WHAT A STRANGE CONCEPT... TO FORGIVE GOD. HE IS PERFECT IN ALL HIS WAYS. HE NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL MAKE A MISTAKE. SO, WHY ARE THERE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAN ARISE TO MAKE US FEEL AS THOUGH WE NEED TO FORGIVE HIM? FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT EXACTLY?

THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS FORGIVENESS IS NOT AS MUCH FOR THE FORGIVEN AS IT IS FOR THE FORGIVER. GOD NEVER SINS, SO TO SAY THAT WE FORGIVE HIM CAN SERIOUSLY IMPLY THE WRONG MESSAGE. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT FORGIVING GOD REALLY IS.

I FELT BETRAYED BY GOD BECAUSE I KNEW THAT HE HAD THE POWER TO STOP ALL THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME AS A CHILD. I ALSO KNEW THAT I WAS INNOCENT OF CAUSING THOSE THINGS TO HAPPEN TO ME, MEANING I DID NOT DESERVE FOR THEM TO HAPPEN. I CAME TO AN UNDERSTANDING WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD THAT GOD WORKS THROUGH OUR FAITH. HE HAD ME FIGHT TO BELIEVE BY FAITH, AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT I FELT, THAT HE LOVED ME ETERNALLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY. I COULD ONLY DO THAT THROUGH HIS STRENGTH AND POWER. ONCE I CHOSE TO BELIEVE FOR HIS LOVE FOR ME, I WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF HIS TRUTH AND THE LIES THAT I HAD BEEN BELIEVING BY THE enemy. LIES LIKE, "GOD IS PUNISHING ME FOR BEING BAD." OR "GOD REALLY HATES ME." ANOTHER LIE WAS THAT GOD'S WORD ISN'T REALLY TRUE FOR ME. IT WAS TRUE, JUST NOT FOR ME. THESE ARE ALL LIES OF THE enemy. I BEGAN TO REPLACE THESE LIES WITH GOD'S TRUTH. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN OVER NIGHT. THIS TAKES TIME AND, IN SOME WAYS, WILL TAKE ME THE REST OF MY LIFE.

THE TRUTH IS GOD LOVES EVERYONE, INCLUDING ME. GOD DID NOT MAKE ALL THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME HAPPEN. HE ALLOWED THEM AND IF GOD IS GOOD, THEN I HAVE UNDERSTAND THAT HIM ALLOWING THESE BAD THINGS IN MY LIFE HAS TO BE FOR MY GOOD, EVEN WHEN ALL I CAN SEE IS DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND HEARTBREAK.

THE BIBLE SAYS THAT IT PLEASED GOD TO BRUISE JESUS. IS. 53:10 HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? A GOD WHO IS GOOD, LOVING AND KIND WAS PLEASED THAT HIS SON WAS BRUISED, BEATEN, AND CRUCIFIED. THAT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. THIS IS HIS ONLY SON.

BY FAITH WE ARE SAVED. WHEN WE CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD AND THAT HE WAS CRUCIFIED BECAUSE OF OUR SIN. HE DIED ON THE CROSS TO MAKE A WAY FOR US TO BE RECONCILED TO THE FATHER, THEN THE FATHER'S PLEASURE IN HIS CRUCIFIXION IS MORE UNDERSTANDABLE. FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM, HE ENDURED THE CROSS. HEB. 12:2 JESUS DIED THIS PARTICULAR DEATH WITH JOY IN HIS HEART FOR THE END RESULT. HE BELIEVED BY FAITH THAT GOD HAD A GOOD PLAN FOR HIS DEATH.

THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US. WE MUST BELIEVE BY FAITH THAT GOD TURNS ALL THINGS FOR OUR GOOD WHEN WE LOVE HIM AND ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. ROM. 8:28 SO TO SAY THAT WE FORGIVE GOD IS NOT TO SAY THAT GOD SINNED AGAINST US. THAT CAN NEVER BE TRUE. IT IS TO SAY THAT WE CHOOSE BY FAITH TO BELIEVE THAT HIS PLAN FOR THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO US HE IS TURNING FOR OUR GOOD.

LONG BEFORE I HEALED FROM SOME OF THE ABUSE I SUFFERED AS A CHILD I HAD A MENTOR TELL ME THAT THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE GOD WAS GOING TO HAVE ME HELP IN MY LIFE. AT THE TIME WHEN SHE TOLD ME THIS, I NO MORE WANTED TO HEAR THAT THAN THE MAN IN THE MOON. I WAS COMPLETELY STUCK IN MY OWN PAIN. BUT WHEN GOD HEALED ME AND SET ME FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF THAT PAIN, ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS GO OUT AND HELP OTHERS GET FREE. FOR A WHILE I DID. BUT THE DAMAGE THAT WAS BROUGHT ON IN MY CHILDHOOD WAS TREMENDOUSLY FAR REACHING IN MY SOUL, SO I DISCOVERED I HAD A LOT MORE HEALING TO DO.

FOR ME I HAD TO FORGIVE GOD FOR ALLOWING THE BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN TO ME AND DECLARE BY FAITH THAT I TRUSTED HIM TO TURN THOSE THINGS FOR MY GOOD. I DID NOT GROW UP WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT BECAUSE GOD CREATED ME, HE HAD THE RIGHTS FOR MY LIFE. I KNEW HE CREATED ME, BUT I GREW UP WITH THE MENTALITY THAT I HAD THE RIGHT TO THE LIFE I WANTED AND THAT WAS A TREMENDOUS SOURCE OF THE ANGER I HAD FOR MANY YEARS. IT WAS A VERY HARD PILL FOR ME TO SWALLOW NOT BEING ABLE TO CHANGE MY PAST AND HAVE THE LIFE THAT I WANTED. I HAD TO ACCEPT THE LIFE DEALT ME. AND WORDS COULD NEVER EXPRESS THE HATRED THAT I HAVE HAD FOR THIS LIFE DEALT ME. GOD SEEMED TO BE TREMENDOUSLY CRUEL TO ME FOR THE LIFE HE HAD GIVEN ME OR ALLOWED ME TO HAVE. HOW DOES A GOOD GOD GET GLORY OUT OF SOMEONE'S TRAUMATIC LIFE? THAT IS A GREAT MYSTERY. I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY. WHEN GOD SAYS THAT LOVE NEVER FAILS, 1 COR. 13, HE REALLY IS SERIOUS. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO US, HIS LOVE FOR US WILL NEVER FAIL. WE CAN CHOOSE NOT TO RECEIVE IT. BUT THAT DOES NOT CAUSE HIS LOVE TO FAIL. HIS LOVE IS A FREE GIFT TO US FROM THE FATHER. WE DON'T DESERVE IT, WE DON'T EARN IT, WE CAN'T BUY IT OR SELL IT. HE GIVES IT TO US AND WE ARE REQUIRED TO GIVE IT TO OTHERS.

HERE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT OF FORGIVING GOD. TO BE A PERSON WHO FORGIVES CAN CAUSE THAT PERSON TO FEEL SUPERIOR TO THE ONE THEY ARE FORGIVING. LIKE THE FORGIVER POSSESSES THE KEY TO THE PERSON'S FREEDOM AND IT'S ONLY BECAUSE THE FORGIVER CHOOSES TO USE THE KEY TO UNLOCK THE PRISON DOOR FOR THE ONE THEY ARE FORGIVING THAT IS THE REASON FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE FORGIVEN. LIKE WITHOUT THE FORGIVENESS THEY WOULD NEVER BE FREE.

IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD TO FORGIVE GOD, YOU PROBABLY KNOW HOW TREBEDACIOUS THAT FEELS. GOD HATES PRIDE. SO, FOR US TO TRY TO HAVE A HAUGHTY ATTITUDE WHEN CHOOSING TO FORGIVE HIM, IT DOESN'T WORK AND IT WON'T TAKE LONG FOR A PERSON TO REALIZE THAT. WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FORGIVE GOD IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE AN APOLOGY THAN AN ACT OF FORGIVENESS ON OUR PART. LIKE, "FATHER, I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BLAMED YOU FOR THE BAD THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN MY LIFE AND I CHOOSE TO FORGIVE YOU THOUGH YOU NEED NO FORGIVING. I RECOGNIZE YOU AS MY CREATOR AND THE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF MY LIFE. I ASK YOUR FORGIVENESS FOR MY HAUGHTY ATTITUDE TOWARD YOU."

MAY THIS HELP YOU AS YOU NAVIGATE THE DEEP WATERS OF FORGIVENESS. MUCH LOVE AND WE WILL CONTINUE THIS LATER. HAVE A FABULOUS DAY. KIM