him of His Life. God sent me here to share with you the Good News that this same freedom is within you—if, you are a child of God. I know you’ve been asking and praying and trusting. And God has heard and has answered.

Believe, choose to forgive, and let the cathartic process of moment-by moment forgiveness begin…

And friend, if You have read through this but don’t yet know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, don’t think this wasn’t meant for you. It was. It is. You’re not here by accident. God brought you here first, that you might ask Him into your heart, and then, from that, that you two might begin the work of forgiveness that needs to happen in your own life…

“Because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.” –Romans 10:9-10