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You Have Been Forgiven
The Perfect Sacrifice
Jesus shows up in the midst of a massive crime scene with plans for redemption and forgiveness. The brutal sacrifice for our salvation and forgiveness came at an extremely high cost. There was no death more painful than the crucifixion. It was an extreme form of punishment placed upon Jesus. An agonizing death by suffocation.
But His death also included the betrayal of friends and the betrayal of his own people. What is it about people who continually want to see good people get hurt? But God knowing the heart of man, — used it to His advantage.
Through their unrighteousness, Gods covert operation comes to a peak, and the perfect sacrifice was established. A sacrifice and a forgiveness that realigns us back to being the sons and daughters of God. The family, — as to Gods original design, has been restored.
But for some reason, many are still beating themselves up
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Scared From the Past
In the midst of all that is forgiven, there are those who still walk with incredible guilt. The wrong choices of the past have left many with unpleasant consequences. Many have been emotionally tormented through verbal abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse. Some have been careless, selfish, and disobedient, — had they acted differently, tragedy could have been avoided. Many being victims of a painful divorce. Many scared through religious cults and demonic occult's.
Some, tormented from sexual perversion, adultery, prostitution, transgenderism, and porn. Some through crimes like rape, molestation, and incest. Others hit by gang violence and racism. Others through financial upheaval. Some through pregnancies from extramarital sex, and some through abortion. Others through drug addiction, sexual addiction, and alcoholism. Many today are still walking with feelings of failure, discouragement, and guilt.
But according to Jesus, — all has been forgiven. Born again we have become a whole new creation, all things have passed away. This crucifixion became a massive game changer and it radically changed everything. It was His life for ours. And because of that great exchange; forgiveness gives us a fresh new start. The stains in our lives have been washed away.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
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Forgiving Ourselves
The Bible mentions so much about a forgiveness that is ours for the taking, but it doesn't mention a whole lot when it comes to forgiving ourselves. Usually we touch on forgiving ourselves when we hear from others how their guilty pleasures caused so much harm to them and to those around them. It’s during those moments that we realize our need to forgive ourselves in order to move forward. Forgiving ourselves ultimately comes when we understand God’s forgiveness and how it’s able to give incredible life. It’s only when we completely let go, that we enter into an amazing journey that lies on the other side of forgiveness.
All those who put their faith in Jesus have been fully forgiven. But somehow guilt still has a way of crawling back in, disconnecting us from the family freedoms that rightfully belong to us.
When we blow it, that’s usually followed with shame and disappointment. The guilt that is hitting us is very real, and it’s during those times we recognize the need to turn away from those things that break the heart of God. Satan's plan is that we give up, but Gods plan is that we shape up. Satan comes in and nails us with condemnation; God comes in and convicts us into doing what is right.
Every one of us have a habit, a dysfunction, an illusion, a delusion, that causes some type of derailment. But in due time we do let go, and we do overcome. The mystery is that God uses those derailing times for His good as He defines a character in us that is more to His likeness. God uses the bad to define His good.
Ya, life is not easy, and in our journey with God we will tumble and we will fall. We need to see that our failures are opportunities for growth. When we fall, we need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back on the saddle. According to heaven, — we are all in training, and we are all being restructured more into His likeness. The adversary is wanting to drag us back into the old, God is trying to steer us into the new.
Who we are in Jesus is being defined. It’s when we humble ourselves, that our hearts are changed. We tumble, and we fall, but for most of us, our lives are defined through the tumbling. Sure we read, but its amazing how many of us just love to learn things the hard way as the stubbornness in us dictates the way we think. This defaulting to the old norm will always get us in trouble sending us back into that refining fire. When we walk in the fullness of forgiveness, where we let go and let live, then most of this hardship can be avoided.
God is training us, and molding us, on how we need to be thinking. To get away from those knee jerk reactions that steer us in the wrong direction. The mind, set on the flesh is death; the mind, set on the Spirit is life and peace. This is not an easy process for most, and so we will go through our personal square dances.
While this forgiveness may look simple from the outside, forgiving ourselves will have its defiant moments. The hardest thing is to forget. To forget the scars that have been handed to us, and to forget the scars that we have given to others. We need to understand that God’s perspective on forgiveness is what really counts here. He has graciously extended that forgiveness towards us, — and so should we extend that same forgiveness towards ourselves. We need to let go and live.
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Un-forgiveness Towards Others
The covert operation of the cross reveals the greatness of God’s love and the power of forgiveness. And for us, that forgiveness to others also needs to happen. When we allow forgiveness to flow through us towards others, it’s amazing how quickly things can turn around. Just letting go has a way of reconnecting all the dots as it realigns what has been misaligned.
Un-forgiveness is one of the biggest barriers that stonewalls us from receiving any kind of healing. Be it emotional healing, physical healing and spiritual healing. That dark force that fuels the power of separation comes with un-forgiveness. And many are blind of the darkness that comes with un-forgiveness. How un-forgiveness is able to bring our lives, and the lives of others to a minimum when its unattended.
Many assume they can push it aside and press on with un-forgiveness. This whole thing of “out of sight out of mind” is great until someone pushes a button. The illusion is that we think we are moving forward, when in fact, we are not. Blindsided, we have been stalemated. We need to understand that un-forgiveness, be it from past hurts and anger, if not dealt with, will only send us into the arena of hard feelings. When stuff like this starts to surface, we soon discover that a house cleaning is in order.
When there is genuine forgiveness, hard feelings eventually disappear! It can happen instantly, but for others it may be a bit of a process. When we forgive others we are no longer shackled by reactive feelings and we no longer live a restricted life. Forgiveness has a way of steering us into the fullness of our true identity. Forgiveness has a way of empowering us to be that spiritual being that we were always meant to be.
We have been forgiven, and that forgiveness will be ongoing. God knows we are transitioning from our old identity into our new identity. He knows that our thoughts are not His thoughts. He knows that our ways are not even close to being His ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than ours, and so are His thoughts higher than ours.
God knows that during transition, there will be times of trouble. And with Satan and the boys on the loose, trouble will find a way, — that's a given. But Grace and forgiveness is before us as God continually covers us and shelters us. Nothing will separate us from God. He will not leave us nor will He forsake us. He will guide us and watch over us.
John 8:36 “ If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Again, — The journey that awaits us on the other side of forgiveness is absolutely incredible.
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New Testament Forgiveness Scriptures.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. — Ephesians 1:7
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. — Acts 2:38
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. — Ephesians 4:32
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. — Matthew 6:14
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. — Luke 6:37
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. — Mark 11:25
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. — Matthew 6:15
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EkklesiaRising.com / JesusMinistries.ca