[Col. 3:13 "BEAR with EACH OTHER and FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER. Of ANY OF YOU has a GRIEVANCE against someone, FORGIVE as YAHSHUA our YAH FORGAVE you.]
Our SALVATION DEPENDS on FORGIVENESS - (Ref. 26419)Immediately after Yahshua has given to His disciples The FATHER'S PRAYER, He ADDED:
Matt. 6:14 "For IF you FORGIVE people their TRESPASSES [their RECKLESS and WILLFUL SINS, LEAVING THEM, LETTING THEM GO and GIVING UP RESENTMENT], your HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE you.
:15 BUT if you DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS their TRESPASSES [their RECKLESS and WILLFUL SINS, LEAVING THEM, LETTING THEM GO, and GIVING UP RESENTMENT] NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOU YOUR TRESPASSES."
The WORDS of our MESSIAH above FLOWS TWO WAYS:
FORGIVE and
RECEIVE FORGIVENESS.
LET IT GO TOTALLY:
"FORGIVE", YAHSHUA says, and FORGIVE TOTALLY as in LETTING ALL ILL-FEELINGS GO ... totally LAY it DOWN ... let RESENTMENT GO ... and as YOU FORGIVE YOU WILL ALSO RECEIVE FORGIVENESS of all YOUR WRONGS.
OUR SALVATION DEPENDS on BEING FORGIVEN:
FORGIVENESS is part of the CHARACTER of MESSIAH - a DIVINE ATTRIBUTE - a FRUIT of the HOLY SPIRIT OF YAH - and it is VITAL for our SALVATION for if there is something standing in the way of our FORGIVENESS of our SINS, we are LOST ...
The HEAVENLY JUDGE' VERDICT will be in favor of the ENEMY:
Scripture tells us that the enemy is the great Accuser, and he is accusing us DAY AND NIGHT before the Father in the heavenly courtroom.
Rev. 12:10c "... for the ACCUSER of our brethren, he who KEEPS BRINGING before YAHWEH CHARGES AGAINST them DAY AND NIGHT ..."
FORGIVENESS is for OUR OWN SAKE and the SAKE OF OUR CHILDREN:
When we ARE UNWILLING to FORGIVE, that EMOTIONAL "FEELING" is a WIDE (DOUBLE-ENTRY) DOOR for the ENEMY through which he and his hordes of evilness can COME INTO our LIVES - GAINING LEGAL RIGHT to BE in our LIVES and to DO HIS EVIL WORKING in our LIVES.
Through us - the enemy ALSO get ACCESS into the LIVES of our LOVE ONES ... And our HEAVENLY JUDGE Who is RIGHTEOUS [and IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS] will ALLOW it ... for you see child of Yah, what HAPPENS on EARTH has HUGE RAMIFICATIONS in HEAVEN.
UNFORGIVENESS IS AN EVILNESS:
Yahshua gave us [freely], HIS HOLY SPIRIT to DWELL IN US - (IF we MET HIS TERMS) but the MOMENT we LET EVILNESS IN, HE CANNOT DWELL IN US ANYMORE.
He, the SPIRIT of the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, CANNOT DWELL in the SAME "HOME" with EVILNESS. His LIGHT and SIN'S DARKNESS cannot EXIST TOGETHER - it CAN NEVER be MIXED ...
FORGIVENESS is the "CORE" of our EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING:
FAILING to FORGIVE or to RECEIVE FORGIVENESS is a HATCHING PLACE for EVIL, that will eventually lead to EMOTIONAL and PHYSICAL SICKNESS - this can also EXTENT into the LIVES of our LOVE ONES - our CHILDREN ...
BEWARE:
We ourselves can be the ACCESSPOINT (for the devil) into our FAMILY BLOODLINE ...
ALL KINDS of EVIL SPIRITS ATTACH ITSELF to UNFORGIVENESS:
The longer we wait to FORGIVE, the MORE the UNFORGIVENESS PROBLEM will GROW for all kinds of evilness attach itself to un-forgiveness and comes FLOODING into our LIVES, such as:
UNFRIENDLINESS, COLDNESS, ANTAGONISM, AGGRESSION, ANGER, RAGE, ANNOY, IRRITATION, ENRAGEMENT, BITTERNESS, HOSTILITY, AGGRESSION, UNFRIENDLINESS, INTIMIDATION, LACK of SYMPATHY, PRESSURE, STRESS, DEPRESSION and even FEAR etc.
The SIDE-EFFECTS of UN-FORGIVENESS:
When we refuse to forgive, the feelings of stress can affect our spirits (hearts) minds (soul) and bodies and most importantly it can ALIENATE us from our HEAVENLY FATHER.
FORGIVENESS "ESSENCE":
Forgiveness is the ESSENCE of our faith and we cannot forgive until we ADMIT our OWN FAILURES.
ADMIT and ACKNOWLEDGE our OWN FAILURES - LAY DOWN the "SELF":
We need to LAY DOWN the "SELF" as in "SELF-JUSTIFICATION" - an evilness trying to KEEP us AWAY from FORGIVENESS and AWAY from our FATHER.
Without ADMITTING our OWN WRONGS and that WE OURSELVES NEED FORGIVENESS we are NOT ABLE to FORGIVE OTHERS.
"SELF" stands in the WAY:
Within FAMILY CONTEXT and in SOCIETY, each INDIVIDUAL has an OWN PERSONALISED SET of own "SELF-DEMANDS" or personal "RIGHTS". Without LAYING DOWN these "RIGHTS" - the individual WILL ALWAYS and HABITUALLY DISREGARD the OTHER'S MINDSETS or be TOTALLY IGNORANT of it.
KNOW YAHWEH:
To FULLY UNDERSTAND FORGIVENESS and the ROLE that "SELF" play, we NEED to UNDERSTAND and KNOW our FATHER in HEAVEN'S CHARACTER. We NEED to KNOW Him - His COMPLEXITY of JUSTICE, LOVE and FORGIVENESS - HIS ABSOLUTE HOLINESS.
YAH'S LOVE AND MERCY:
Between HIS HOLINESS and HIS HATRED of ANY BREACH of MORAL LAW are a COUNTER-BALANCE of HIS LOVE and HIS MERCY.
In His LOVE and His MERCY HE ALSO is the PERFECT JUDGE in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS - and CANNOT TOLERATE ANY SIN [also the SIN OF UNFORGIVENESS.]
HIS BOUNDARIES:
As our FATHER, He HAS SET BOUNDARIES and when we BREACH HIS BOUNDARIES, we can EXPECT JUDGMENT.
FORGIVENESS is a CHOICE:
To FORGIVE is a CHOICE that NEEDS to be RE-AFFIRMED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN ... for AS LONG AS THE NEED ARISES.
As you tread the forgiveness-path, pressing on and forward ... the memory will become smaller and smaller ... until you will hardly think of it anymore ... and if it pop up in your memory again ... you will just forgive once more and bless the culprit.
FORGIVE AND FORGET is NOT the SAME THING:
FORGIVE AND FORGET is NOT the SAME THING, and REMEMBERING the OFFENCE is NOT EVIDENCE of UN-FORGIVENESS.
FORGIVENESS DOES NOT GUARANTEE CHANGING the OFFENDER:
FORGIVENESS is ALWAYS an ACT of OBEDIENCE by following YAHWEH'S PRINCIPLES ... and is NOT A MANIPULATION TOOL rather it can be SEEN as a "HEALING TOOL" in RESTORING RELATIONSHIPS and/or CLEANING UP GRUDGES and RESENTMENT ... ANGER ... BITTERNESS etc.
We CANNOT STOP people from HURTING us or THEMSELVES - but - we can take measures in LIMITING the PERSON'S ABILITY to CONTINUE the HURTFUL BEHAVIOR by REMOVING OURSELVES from the RELATIONSHIP (not a legally bound relationship such as marriage) or CHANGE the RULES of ENGAGEMENT.
FORGIVENESS SETS FREE:
Refusing to FORGIVE keeps both parties BOUND in the SPIRITUAL REALM. When we FORGIVE we SET OURSELVES and the OFFENDER FREE so that YAHWEH can WORK in BOTH LIVES.
FORGIVENESS IS NOT SAYING the WRONG COMMITTED IS RIGHT:
Forgiveness does NOT COMPROMISE our MORAL STANDARD by AGREEING with the WRONG. It is SAYING "The CONSEQUENCES of your BEHAVIOR BELONGS to YAHWEH, not me."
IT'S A TRANSFER:
Forgiveness is to TRANSFER the DEBT from our earthly ledger of accounts to YAHWEH'S ledger of accounts - leaving all in HIS HANDS.
FORGIVENESS DOES NOT ERASE the WRONG from your MIND:
With forgiveness only the TERRIBLE MEMORIES and FEELINGS associated with the WRONG GRADUALLY WEAKEN. It does not ERASE the WRONG from our MINDS.
If forgiveness would ERASE the WRONG did to us, we WOULD NEVER LEARN from it and in the same sense, if the OFFENDER would not COME to the REALIZATION that what he or she did was WRONG, he or she would just REPEAT that WRONG again and again and again ...
FORGIVENESS is NOT RESTORING TRUST:
TRUST is ALWASY EARNED. It is given to THOSE WHO DESERVE it, and it would be irresponsible and NAIVE, if we would TRUST SOMEONE BLINDLY when the person has HURT US before. To TRUST an UNTRUSTWORTHY PERSON is FOOLISHNESS.
FORGIVENESS is NOT RECONCILING:
Although forgiveness is an absolute necessary step in reconciliation, reconciliation is NOT NECESSARILY the GOAL of forgiveness. In many instances, RECONCILIATION is not even a GOOD IDEA - especially when the offender is UNWILLING, UNREPENTANT and UNCHANGING.
FORGIVENESS IS NOT for DOING the OFFENDER a FAVOR:
Yahshua took forgiveness even further than Judaism. In Judaism, forgiveness is only required when the offender ask forgiveness.
Yahshua's teachings took forgiveness to another level and He taught that we should even forgive those who would not seek forgiveness.
A ONE-TIME OFFENSE versus an ONGOING OFFENSE:
Within a one-time offense frame, forgiveness is difficult, but it stretch us when the offense is ongoing. Yahshua said regarding forgiveness that we should forgive seventy times seven! (490 times) (Matt. 18:21-22).
Humanly speaking, to keep on forgiving so many a times is not humanly possible. In and out of ourselves we just can't do it. Under such circumstances, an ATTITUDE of FORGIVENESS is necessary and not simply the ACT of FORGIVENESS which we can only obtain with YAH'S SPIRIT IN US.
Matt. 18:21-22 "Then Peter came up to Him and said, Master, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and LET IT GO? [As many as] up to SEVEN TIMES?
Yahshua answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN!"