Fervent Chapter 9 – Your Hurts
If I were your enemy, I would do everything possible to keep you from forgiving anyone and everyone who’s done you any wrong. I would make you addicted to unforgiveness, and you would not even realize it. It would always be somebody else’s fault that you are stuck in your muck and mire of your life.
It’s an unforgivable act. I can’t believe they did that to you. How will you ever forgive them?
It did feel like an unforgivable act, and in my own power, it was and still is. It was shocking what happened, nobody saw that coming. How will I ever forgive them, I asked myself if it was possible and eventually gave up even trying. Instead, believing that I had forgiven it all, yet was living my life in the shadows of hate and unforgiveness, without even realizing I had a choice.
“so that we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.” 2 Cor. 2:11
I had allowed a root of bitterness to grow within my heart, and I was watering and caring for it like it was my responsibility to keep it alive. I was doing the work of the deceiver. That is the part that was of demonic design.
Here is some of what Pricilla writes about the devil’s intent in the book:
“Your enemy wants you long-term angry…crippled by offenses from your past…bleeding but unable to experience power in your prayers or intimacy with your Father….He has ridden the coattails of your anger right into the depths of your soul where he has carefully calculated your demise.” (Fervent p157-158)
But here is what God says: Forgive anyway.
Gary Heese in his book “Healing Beyond Counseling” teaches us what forgiveness is not:
- It is not saying that what was done is okay
- It is not releasing the guilty party from the legal or divine consequences of their behavior
- It is not something that you have to achieve on your own
- It is not merely words said to satisfy some legal standard
- It is not dependent on the perpetrator’s response
- It is not easy
- It is not a feeling
Gary goes on to teach us what forgiveness is:
- It is taking yourself out of the judgment seat simply because it belongs to God alone
- It is an act of God’s grace being poured out through your heart
- It is a result of being transformed into His image
- It is a removal of a significant part of Satan’s ground
- It is an act of will, not a servant of feelings
- It is the basic element for deliverance
(For more about “Healing beyond Counseling” by Gary Heese click HERE.)
Call to Prayer:
Earlier I quoted the end of a scripture reading from Paul in 2 Corinthians, let’s now go back and look at more of that scripture.
“You should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to affirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything….so that we would not be outwitted by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his designs.” 2 Cor. 2:7-9,11
What a trifecta! Forgive * Comfort * Obedience
Not only are we called to forgive out of obedience, which I get, but we are also asked to comfort the person we are forgiving. I have even heard this stated as asking for the debtor to be blessed.
I so want to obey my feelings in times like these, and it takes an intentional act of obedience to instead do what God has called me to. But I love the gentle words from Paul that remind us that Satan is trying to outwit us and also to give us the confidence that comes from the knowledge that we are not ignorant of his designs. Kind of like that “high five” from Paul that we got this!
My key verse for prayer and meditation this week is this:
“As those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Colossians 3:12-13
