STEP 4
I Have Taken Inventory of My Life and Know that I Have
Unforgiveness in my Heart.
Job 13:23 How many wrongs and sins
have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin. (NIV)
David had been chosen and anointed as the next king
after Saul. He had gone from being a shepherd boy to killing a giant to having
the huge responsibility of ruling over Israel. However, it did not go without
having its challenges, some of which, were brought on by David himself. David
was shown much favor in the eyes of the Lord, but he also received judgment
because of his sins. One of which was when he took Bathsheba to be his wife
after having her husband killed. This angered the Lord and judgment was brought
upon the house of David. 2 Samuel 12:10-12 (10)Now,
therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me
and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own. (11)”This is
what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity
upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who
is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. (12)You
did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.
(NIV) David had done wrong before the Lord and was judged because of
it. Nevertheless, Jehovah El Nose is a forgiving God and forgave David after he
repented, but the judgment did not leave his household.
David’s son Amnon fell in love with his half-sister,
Tamar. He thought only of her all the time. After listening to a friend, he
tricked her into coming to his room and in an act of evilness, he raped her and
sent her away in shame. Upon hearing what happened to his sister, Absalom,
Amnon’s brother, sought revenge. He waited patiently for two years and then got
his vengeance.
2 Samuel 13:28-29 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen!
When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike
Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Have not I given you this order?
Be strong and brave. So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered.
Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. (NIV) Absalom never forgave what
his brother had done to their sister and his lack of forgiveness caused him to
kill his own flesh and blood. He harbored revenge and unforgiveness in his
heart for years until it caused him to commit murder.
Many people live their lives just as Absalom did. They
harbor hard feelings, anger, bitterness and unforgiveness in their hearts for
months, years and even decades without handing it over to God. It acts as a
cancer in their minds and before they know it, they’re at stage 4 with it
leading them to a spiritual death. They may seem like they’re fine and may even
be Christians, all the while not knowing that they are on their way to a devil’s
hell if they do not repent. Leviticus 19:17-18 “Do not hate your
brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in
his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but
love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” (NIV) We are to love
each other and not hate. Unforgiveness is another form of hate. Those who hate
will not enter into the kingdom of God.
Have you taken inventory to truly acknowledge those
whom you may not have forgiven? If not, now is the time to do so. Forgiveness
is not about the other person, but it is about you and your personal
relationship with God. Jehovah El Nose offers forgiveness to all who asks for
it. Therefore, we are not better than our Creator and are to follow His example.
John
15:20 “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his
master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my
teaching, they will obey yours also.’ “ (NIV) Take the step to come
clean with yourself and acknowledge all the people whom you may still harbor
ill feelings in your heart for. Ask Jehovah El Nose to help you to forgive them
and eliminate any weeds that may want to be left behind. Pray constantly and He
will help you.
To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable
because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.
No comments:
Post a Comment