We
cannot avoid pain, defeat and grief in this sin-curse world. Attempting to
resist hurt and loss is futile and ruins our health and all of our
relationships, even our relationship with our self. We live in bondage,
uselessly carrying around heavy weights.
Satan's
lies cloud the eyes of our understanding, our expectations, our deepest needs,
and our health and energy in our body, spirit and soul - our thoughts, emotions
and choices. These lies add chaos to an already chaotic world.
Much
of our frustration, resentment, anger, etc. are fueled by these satanic lies.
The negative emotions attached to the lies are gone once we experience God's
Truth about who we are in Him, with Christ abiding within us by His Spirit (Galatians
2:20).
People
that we refuse to forgive are not affected by our unforgiveness, but we
certainly are. We carry around a heavy suitcase full of negative emotions that
claw away at us in body, soul and spirit. This also prevents God from forgiving
us (Matthew 6:14).
Forgiveness
does not free the other person from their guilt, nor does it obligate us to be
chummy with that person or to like them. It simply puts that person into God's
hands, so He can deal with them for us; He also gives us His agape love for
them.
The
benefits of letting go of our animosity toward those who hurt us are enormous.
We gift our self with tranquility and peace of mind. For the first time, since
we picked up the burden of unforgiveness, joy and harmony flood into our soul
and we feel serene and relaxed.
Trusting
in God's truth frees us from the bondage of our past. We soon learn to maintain
our focus on the joy of the Lord, regardless of our circumstances (James
1:2-18), and we flourish in every area of our life.
God
is with us in both good times and bad - in the valleys, mountain tops and level
paths (Psalm 27:11). He heals us from the devil's lies, planted in past abusive
situations, and He multiplies our joys regardless of our circumstances. We are
never alone.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for revealing to us that much of our lack of energy, our
illnesses, as well as our inner turmoil are caused by unresolved conflicts in
our soul. You designed negative emotions to reveal an area of our body, soul or
spirit that are not aligned with Your perfect plans for our life; so remind us
to take frequent inventories to discover the root cause of them.
These
negative emotions release negative ions into our body and the atmosphere around
us, which make us sick in body, soul and spirit; so give us Your perspective
and wisdom, which help us to resolve our conflicts, and to keep our focus on
You and Your will for each moment of our day. We want to flourish in Your
Spirit, rather than to barely endure this world's trauma.
Thought
for the Day:
We
are not forced to simply survive in this world, but to overcome … and to go one
step farther, because we can sing, and even dance through the storms of life in
the joy of the Lord.
