Let Go And Win!


Currently I am teaching a series on "Forgiveness".  It's a quality that many claim to possess while still struggling with past offenses.  In class I posed the question "What causes unforgiveness?" and among the biggest offenders is church-hurt.  It's probably happened to you.   Your ministry leaders embarrassed you in front of the congregation.  Someone started a rumor about you that caused you to be ostracized.  Maybe it was the time you tried to embrace  your "sister" only to be shunned and pushed away.  Whatever the case, that hurt can be so deep that you find it difficult to forgive.

I think if we really understood forgiveness, we would forgive quickly.  I saw a wrestling move once in which the wrestler pressed his forearm against the jugular vein of his opponent until he lost consciousness.  The jugular veins are in your neck and they carry blood from the head, brain, neck, and face to the heart. The jugular is vital and therefore quite delicate. Unforgiveness is the wrestler pressing to take away your ability to live at peace and love with your whole heart.

Jesus is very clear about the standard by which we must forgive.

 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

The standard is simply to forgive if you want to be forgiven.  When we read that we nod, but do we really get the gravity of that standard? Does it actually make us confront how we forgive?  Do we forgive by avoiding each other? Do we forgive by speaking in public but backbiting in private? Do we forgive by the level of offense we feel? Lastly, do we forgive by measuring the sincerity of one's apology?

The truth is we extend conditional forgiveness. If God were to do the same, we would be doomed. When we need a way made, God would simply avoid us and go the other way.  When we get to our lowest point, he would step on us by pretending to love us openly but secretly shaming us.  And when we apologize for our shortcomings, he would withhold forgiveness because surely we'll make the same mistake again. And probably intentionally.

Aren't you glad that God is not like man? I am! I need forgiveness and mercy everyday.  If you do too, then we both had better extend that His forgiveness and mercy.  When I open my eyes in the morning, I pray "God, please don't let me make decisions out of my anger.  Teach me your way and help me to forgive".  My prayer isn't all about how others treat me, but I focus on how I treat others.  The way I treat you is the way I present my God to you.

Just as the wrestler used his forearm to stop his opponent, unforgiveness stops you from winning. When we forgive, it doesn't give anyone dominance over us.   Forgiveness gives us the victory by releasing us from the grip of the enemy.  It frees our hearts to love and our souls to soar.  Don't let unforgiveness choke you out.  Let go and win!

Reaching the lost at any cost!

Pastor Odie Kennedy

Image Credit: Sarah Lee

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