Empowering Inspiration

I was speaking to a Comparative Religions Class at a local university on the topic of the early church councils. Much of the early debate of our spiritual ancestors revolved around the nature of Christ. Councils were called to settle disagreements.

The Council of Nicea (325) was called to settle the controversy the followers of Arius promoted by teaching that there was a time when Christ did not exist. The Council of Nicea met to decide: “Was Jesus Christ God or was He just a man?”

Teaching about the Council of Nicea led beautifully into asking the class the same question. I took a less direct approach.

I asked, “Have you ever been offended by someone telling you Jesus is the only way?” All but three were quick to agree. This was a secular university.

I responded, “I’m a follower of Jesus and I ask your forgiveness for others who name His name and use His words to condemn you. Jesus said He didn’t come into the world to condemn it. I’m sorry for the others who have done it in His name.”

That got their attention, so I continued, “It would be perfectly legitimate to feel offended at Jesus, if He was just a man and He said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’

But what if He was more than a man? What if He was the one who put 400 million stars in our galaxy and 400 million galaxies in our universe, and who knows how many more universes there are left to imagine? What if there was no philosophy good enough and no good work great enough to measure up to the standard of such a Being beyond our comprehension?

It would mean Jesus wasn’t being exclusive when He said He was the Way. It would mean He was being inclusive, making a way where we couldn’t make one on our own.”

The students sat in stunned silence. More than a few were wiping tears from their eyes.

It’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). So why do we act as if it’s our judgmental attitudes that will lead others to it?

The discussion around judging goes beyond that because we live in a fallen world where fallen people – and even the redeemed – pass judgement without full knowledge. We have all been unfairly judged and some have been condemned of sin without thought to reconciliation. We’re told to judge, and told not to judge. So how to we judge without being a jerk?

Let’s start by getting a clearer understanding of what the Bible says concerning judging… that comes in the next post.

I should have www.ExpectancyPress.com up in less than a week. There you’ll be able to purchase the booklet “How to Judge and not Be A Jerk” that this post was edited from.

Trevor Lund

Tags: Father, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, judge, Judging, kindness

The Father is in the business of restoring relationship with you, restoring your relationships with others and restoring our relationship with creation. And forgiveness is the tool He uses and the means He provides to ensure His plans works – in a world that is still not what it was intended to be. That world is coming and we’ll get there because He’s forgiven us.

He is our motivation and example when He said, “Father forgive them…” from the cross. Can any of us do any less?

Pass along what you’ve learned to others. If it’s links to this blog or handing them the booklet (soon to be available at ExpectancyPress.com), great. But it’s more important that you work out the implications of forgiveness in every area of your life.

We’re praying for you and are willing to help you walk through the sometimes difficult steps of forgiveness. Contact us.

Find out more about Expectancy Ministries.

Our next series of posts will focus on “How to Judge and Not be A Jerk”.

Tags: Expectancy Ministries, Expectancy Press, Father, Forgiveness, relationship, restoring, Trevor Lund

Agreeing to live without what God withholds means letting the potter be the potter and recognize you are the clay. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He thinks generationally and eternally. We are short sighted and linear. It’s often best for us to simply be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

Part of living un-offended with God is to look to what He is doing and not to what He hasn’t done. Surround yourself with testimonies about what God is doing, but watch your heart as you do. If you’re asking “Why them and not me?” you’re not choosing to live un-offended at God. Look to what He is doing and not to what He hasn’t done.

Part of living un-offended with God is to give up our right to understand. We are promised peace that passes understanding so why are we so eager to settle with being anxious to understand? Start reading in the Psalms and read until you get to one that is the cry of your heart. Then spend considerable time considering it. You probably won’t understand your situation, but you’ll understand that the Father understands, and that’s enough to make a huge difference in your level of peace.

Are you in the place where your situation, through no fault of your own, is not in agreement with how the Bible says it should be?

Choose to live un-offended with God.

Heavenly Father, I have believed a lie to think you have let me down by (name the area). I agree with you that this belief is sin because you are Good and I ask for your forgiveness. Father, tell me the truth about the situation. (Listen for what He says). Lord, I choose to live un-offended at you. I agree to live without what you withhold. I choose to look to what you are doing and not to what you haven’t done. I give up my right to understand that I might have the peace that passes understanding. Thank you for being so good.

Tags: Be still and know, God, Live without what God withholds, living unoffended with the Father

I’ve often been asked if anyone ever needs to forgive God. That language makes me uncomfortable.

Forgiveness is giving up our right for revenge. It’s putting the other into the hands of God. It’s His to avenge. He’s the one to repay. How can we put God in His own hands? How could we ever take revenge against God?

However, forgiveness is also agreeing to live with the consequences of another’s action or inaction. That could mean we may need to forgive God… but the language and sentiment isn’t right.

I’m in debt to Bill Johnson for giving me biblical words to express how we need to relate to God when things happen that just don’t make sense in light of His nature or character.

It comes from what John the Baptist had his disciples ask Jesus, while John sat in prison awaiting his fate.

John the Baptist declared the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, knowing the Anointed One would release the prisoners. But then he sat in prison and doubt started to set in. He sent his disciples to ask his cousin if he had gotten it wrong and Jesus responded:

“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Luke 7:22-23 (NKJV)

John was sitting where he did not expect, facing something he did not want. We could almost say he had the right to be offended at Jesus.

And Jesus said “happy is the one who is not offended because of Me.”

We don’t need to forgive God. We need to live un-offended with Him. Part of living un-offended at God is agreeing to live without what He withholds.

We’ll discuss how you can agree to live without what God withholds starting in the next post.

Tags: Bill Johnson, Forgive God, Forgive the Father, John the Baptist, living unoffended with the Father

If you’ve asked for forgiveness from God, you may still need help knowing you’re forgiven. People have this problem when they want to “feel” like they’ve been forgiven. Truth supersedes feelings. Feelings will follow, but they don’t point to the truth when they contradict what the Bible says. So know what the Bible says about forgiveness.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 
(1 John 1:8-9 NIV)

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (Psalms 51:7 NIV)

…who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, (Psalms 103:3-4 NIV)

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18 NIV)

Peter replied, “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 NIV)

Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. (James 5:13-16 NLT)

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense— Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 
(1 John 2:1-2 NIV)

People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy. (Proverbs 28:13 NLT)

You are forgiven from sin that you confess. Work these verses into your thinking if you need to, and pass the truth along to others you can encourage.

Tags: cleanse, confess, Father, forget, Forgiveness, forgives, God, repent, repentance

There are many who, after being forgiven by God and after seeking the forgiveness of those they have offended, find it extremely difficult to live in the freedom that forgiveness brings.

Sometimes they don’t feel they were worthy to be forgiven. This is true; all of us stand before God by His grace. But this is a liberating truth of scripture, not something that condemns us.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1 NIV)

Even if you don’t feel worthy of forgiveness, choose to forgive yourself.

Once you do,  train yourself to accept that you have been forgiven by building your faith.  Know what the Bible says regarding the forgiveness of confessed sins. Because:

…faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
(Romans 10:17 NKJV)

The Bible assure us that we are forgiven when we confess our sins. Remember – believe what the Bible says about you… not what your feelings say!

1. Find the verses.
2. Read the verses.
3. Memorize the verses.
4. Meditate on the verses.

Let them become alive to you. It’s the living word of God that makes faith come alive. Pray them whenever you feel the condemning attack of satan saying you’re not forgiven.

Why don’t you do some research in the Bible today? It’s a great form of worship.

I’ll post you the ones I recommend next time.

Tags: accepting Forgiveness, Bible, forgive myself, Forgiveness, meditate, memorize, remember

This is a question often used to to justify not asking for forgiveness from someone we’ve offended.

It’s never easy to swallow our pride, humble ourselves, admit we were wrong and ask for forgiveness. But what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:23-26 was that we need to leave our sacrifice at the altar and go and seek forgiveness when we’ve offended someone. This is why we celebrate the Lord’s supper regularly and why I’m a fan of celebrating communion every time we gather as the Body of Christ. It allows us the opportunity, and reminds us to judge the body rightly. We allow the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts in regards to our relationships and we make sure we remain in right relationship with the Son by ensuring we’re in right relationship with members of His bride.

But what happens when we try to make amends and the one we’ve offended doesn’t choose to forgive us?

Remember what I said about Rabbi Paul? Here’s where his teaching comes in. Once you sincerely seek forgiveness, you are free-whether the other person forgives you or not.  Paul wrote in Romans 12:18:

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 
(NLT)

So once you’ve sincerely sought forgiveness, you are free. So be sure to do what Jesus said in Matthew 5:24:

…leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. (NLT)

Asking forgiveness from someone we’ve wronged can be a very difficult thing to do. But now that you know the truth, remember the whole truth – God has not only told you to do it, He’ll empower you to do it. It may be good to discuss these thoughts with your pastor if you need some support in doing what the Bible instructs  you.

We’re praying for you.

Tags: ask for forgiveness, Forgiveness, Paul, rabbi, reconciliation, remember

Neil T. Anderson gives the following advice around asking for forgiveness in “The Steps to Freedom in Christ”:

Only the actions, which have hurt another person, need to be confessed to them. If you have had jealous, lustful or angry thoughts toward another, and they don’t know about it, these are to be confessed to God alone. An exception to this principle occurs when restitution needs to be made. If you stole or broke something, damaged someone’s reputation, and so on, you need to go to that person and make it right, even if he or she is unaware of what you did.

The Process of Seeking Forgiveness

1. Write out what you did wrong and why you did it.

2. Make sure you have already forgiven the person for whatever he or she may have done to you.

3. Think through exactly how you will ask him or her to forgive you. Be sure to
a. Label your action as wrong.
b. Be specific and admit what you did.
c. Make no defenses or excuses.
d. Do not blame the other person, and do not expect or demand that he or she ask for your forgiveness.
e. Your confession should lead to the direct question: “Will you forgive me?”

4. Seek the right place and the right time to approach the offended person.

5. Ask for forgiveness in person from anyone with whom you can talk face-to-face with the following exception: Do not go alone when your safety might be in danger.

Except where no other means of communication is possible, do not write a letter because a letter can be very easily misread or misunderstood; a letter can be read by the wrong people (those having nothing to do with the offense or the confession); a letter can be kept when it should have been destroyed.

Do you need to ask someone for forgiveness? Follow these steps, and stop making excuses to be obedient to the Father.

Tags: ask for forgiveness, Father, Forgiveness, God, other, Steps to Freedom in Christ

We are fallen people living in a fallen world. That’s not an excuse. We need to become more and more and more like Jesus. But there may be times when we have sinned against someone else and we need to make it right.

The rabbis taught that the sin against someone else was heavier than the sin against God, because God would always forgive, but someone else may not.

They didn’t have the book of Romans, so Rabbi Paul had a different point of view we follow, but more about that in a couple days.  Jesus gave us a pattern to follow in Matthew 5:23-26

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. (NLT)

There are a couple of things I’ll point out right away. It’s the one bringing the sacrifice that remembers someone has something against him or her. It’s the Holy Spirit that brings it to their mind. It’s the Spirit’s job to convict sin, not any of ours. Jesus Christ didn’t come into the world to condemn it, so how can we condemn a fellow believer (or the world for that matter)?

Secondly, when the Spirit brings revelation that someone has something against you, you go to them. Don’t wait for them to come to you. in the next post I’ll outline how you should approach them. Today I’ll pray the Spirit empowers you to obey the Father’s will for you.

Tags: condemn, condemnation, Forgiveness, Holy Spirit, Paul, rabbi

Over the past few days has the Spirit brought memories of un-forgiven offenses to your thoughts? Maybe you know someone who needs to forgive another, but have been wondering how they can? This prayer isn’t magic, but it has been helpful to  bring people to the freedom of forgiveness.

Prayer:

In the name of Jesus, I purpose and choose to forgive (the person) from my heart for (what they did). I acknowledge the hurt and the hate it has led to in my life and I agree to live with the consequences of their sin.
In the name of Jesus I cancel all the debts and obligations to me. I release (the person) to You, as well as my right to avenge.
Dear Lord, I ask You to forgive me for my bitterness toward (the person) in this situation. In the name of Jesus and in the power of His blood, I cancel satan’s power over me in this memory because I have forgiven and have been forgiven by God.
In the name of Jesus, I command that all the tormentors that have been assigned to me because of my un-forgiveness leave me now.
Holy Spirit, I invite You into my heart and to heal me from this pain. Please speak Your words of truth to me about this situation.
This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

Tags: devil, Father, Forgiveness, God, satan, un-forgiveness, unforgiveness