finding forgiveness

[SetApart]

i have been POWERFULLY convicted this morning...

i have made many mistakes and have committed plenty of sins in my life that i know are not and have not been pleasing to God. i also know that as challenging as my life has been --- especially over the past few years ---that i have done my very best to be obedient to Him, turn away from sin, and diligently pray to be in HIS will and not mine.

yet, i have found myself basically swimming in anger, depression, hopelessness, and helplessness as i have seen virtually everything taken away from me---things that i worked very hard for and praised God for all the way--without question---

i couldn't understand..i couldn't understand....

i read the book of Job and it helped me realize that Job was a much better christian than me, and that it didn't stop vile things from happening to him...i have read the many wonderful posts about refinement, and i believe that is very much at work in my life...and i have read many scriptures about faith, trials, and God's will----all of which have helped me make some sort of sense out of my life...but i am still swimming in this cesspool of negativity, anger, and desperation.

i so desperately want to glorify God. i so desperately WANT to share His message with as many people as i can. i so desperately want to accept His call to minister and serve Him in the ways He wants and expects me to....

and i have--even in the midst of agony---but i know i can do more----

i have been on a search for about 6 months for a church home---visited several...but i knew my depression was getting the best of me---so i found myself staying at home on sundays and trying to watch a few preachers---

that was all i could do---

but yesterday---i MADE MYSELF get up, get showered, and get my kids ready and i prayed for God to lead me to a church. i even gave him a few options (smile) of the churches i have already visited--but did not believe to be a place to land---just as i was getting ready to leave, i remembered a service i watched on TV just weeks prior--40 miles away---i looked up the information on their website and knew in my spirit that i needed to go.

my children and i arrived just in time....and guess what--the message was:
depression, anxiety, nervous breakdown, and suicide. the message was powerfully compassionate, realistic--did not speak to depression and mental illness as a weak spirit---but it was also biblically based and spoke of how God viewed suicide (violation of the 6th commandment), and how we as christians should seek God through scripture, settling unforgiveness, imitating Jesus, comfort, seek medical/spiritual advice, etc to deal with our depression....and i was reminded;

"Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

then today, i found myself looking at some bible devotions on their website, and was powerfully convicted that i harbor so much unforgiveness...

2Ti 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

i prayed for God to help me forgive those who have hurt me..those who have taken from me, and those who have infected my life with evil---and i also prayed that i be shown who i have hurt so that i can do my part to make ammends.

i want to forgive...i am just not sure how to do that completely. i have named and surrendered all the pain that i can recognize, as well as the person i see attached to that pain, all to God and asked Him to help me forgive them.

i want to be a light in this world...not another dark shadow of a wounded animal constantly licking my wounds---i don't believe that God wants me to be that self-absorbed---

does anyone have other scriptures regarding forgiveness that i might find helpful?

Does anyone want to join me in this journey of finding forgiveness?

[Cocoa1080]

I am so happy for you, I am glad you found a church

I love this verse from Paul in Romans


Rom 6:6 We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin.

Rom 6:7 We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people.

Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

like you said God loves us no matter what. Think about that each morning like I try to. Think that thanks to Jesus you won't be burning in hell forever.

I mean your name is written in Heaven, you are saved and God will not let you go... ever

Rom 8:1 If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished.
Rom 8:2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.


God bless, I will be praying for you


Rom 12:14 Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them.

[CountryPerson]

i have been POWERFULLY convicted this morning...


....

i read the book of Job and it helped me realize that Job was a much better christian than me, and that it didn't stop vile things from happening to him...i have read the many wonderful posts about refinement, and i believe that is very much at work in my life...and i have read many scriptures about faith, trials, and God's will----all of which have helped me make some sort of sense out of my life...but i am still swimming in this cesspool of negativity, anger, and desperation.

i so desperately want to glorify God. i so desperately WANT to share His message with as many people as i can. i so desperately want to accept His call to minister and serve Him in the ways He wants and expects me to....

and i have--even in the midst of agony---but i know i can do more----


. . . . . . . .


"Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

then today, i found myself looking at some bible devotions on their website, and was powerfully convicted that i harbor so much unforgiveness...

2Ti 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

i prayed for God to help me forgive those who have hurt me..those who have taken from me, and those who have infected my life with evil---and i also prayed that i be shown who i have hurt so that i can do my part to make ammends.

i want to forgive...i am just not sure how to do that completely. i have named and surrendered all the pain that i can recognize, as well as the person i see attached to that pain, all to God and asked Him to help me forgive them.

i want to be a light in this world...not another dark shadow of a wounded animal constantly licking my wounds---i don't believe that God wants me to be that self-absorbed---

does anyone have other scriptures regarding forgiveness that i might find helpful?

Does anyone want to join me in this journey of finding forgiveness?

Dee, there is a wonderful website that you would enjoy. The teaching is by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and she just recently published a book on Forgiveness.
If you go to: www.reviveourhearts.com you will be able to use the search bar and go into the archive section of radio broadcasts to bring up transcripts of her teaching on this important topic. She's my favorite Bible teacher for women, and I think you'll like her, too.
Lynn

[amy_elisabeth]

God so honors forgiveness... I'm glad you've responded to the conviction. I battle depression, bipolar, anxiety, and agoraphobia, so I know what you're going through. I've been convicted of the same things you are going through too. It's rooted in bitterness for me. That's basically unforgiveness, right? Today, God showed me that I've complained for so long about how badly I've been treated all my life, but I need to turn that around and confess to Him that I was a part of all of it, thus I was in sin which He was angry about. I would never have thought that up on my own! But the Holy Spirit is at work here, so I know that it is true. God will have to deal with all the people who have hurt me but I need to forgive. I actually thought I had, but I think He wants a deeper forgiveness. I need to daily be praying for these people actually. Because it's been such a stronghold for me and I can't just forgive and voila! No, I need to confess this (daily until my mind is cleansed and it's not a way of life anymore to me) and work through it with God as He heals me from the pain that they caused and the pain I caused in myself from not forgiving.

I'll be praying for you as God leads you and gently nurtures you along. I have to be reminded all the time that God is loving as He's working on me. I tend to think of Him being very angry with me though I don't want those thoughts ... just more junk in my head. So, He keeps bringing me back to the last chapter of Jonah. Go read that... where even though Jonah was angry that the thousands of people repented and did not perish, God still made a plant grow over Jonah's head so that Jonah was comforted. That's amazing! Jonah, a prophet of God wanted those people to perish, yet God comforted Jonah while he was in sin. He knew though that God is good. Just remember that while He's bringing you through this :)

Listen to this sermon (it's number 4) about forgiveness:

http://www.jamesmacdonald.com/classics_signature.aspx

[Paul]

Forgiving Others

Jesus spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of forgiving others. He made it clear that forgiveness is to be a characteristic of his followers. So let's explore what it means to forgive others, the benefits of forgiving and how to forgive.

What It Means To Forgive

"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

To forgive someone means to not seek revenge on the one who has hurt you. It means letting go of the anger we harbor inside us and allowing God to deal with him or her as he, in his perfect wisdom, sees fit.

It doesn't mean excusing a wrong or denying that it ever happened. It means we don't allow ourselves to be consumed with anger towards the one who has done something to us. Instead of cursing him, we pray for him. Here are three verses that reflect the attitude of the forgiving heart:

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)

"Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it." (1 Peter 3:9)

"Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you'. Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good." (Romans 12:17-21)


The Forgiveness Factor

"And don't sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior" (Ephesians 4:26-27,31)

As the verses above tell us, anger gives Satan a foothold in our lives. Anger has a devastating affect on our relationship with God as well as with others. Over time we will take our anger out on those around us. It will consume us and eats us alive unless we deal with it. Jesus passionately taught us to forgive others, to let go, to let him handle it. He wants us to be at peace and for that to happen anger must be replaced with forgiveness.

A few years ago Christianity Today featured a cover story entitled, "The Forgiveness Factor: Social Scientist discover the power of a Christian virtue" (January 10,2000). In it, they discussed how researchers have discovered the importance of forgiveness. What was most interesting was that they had come to the conclusion that the one who does the forgiving is the one who benefited the most. Social science is just now beginning to understand what Jesus taught 2000 years ago!

How To Forgive

"Without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

After Jesus taught the apostles about forgiveness (Luke 17:3-5) they said to him, "Give us more faith!" Forgiving is not easy. It takes the strength of God to truly be able to let go. It takes faith and much prayer to say to someone, "I will repay this evil with good. I will not hate you."

"I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

The One who spoke these gentle words has the power to heal the hurting soul. He can take your shattered life and piece it back together again. You just need to let Him. "Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you."

Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and when we do something beautiful and indescribable happens: He takes that which is terrible and molds it into that which is wonderful. He gives us beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). With His help all the restlessness, all the anger that has built up for so long, will wash away like waves turning back into the ocean. He will, just as He promised, give us peace.

Here are some tips to help you forgive:

- Do not deny that you have been hurt. As we learned, forgiving is not denying.

- Make a decision to forgive others (Luke 17:3-5)

- Do not seek revenge or repay evil for evil. Let God handle it in his perfect way (1 Peter 3:9)

- Ask Jesus to help you release the anger inside you (Ephesians 4:26-27,31)

- Pray for a forgiving heart and read what the Bible says about the subject. Pray for those who have hurt you (Matthew 5:44)

[SetApart]

thank you everyone...
this was very helpful to me...i plan on listening to the resources and reading the material suggested...

paul--your post was very helpful for me and it helped me to narrow down the part of the forgiveness process that i think i am stuck in...i don't believe i avenge anything or anyone--and in fact, i know i pray for those who have hurt me AND i do kind things for many of them as well (could do more)...

but...the anger is what i know is eroding my heart---so much of it---and although i try to deny that it is there, the depression i have experienced tells me it is pretty much in control....

so...thank you all for the responses---i will say a prayer for all of you too----

[amy_elisabeth]

When someone has been really hurt like mistreated most of his / her life then comes to Christ, should there be some kind of pastoral counseling or something set up or should he / she just do the steps of forgiveness and allow God to do the healing within?