FORGIVENESS (You Must Forgive Them)

You Must Forgive Them

'If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you.' Mark 11:25 NIV 

When asked which emotions contribute most to physical illness, a group of eminent doctors said, ‘Anger and unforgiveness.’ That’s because over time they release deadly toxins into your body. One doctor said, ‘It’s not what you are eating, but what’s eating you that threatens your health.’ When someone hurts you, there are four things you should do:

 (1) Talk to them. Now, there’s a right time, a right place, and a right way to do it. Before you say anything, ask God to guide your thoughts and words. Then say what’s in your heart in a loving, low-key, non-judgmental way. After that, leave the rest with God. He can do a better job of changing things than you can.

(2) Don’t retaliate. When you’re tempted to lash out at someone, stop and remember the price Jesus paid to take away the sins you commit. Seeing your offender through God’s eyes will help you to forgive just about anybody.

 (3) Let it go. As long as you dwell on the issue it’ll keep hurting you. You may let someone off your hook, but that doesn’t mean they’re off God’s hook. He will deal with them the right way and bring about the right result, which is something you can’t do.

 (4) Ask God to bless them. You say, ‘Are you serious?’ Yes; Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.’ (Luke 6:27-28 NIV) And when Jesus tells you to do something, He gives you the grace to do it.

  SoulFood: 1 Sam 17:4-51, Eph 6:10-18

DEALING WITH GATES (INTRODUCTION)

In this study, we shall take a critical look at what GATES are in regards to the topic. Firstly, what is a gate? A gate is simply a barrier used to bar the entrance into a fenced city or premises. It is usually made of a strong material with the capacity to withstand pressure. The gate is usually manned by guards who have been trained to resist enemies trying to breach it. The use of gate is an ancient practice by kingdoms, cities and homes. During war, the gate is the most protected part of a city, being the entrance or access into the city. In the event of which the gate of a city is breached, it means that the city dwellers are in danger. The gate is most times mounted by the strongest soldiers of the kingdom. In the Bible, we see various types of gates with each one with its unique purpose. There are physical gates as well as spiritual gates. Briefly we shall look at the various gates as mentioned in the Scriptures. For the purpose of this study, we shall dwell more on the spiritual gates, but will quickly enumerate some of the physical gates. Be aware that the main purpose of this message is for us to deal with spiritual evil gates presenting themselves against us. Jesus in Mathew 16:18 declared to His disciples one of His most profound statements in His ministry. The statement came in the heel of a deep revelation of Jesus’s true identity by Peter through the Holy Spirit. “KJV:And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” With this scripture we know that there are gates of hell contending with us; the Church of Christ. These are of course spiritual evil gates challenging our progress. But the good news is that they cannot prevail against us; on the contrary, we are on the offensive. Jacob in Genesis chapter 28 had a life changing experience, and concluded he had seen the gate of heaven. “KJV:And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 KJV:And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” In Joshua 6:1, the Bible tells the story about the children of Israel in their quest to possess the land God had promised them, but their path was blocked by a secured gate. Joshua 6:1, NIV :Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. We all know how the story ended… therefore I am confident that every gate standing in your way shall be brought down in Jesus’name.