Drink Deep- From Unforgiveness to Being Right w God!

Mathew 24:10-13, Luke 17:4, Proverbs 18:19, 2 Cor 10:4-5

Once we are wronged, we are faced with the opportunity to make a decision to forgive - to release that person from their wrongdoing. This requires an act of the will, usually in the face of some very real and intense emotions of hurt, disappointment and anger. However, after we made the choice to forgive, many a times, residual emotions of bitterness, anger, resentment and hatred folllows.

These residual emotions are strongholds. Strongholds create set patterns of reasoning through which all incoming information is processed. Although first erected for protection, they become a source of torment and distortion because they war against the knowing or knowledge of God.

When we filter everything through past hurts, rejections and experiences, we find it impossible to believe God. We cannot believe He means what He says. We doubt His goodness and faithfulness since we judge Him by the standards set by man in our lives. But God is not man! He cannot lie, His ways are not like ours, and His thoughts are not ours.

How to walk right with the Lord to truly forgive and tear down strongholds of offenses and residual emotions? The Lord teaches us in Luke 17:4

"if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying 'I repent', you shall forgive him."

But what did the disciples response to this seemingly impossible command? "Lord, increase our faith!".

Indeed, tearing down strongholds and forgiving a person requires Faith. Luke 17:6 "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ' Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea." Indeed, uprooting offenses, unforgiveness and residual emotions is an act of Faith, that requires the will, obedience and prayer.

What are the steps then, to experience true freedom and being right with God?

• Declare to forgive the person.
• Exercise Obedience by praying that God will reward you for obeying Him
• Excerise Faith in God by praying that God will bless the person (Pray for the Lord to bless him in the way you want Him to bless you.)

When I held offense against someone, I build a wall of protection and became guarded against him. Everything I did, I passed through my rationalizations and filterations in my thoughts to justify my actions towards him. I justified them as "wisdom", as being a "man of peace". In reality, I was guarded and had a real lack of Faith in God that He knows and allowed this person to offend me to grow in my Faith. I also lacked in Faith that even if I was to suffer a "loss", it was real "gain" in Christ when I chose to love, to bless this person.

Over time, despite my "wise" rationalizations, my situtaions grew tackier and more perilous, with this person time and time again, attacking and offending me. I began to be seriously misunderstood by those around me, and worse, I felt God not answering my prayers to "make my enemies suffer". I felt that there was a wall between me and God.

In time, when the Lord showed me the root of the issue, the Lord challenged me to exercise Faith to the extend of blessing this person. I began not only to declare to forgive this person, but to pray that this person's ministry increase larger by the day, his walk with God will be so intimate etc (Began to pray for him the prayers I normally pray for myself) I began to exercise Faith that God is in control, and I am not a victim of any person, or any system.

Over time, I was set free. Emotions of anger, bitterness, fear left me. I was right with God and the next time I saw this person, no matter what he did, I could interpret them in Faith, not through strongholds.

I was free, I was right with God.

What's your wall between you and God? Drink Deep - Move with Faith from Unforgiveness to being right with God!

Drink Deep- From Hopeless to Purpose Driven!

Luke 22: 54-62, John 21

Peter was sure it's all over. He had told the Lord he will never deny Him, but right at the final moments of Jesus' life, he had deny he knew Jesus 3 times. Peter wasn't even there at the Crucifixion. Bitter, utterly feeling a failure, convinced he had let Jesus down, he went back to being a fisherman.

I can imagine Peter replaying the images again and again in his mind. Right till the Last Supper, Jesus's eyes that always looked as though He could see through him; Jesus's voice that always spoke with such truth, love and authority kept ringing in Peter's mind. Yet, every image, every memory of Jesus led Peter to remember what he did, when he said for the last time "I don't know him."

It was painful. Peter was sure he would never be forgiven. Instead of being deep in the hope of the resurrection of the Lord, he was deep in the shame of failure.

Hopelessness, results in the following:

1. Resignation - we abandon ourselves to defeat.
2. Exalts our sin over the Cross of Calvary - we see what we have done more powerful than the work of the Jesus on the cross.
3. Loss of Purpose - we lose our vision, our destiny is clouded by the events of the past.

Peter responded and succumbed to Hopelessness. But what was Jesus's response to Peter's Hopelessness?

Jesus:

1. Intervened in Peter's life - Peter had given up hope, and went back to his old ways. Jesus had not, and sought after Peter, going to meet him where he was, at the Sea.
2. Revealed Himself to Peter after the Resurrection - Jesus appeared to the disciples to show them He was more powerful than everything that happened at the cross.
3. Restore and Charge Peter for the Gospel Mission - Jesus charged Peter to "Tend His Sheep".

Can you see Jesus standing next to Peter, saying "It's not over, Peter." And it's not over for you, either. You may have failed God miserably. For years, you may have lived your life in a way that denied you belonged to Jesus. As a result, you think God has given up on you. That is a lie! No matter what has happened, don't interpret it in a manner that God has abandoned you. God has NEVER changed His mind about you.

Your past doesn't determine your future - but how you respond to your past does. Do you see Jesus? He is standing at the Sea/ shores of your life. He hasn't left. Allow the Holy Spirit to breathe in you again, a fresh vision for your future. Let Him re-establish your worth and your value.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

His holy word says that regardless of what anyone has done to us, or what we have done, we are His glory, His prized possession, His ultimate satisfaction. Drink Deep! Move from hopelessness to being Purpose Driven!

Series on Going Deep in the Holy Spirit

Hi all,

In this series, let us GO DEEP in the Holy Spirit, as called by Ps Khong. Let's come to seek and know the Holy Spirit, embracing Him and allowing Him to have full reign in our lives, our minds, our finances, our health, our emotions, our relationships as well as our view on God and ourselves.

May I ask of you to follow this prayer, as we allow the Holy Spirit to move in us this season
"Holy Spirit, You are God. You are the answer to every stronghold, every pain, every hurt, every wall that separates me from You, and every wall that separates me and man. You alone are the answer to every strive, and every Flesh in me. I want to walk in the Supernatural, I want to move in Your Power for Your Glory. Move in me Lord. Surface every offense, pride, selfish ambition and cause me to repent and embrace Your truth, so that I can walk free. In Jesus name, Amen."