How Do You Forgive?

We are commanded by God to forgive others as He has forgiven us! But that human side of us does not want to! So how do we get past the hurt that others inflict on us? How can we trust again? We are humbly driven to God’s word for the supernatural ability to forgive! You cannot do it on your own!
Be humbled:
Deut.8:3  And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deut.8: 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.
Deut.10: 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn
Love sinners:
Mark 12: 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Forgive as Christ does:
Matt.6:9-15 
9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 
11 Give us this day our daily bread, 
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11: 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Eph.4:32 Be kind and  compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Trust:

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prov.3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding

Not forgiving leads you to temptation:
Gal.6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Forgiving a sinner:
2 Cor.2:5-11 

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure--not to put it too severely--to all of you. 
6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 
7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 
8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 
9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 
10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 
11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. 
Lord, help us all to forgive as You have forgiven us! Amen
The greatest act of forgiveness in my heart is that Christ, a sinless innocent, died for undeserving wicked man:
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Not What You Do But What Christ Did, The Quest For Salvation

Salvation is not dependant upon what you do but rather what Christ did! You can do nothing to obtain salvation, it is a gift. A gift, in the form of a man who never sinned, who died on the cross because of obedience and necessity to satisfy the law. Obedience from a willing Son to His holy righteous Father God, and necessity because Christ was the only acceptable sacrifice! His grace and mercy is undeserved by any human! We are to share the gospel with the world and let God change hearts through His word!
Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Heb.4:12-13 

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
John 4:13-14 
13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Gal.1:11-15  
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 
14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace
Gal.3:1-3 
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 
2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Eph.2:1-10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1Tim.12-17

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 
17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
2 Tim.3:13-17

13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 

17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Heb.10:4-10

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 

7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" 

8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 

9 then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Heb.10:11-18

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 

13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 

16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 

17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 

Judgement:
Heb.10:26-27 
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 
27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries
Lord, I pray for Your people to know the gospel truth, to teach the gospel truth and by Your power reproof those who would pervert the gospel. Amen

The Lord Alone is God

Deut.4:35,39 
35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.
39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
Deut.4:32-34 
32 "For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. 
33 Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? 
34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
God demands worship of Him alone!
Deut.4:23-24 
23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you. 
24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Worship the Creator not the created!
Romans 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen
Romans 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Ps.40:4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!
Only true God!!!
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
God's truth revealed in His Son!
John 17:5-8 
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 
6 "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 
7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 
8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
Believing without seeing!!
John 5:36-37 
36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 
37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen
John 14:10-11 
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
1 Peter 1:8-9 
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 
9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls
Lord, these words of Yours grip my humbled soul and make me rejoice! I will proclaim You to the nations as the only true and living God!! Amen

My House, A House of Prayer for All Nations

Mark 11:17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."
Is.56:7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
Our church buildings are where we gather, as the body of Christ, to pray. Jew and Gentile  are dependent on Christ for salvation! He is the only way! 
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 13:26 "Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
1 Tim.2:8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
John 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Listen to God's Word!
John 10:3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 11:52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
His Prayer!
John 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message
John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

John 17:21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Lord, I pray that you will take the hard hearts and break them. Let them see the wonder that is You. If they could understand Your truth, that love is what You are commanding, what a change this world would see! To deny self and follow you, let us just simply show the world "love". Lord, drive us to Your house of prayer, every knee bowed in humble adoration of who You are! Amen

A Ransom for Many

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."Christ was sent by God to be a servant! Are you willing to serve the lost and hurting? To be the hands and feet of God's Son? Our task before us is to minister to both the body and the soul! They are not separate but created by God, one eternal and one mortal! Satan will use every means to destroy! You will have to decide if you will seek God wholeheartedly or be content in sin. I am witnessing Satan's attack on families and I am persuaded by the true Words of the living testimony of a most holy God that God is the victor!1 Peter 5:6-116 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. God will use your trial to minister to another!2 Cor.1:4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.He will grow your faith!1Peter 1:6-7 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

These things I believe to be the true testament of God through His Son, Jesus Christ our redeemer!Amen

Romans 8:35 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

2 Cor.4:7-18

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 

10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 

11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 

12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 

13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 

14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 

18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The Cost of Gratification of the Flesh.

Satan is here to destroy everything! He will destroy your relationships with family and friends, your marriage, your integrity, your walk with the Lord, just think of all that is good and he will try to destroy it! His favorite tool is temptation! He knows that God made man flesh and spirit and that our flesh is weak!
Mark 9:49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
The word "fire," here, therefore denotes self-denials, sacrifices, trials, in keeping ourselves from the gratification of the flesh. As if he had said, "Look at the sacrifice on the altar. It is an offering to God, about to be presented to him. It is sprinkled with "salt, emblematic of purity, of preservation and of fitting it, therefore, for a sacrifice." So "you" are devoted to God. You are sacrifices, victims, offerings to him in his service. To make you "acceptable" offerings, every thing must be done to "preserve" you from sin and to "purify" you. Self-denials, subduing the lusts, enduring trials, removing offences, are the proper "preservatives" in the service of God. Doing this, you will be acceptable offerings and be saved; without this, you will be "unfit" for his eternal service and will be lost."(quoted from Barnes' notes on the bible)
The cost:
1Cor.6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality
Child of God, be prepared to stand on the living God's promise!
1 Cor.10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Lord, we know that Satan is defeated! Let us who stand strong in faith, teach others this truth! Let us impress upon them, Your Word is our weapon against Satan. Amen

Afflicted

James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Definition of afflict: condition of grief, distress, poor, needy
What this verse is telling us is that we should have great grief over sin! We should humble ourselves before the Lord because of His great mercy! We are in need of a Savior! We have no power, but Christ does!
2 Cor.4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
Col.2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Matt.28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Eph.1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come
Why are we not crushed? Because of Christ! Why are we perplexed but not driven to despair? Because of Christ!
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Once you are in Christ, you are there because of His mercy!
Is.53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Affliction brings humility!
Ps.119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.
Ps.119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
You don't need self help books because that is what God's Word is!!!
Ps.121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.Most gracious Lord, we truly do not understand the majesty of You! Sear Your Words on our hearts and daily change us to be like You. Help us to teach others of the depth of Your mercy! Amen