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THE PEACE OF GOD

Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them.  (Psalm 119:165)

Remember-forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a choice! Mark Hankins

The word offense means a place of stumbling; something that trips you up. When you love the Lord, the peace of God is yours, and you decide that nothing is going to trip you up. Jesus said the amount of forgiveness you dish out is the amount you will get in return. (Matthew 7:2) Therefore you ought to dish out as much forgiveness as you can, because you’ll probably need it!

Be careful not to judge others when you see them fall in a certain area of life. Don’t say, “I would never do that,” because in six months, you’ll do something worse than that! Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”  Then He said, “Stop criticizing others.”

We don’t live in a perfect world and we never will. People will always make mistakes; you will too. So you may as well go ahead and forgive others! I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 13. Then draw the love line out and walk on it!

Confession: Love (God’s love in us)…takes no account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong. (1 Corinthians 13:5 AMP)

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GUARD YOUR HEART

Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs4:23 NKJV)

Watch out for unforgiveness as if it were a rattlesnake! Mark Hankins

Jesus said, “When you stand praying, forgive.” (Mark 11:25-26) This means while you are standing in prayer, you can quickly make an adjustment in your heart. People often let things eat at them for years and years, but you can make a decision to forgive right now. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a choice. You may still have feelings of hurt, but the decision has been made! You can forgive by faith.

Faith is of the heart; therefore unforgiveness is a disease of the heart. That spirit will get inside of you and make your heart callused so your faith won’t respond or work properly. Then you will get cynical, and you won’t be able to receive from God.

Unforgiveness – offense and bitterness – is the primary thing you have to guard against. You must watch out for unforgiveness just as if it were a rattlesnake. When you see it come around, avoid it!

Confession: I stand watchful and ready to quickly forgive. For thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (Psalm 86:5)

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FORGIVENESS BRINGS BLESSING

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)

Life is not always fair, but God is good. Jesse Duplantis

As you study the book of Job in the Old Testament, you will notice that God turned his captivity when he prayed for his friends. Job’s friends were really his critics. God can turn your captivity, too, if you will pray for your critics and ask God to bless them.

In Genesis chapters 37, 39 and 40, we find the story of Joseph. Even in prison, Joseph kept working as unto the Lord, and he never got bitter. God not only brought him out of prison, but He also made him ruler over all of Egypt. 

Offense is sure to come, but we have to guard against it. What the devil means for evil, God will turn around for our good when we choose to forgive!

Confession: I will love my enemies and bless those who curse me. I will do good to those that hate me and pray for those who spitefully use and persecute me.(Matthew 5:44) As I pray for my critics, God is turning my captivity just like Job! What the devil meant for evil in my life, God is turning around for my good. I am blessed because I chose to walk in forgiveness!

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FORGIVENESS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)

I realize that God can never bless us on the lines of being hardhearted, critical, or unforgiving. Smith Wigglesworth

Ephesians 4:26 says you shouldn’t let the sun go down on your wrath. One translation says, “Don’t let the sun go down finding you nursing a grudge.”  This is where the devil has his greatest opportunity to hinder your faith from working.  Ephesians 4:27 continues, “Neither give place to the devil.”

If the devil has any place in your life, you gave it to him. You might have given it to him through negligence or disobedience. Negligence means you refused to exercise your authority as a believer. Disobedience means you knew what the Word said yet you refused to do it.

Choose blessing; choose forgiveness. God wants you to live a life of peace.  Refuse to give the devil any opportunity to rob you of your faith!

Confession: Forgiveness is my responsibility. I refuse to give any place to the devil! (Ephesians 4:27) I choose to exercise my authority as a believer and obey God’s Word!

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UNFORGIVENESS: THE BIGGEST ENEMY TO FAITH

And when ye stand praying forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25-26)

Faith works by love. A step out of love is a step out of God. Kenneth E. Hagin

The biggest enemy to faith is unforgiveness. In Mark 11, Jesus was talking about moving mountains. He said all things are possible in prayer. However, He pointed out that if you don’t deal with unforgiveness, none of your praying, your saying, or your faith would work!

If someone really did you wrong, you must forgive that person by releasing him or her of any unforgiveness on your part. You must not speak against that person or attack that individual. You must let go of your unforgiveness. When you release that person, forgive. And when you forgive, something positive will happen inside of you!

Confession: I must forgive others in order for God to forgive me. A step out of love is a step out of God. I choose to release any unforgiveness and offense to the Lord. I realize that for my faith to work, I must forgive and walk in love!

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