Forgiveness

As believers many of us may struggle with the ability to forgive those who deeply hurt us in silence. Many caring kind-hearted individuals trying to pattern our lives after Christ, can come to feel as though we are trapped in an endless cycle of total insanity, forgiving those who wrong us over and over and over again. As followers of the Holy Hebrew Bible, are we supposed to be martyrs? Are we supposed to expose ourselves to constant criticism, belittlement, disrespect and emotional violence? Are we supposed forgive and forget, leaving ourselves open to the wicked, totally unprotected? One important component of forgiveness involves the release from bondage and the penalty associated with it. When we ask for forgiveness from our Heavenly Father it is because we are acknowledging the mistake that we have made, requesting mercy and pleading for release from the penalty of what we have done. Knowing we can be freed from the bondage of guilt, shame and regret because of the sacrifice of Christ, our Saviour and Messiah. If someone is continuously hurting another person one can assume that they are oblivious to the emotional mayhem and devastation that their thoughtless actions leave behind. So how can we release them from the bondage of what they have done to us, when they don’t even feel bad about it? We constantly hear verses such as Matthew 6:14-15 parroted on pulpits, “if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” and Luke 6:27, “… love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”. But our holy book counsels the Israelites about many other things, particularly involving the wicked. The prophet Jeremiah even said, “take care of being imposed upon, since “they” meaning the wicked, are given to lying and deceit”. He also said that we are not to easily believe what is said by certain individuals and we must keep ourselves from those who have evil communications because “evil communications corrupt good manners”. How can we follow these spiritual principles if we are just to give everyone a clean slate, forgetting their wickedness over and over and over again. As children of the Kingdom, we need to follow the whole Hebrew Bible, not just some of it. Yes! Of course we forgive because we have been admonished to do so by the Most High Creator God but, one thing our book doesn’t say is that we have be doormats, and that we must forget. I encourage you to give it a read.

Gratitude

Most of us do not realise how important the concept of being grateful really is. Gratitude can be described as acknowledgment, appreciativeness, grace, gratefulness, honour, indebtedness, praise, recognition, thankfulness and thanksgiving. Colossians 3:16 says, “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Strong's concordance gives us the word C H A R I S of which the short definition is grace, favour and kindness. Defined as “grace, as a gift or blessing brought to man by Christ. Gratitude is the foundation of good mental health, spirituality and self-development. The Hebrew term for gratitude is hikarat hatov, which means "recognising the good." Practicing gratitude means recognising the good that is already yours. If you've lost your job, but you still have your family and health, you have something to be grateful for. If you can't move around except for in a wheelchair but your mind is as sharp as ever, you have something to be grateful for. When you open up to the trait of gratitude, you will be able to better see clearly and accurately, how much good there is in your life. Gratitude affirms. Many of us tend to focus so heavily on the deficiencies in our lives that we barely perceive the good that counterbalances them. Now more so than ever as believers, we need to remember to focus on the blessings all around us that we tend to take for granted. When you live a life that is fuelled by and charged with gratitude, you have the ability to give thanks for anything and anyone who has benefited you, whether they meant to or not.The Most High Creator God’s word is filled with the concept of gratitude, all over it’s pages. Locating these gems of truth can be a simple and effective way of reminding yourself to practice gratitude so that you can reflect the soon coming Kingdom of the Most High Creator God.

The atmosphere is changing but the Lord is still our Shepherd

As we move into another “new year”, I can not help but reflect on situations of the past. The last time I sang in church was in February 2020. It was shortly after a mental health forum that I had been planning for months. That sabbath morning I had to pray before singing because I was still hurt and angry about what had transpired during the process of organizing the forum. The Friday night prayer service had gone quite well, but so called “spiritual leaders” had been trying to sabotage the program from it’s planning stages. We ended up having an epic snow storm on the day of the panel, so it was cancelled. I felt so relieved and was so very grateful to the Most High for allowing that to happen. You see, after realising how many people wanted my program to fail, I felt like throwing in the towel, but I’m not a quitter, especially when it comes to the work of the Most High. On that February 2020 Sabbath it took every ounce of courage for me to get up in front of those same scoffers and sing. A family member was in the hospital and my heart was very heavy. As I sang the song, my nerves quickly went away and certain words pierced my heart. “The atmosphere is changing, nothing stays the same, heaven is waiting for the mention of the name”. I sang those words right before the lockdowns and they still pierce my heart today. The atmosphere has changed and will continue to change, but as believers we do not have to feel afraid because the Lord is still our Shepherd. Psalm 23 outlines the lengths that the Most High Creator God will go to in order to protect his people. Now more than ever as the atmosphere changes we need to remind ourselves of those promises. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Like sheep, we are totally dependent on our Heavenly Father to provide us with everything we need. He watches us, protects us and keeps us from the traps set for us by the predators of this world. Verse four states, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” The shepherds rod is a weapon used to defend sheep by warding off predators and the staff is used to hook a sheep’s neck or leg to redirect it, sometimes to water, these tools keep the sheep safe. As the atmosphere changes, I encourage you remember that the Lord is still our shepherd.