1 Corinthians 13:5 Amplified says, “…Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong).”

I know folks who have books (plural) of records of wrongs. They can recount every detail of wrong done to them. I like the example in Acts of the folks who LEFT their old way of life. They had a huge bonfire to destroy what had held them captive to satan’s ways.

Acts 19:19 says, “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all…” The result? Verse 20 says, “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” The sin of unforgiveness hardens our heart and makes it impermeable to God’s truth that will set us free.

Our record of wrongs is an offense to the Lord. After Peter rebuked the Lord, Matthew 16:23 says, “…Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Jesus paid for everyone’s sins: yours and the ones of the people who sinned against you. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree…”

Whether we choose to obey or disobey His command to forgive, it is a heart-issue between us and the Lord–irregardless of others or our circumstances.

Keeping a record of wrongs is sin which defiles our character to be Christlike. God is holy and He has called us to walk in His holiness. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” God chose to not remember our sins. Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Without repentance first there can be no reconciliation, repair, or restoration. This is true first for salvation. We acknowledge that we are sinners, that it was our sins that nailed Jesus to the cross, and that He died to take our place in receiving the Father’s wrath.

Repentance is the first step in reconciliation in broken relationships. A breach in heart connection is reconciled through true heart forgiveness. Without forgiveness our spiritual growth is stunted.

Jesus forgave us while we were still sinners. 1 John 4:9 says, “In this the love of God was manifest toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” Verse 11 says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 says that we are to forgive AS we have been forgiven. How were we forgiven? Totally and unequivocally. Therefore He will enable us to forgive those who have hurt us even as they are still sinning against us.

I received the VOM prayer requests for those being persecuted. One prayer for them is: pray that God will strengthen their hearts, causing their love for one another and for their persecutors to increase and overflow.

How much more so in our own broken relationships. Forgiving those who sin against us is not based on whether or not they ask our forgiveness, but it is based on Jesus’ death, and His forgiving us while we were still in our sin.

Deflating Pride: piercing power of God’s word is FREE today, Monday, and Tuesday on Amazon

• 

Reconcile ~ Repair ~ Restore
Isaiah 58:11 says, “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”

A breach was aptly described in Ezekiel:22:30 which says, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

Strong’s definition for a gap: a break, or breach; especially a gap in a wall. Gaps or breaches in relationships need to be repaired. First though, hearts need to be reconciled before the repair process can begin. The gap begins through an unresolved offense. The gap widens as the offended one refuses to forgive. Continued unforgiveness widens the gap.

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” ‘Little foxes’ can be irritations, slights, slander, or gossip. They can also be from resisting the grace of God. Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”

An unresolved issue is hidden sin. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” If you have unanswered prayer I encourage you to examine your heart before the Holy Spirit. Only He knows what is hidden. The bitterness in buried emotional pain feeds into our thought processes, contaminating us and those around us.

Hidden sin breaks our fellowship with the Lord. Confessed sin restores that relationship. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Confession brings reconciliation which is the first building block in the process towards restoration. Reconciliation begins to close the gap to repair the breach, and then full restoration can take place. Jesus died to reconcile us to God. When we ‘die’ to what we are harboring in our heart against God or another, His cleansing blood removes the stain of sin, and restores that broken fellowship.

New Paperback available NOW on Amazon. Here is the back cover:

Pride is insidious and devious. It rudely pushes into our conversations and actions. It demands attention. Pride is sin. It often hides in our hearts, yet it can be stirred the minute our goal is blocked. Humility on the other hand is unobtrusive. It is not showy and never calls attention to itself. Humility yields whereas pride demands.

This book is written as the author was reading the book of Luke. The Holy Spirit highlighted verses as she was reading to help define and expose the hidden sin of pride. Pride is a heart issue that blocks intimate communion with the Lord.

Isaiah 58:11 is a great promise and the fruit of verse 10. It says, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

When we pour out what the Lord has given to sustain us, we become the enactment of 2 Corinthians 1:4 which says, “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Let me recap Isaiah 58:11: He continually guides us. He is our Satisfier. He is our Stability. He is our Spiritual Hydrator. He cannot fail. Think of Psalm 36:8 which says, “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.”

Isaiah 12:2-3 says, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

No matter what our adverse circumstances are, or the impossibilities we face, we can always rejoice in our salvation. As we pour out what sustains us, our heart’s capacity is enlarged to receive more insights to endure with joy. We become a conduit of His grace, mercy, and joy to others.

Isaiah 58:10 Amplified says, “And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.”

What sustains you? What holds you together when everything around you is crumbling? What do you turn to when you feel all alone? How do you reset your course when you feel grumpy?

My answer to all the above is my quiet time with the Lord. What He pours into me I pour out to you in these FB posts. There is nothing on this earth that compares to our intimate communion with the Lord.

I love Psalm 131:2 which says, “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” We quiet our heart before the Lord so we can hear every whispered word He speaks. Here is a new song about our quiet time:

Womb of the Morning
I come to You O Lord in the womb of the morning. To sit and worship You and call upon Your name. You answer me with a sweetness that melts my heart. And opens me to receive Your words. Your words like oil penetrate the places in my heart that were hardened through fear.

You say My child don’t be afraid. I’ve been there all along to shield and protect. Let go of that which you clutch so tight.That I might fulfill the deepest longings of your heart. Don’t let the cares of this life choke out My words. Open your heart to hear the beat of My own heart. I desire oneness with you but I won’t compete with that to which you give yourself. I will but wait until you tire of your own pursuits. And nestle down in My love.

Be still now and quiet your heart before Me. I have so much to share to reveal the depths of My counsel. For in Me is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I have all and hold all. Through the power of My Word. In Me you will lack nothing. Your very sustenance comes through sweet communion. Through intimacy that cannot be broken. Nothing in this earth can compare with My beauty of holiness. In the womb of the morning.

Matthew 7:1-2 is very clear about the fruit from judging others. It says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

I was thinking about these two verses as I read Isaiah 58 yesterday. Verse 9 says, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am…” Note the condition as the verse continues…”IF you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness.”

Every word and action is first a thought. When a judgmental thought comes into our mind, we need to pay attention to why. It may be that the Lord is exposing something hidden in our heart!

Romans 2:1 says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the SAME things.” Romans 14:19 says, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace, and the things by which one may edify another.” The thought to judge or find fault with another is a fiery dart to destroy a relationship. God’s higher way is to edify.

We are all members of one Body. We are strategically set in His Body to encourage and build one another up with our words. James 3:6 says, “…The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body…” Ephesians 4:29 is God’s higher way. It says to impart grace when you speak.

Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

One final word. The root to a critical spirit is found in verse 16. It says, “….Do not be wise in your own opinion.” We cannot force our fleshly opinion on another. Let us purpose in our heart to build up, encourage, and impart grace to our hearers. There is only One Judge.

1 Chronicles 28:9 Amplified says, “…For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts…” Does your mind ever wander? A wandering mind is a futile activity. Futile means: fruitless, empty, unproductive, lacking substance, and worthless.

2 Corinthians 10:5 is a well known verse but we can easily skip over its intent. Verse 4 says that God’s word is mighty for pulling down strongholds. It leads into verse 5 which classifies what strongholds are. They are arguments and thoughts that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God. The end of the verse says to bring every thought captive.

Proverbs 21:22 Amplified says, “A wise man scales the city walls of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.” Strongholds are built on lies that we have believed. Fiery dart-lies that we received and made our own.

Only God’s truth, that is instilled in our heart and walked in daily, will set us free from the lies of the enemy that control our thoughts. I’ll use unforgiveness again as an example. Say that someone hurt you deeply. You allow your mind to wander by replaying that hurt over and over. Each time you replay that hurt, you cause those toxic thoughts to destroy neuro connections in your brain.

If you have someone you have not forgiven, it is time to instill Ephesians 4:30 and Colossians 3:13 into your heart. When you forgive AS you have been forgiven, you will corral the replaying thought and bring down that inner stronghold. The caustic bitterness that seeped into every thought process will stop. As you continue to rehearse God’s way, new neuro connections will be created. Instead of the old stronghold, you will have a new internal heart-stronghold built on truth that will keep you free.

Since our thoughts are rooted in our heart beliefs, we can raise them by fortifying our hearts with truth. God’s word will NEVER return to Him void. Therefore, as we inculcate His word into our heart, our thoughts will be purified AS we are processing them.

It takes diligence and persistence to instill truth that will set us free from wrong beliefs. Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth…” I want to stop right here.

Let’s make a spiritual application to verse 10. God’s word seeded into our hearts will cause us to prosper in every aspect of our lives: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As we hide His word in our heart, the lies we have believed will be exposed and challenged. Verse 11 goes on to say that His word, “…shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

God’s word is active in our hearts like yeast in bread dough. It permeates every thought before we think it. The Holy Spirit knows our thoughts, and before we think them He is able to insert His word to direct our thoughts before they become spoken words.

David understood this. Psalm 139:4 Amplified says, “For there is not a word in my tongue (still unuttered), but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Nahum 2:1 says, “He who scatters has come up before your face…” Think of this as the enemy of your soul. Here is the instruction. “…Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.”