The cost of Unforgiveness.

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23)

Unforgiveness. We have heard the importance of forgiveness, but I want to share the other side of the coin regarding this subject. Many have said that unforgiveness does not hurt the other person, it hurts you. I want to submit to you that the other person can be hurt, too.

When a person clearly mistreats and lies on you, God takes it personal. His word says not to touch the Lord's anointed. (us) Words can hurt and scar us emotionally for life. Let's consider the following verse below

 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matt 18:6-7)

In God's eyes, the born-again believers are considered children thru Christ Jesus. Notice how God reacts when we get treated unjustly and offended- It says woe to that man by whom the offence cometh. Now, I am not implying that we stay angry and hope to see that person's sin destroys them. Our duty as a Christian is to stand in the gap and pray for our enemies and those who offend us.

The importance of emotional healing.

Again, I call to your attention concerning verbal abuse and persecution. Words can hurt any person and create scars that will take years to heal. Forgiving others is not easy. We can say we forgive, but how do we feel about that person deep inside? Other will say things like this--"You don't know what he/she did to me" or "You haven't been in my shoes".

Emotional hurts are real and it is a major roadblock to forgiveness, but there is good news. Jesus said that he has come to heal the brokenhearted. ( Luke 4:18) Healing of a broken heart will allow you to fight the good fight and be able to forgive others. Let's look at the example of Joseph.

Joseph suffered abuse at the hands of his brothers. Due to their treatment and treachery, he was sold as a slave. During this time, he had to learn the language and customs of the people in the land. He had spent about 13 years in Egypt. They say time heals the wounds but that is a lie. It only camouflages it. The hurt was still there, but he had forgotten about it.

Then 13 years had passed and his brothers showed up. Since Joseph had adopted the ways of Egypt, he looked and dressed differently. His brothers did not recognize him. He treated them in a rough manner giving them a taste of their own medicine, but we see that God had convicted him. He revealed himself to his brothers and started to cry, which set the stage of his emotional healing. (Gen 43-45)

Retaining sins.

That is why, my brothers, we need to seek God when we are emotionally hurt. I heard a testimony about a man who took advantage of a Christian. This brother would lend him large amounts of money. The time came when he asked for his money, the man told him that he was not going to pay him back.

The brother was hurt and forgot to pray for him. The offender was driving down the road with his girlfriend when suddenly, he lost control of his vehicle. They fell off a cliff and they both died and went to hell. Brethren, many parents and family members have lost their loved ones when they forgot to pray for them. (After suffering abuse). At times, the hurt has been great that it has been hard to pray.

King David wrote in the psalms that he shed endless tears in bed. (Ps 6:6) He had reason to cry. His father in law-King Saul wanted to kill him. An army was after him and even his men turned against him. He did have reason to cry, but he never stop respecting and loving King Saul. He respected his authority and even wept for him when he was killed. (2 Samuel 1)

One key factor is that not getting healed from your hurts will cause you to retain the offender's sin. In turn, it can spell disaster for the person who offends you. When hurts and offenses comes, let's be quick to ask the Lord to heal us. Afterwards, let's just release the person and forgive them. Constant prayer will cause you to change your attitude and walk in the love of God. Remember, it's not a good idea to retain sin. Decide to walk in forgiveness and watch God move in your life. God bless.

Picture courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Reprint courtesy of the Christian Corner Ministries ( http://thechristiancorner.org )

The Seat of Satan (The church of Pergamos..Part 2)

 

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Rev 2:13)                                                  

What comes to mind when you hear the words--The seat of Satan? The word has a few thoughts about this. A seat mentioned in scripture meant a place of royalty, authority, and power. The church of Pergamos was located in the heart of the seat of Satan. In that area, a faithful soldier of the church named Antipas was murdered. According to some historical records of that time, he was put inside of a big hollow bull and heated until it became red-hot. It is believed that he was praying and giving thanks during his execution.

Whether the story was true or not, the fact of the matter is that he was martyred openly as an example to intimidate the church into silence. It did the opposite--the church stood firm and did not deny the faith. It is interesting that God calls the place where Antipas was murdered, the dwelling of Satan. History shows us that it was around the altar of the Greek God Zeus.

A seat in this verse denotes a stronghold. The city was, personally, inhabited by Satan thru the worship of Zeus. Spiritual strongholds exist in people, communities, cities, or countries. Leaders can have a demon power behind their operations and decisions. It is not the first time that Satan has, personally, been involved in a high political position. The King of Tyrus had the personal backing of Satan himself. (Ezekiel 28:12-15)

Another high-ranking demon spirit that we see is the Prince of Persia. Daniel was so set on seeking the Lord's face for guidance and insights into future events that it called the attention of that evil spirit. (Daniel 10:12-13) Names of demon spirits are important when dealing with the deliverance of a person or places of authority.

It is interesting how demon spirits can travel through time and do more damage to people. This altar of Zeus was taken into Nazi Germany and used as a podium for Adolph Hitler to address his people. (1) History teaches us that Hitler was used by Satan to kill millions of Jews. As we look at the church of Pergamos, God praised their steadfast faith and loyalty. On the other hand, God pointed out their shortcomings. They had mixture in their midst. 

It is because of this mixture that they were limited in making an impact on that city. Notice in Rev 2:7, God was going to give them the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written. He was going to reveal mysteries to the church and, most likely, it would have been used to win the city of Pergamos. Alas, the church dwindled and lost its influence in the city. Let's look into our hearts and deal with any mixture in our lives. Allow the Lord to point out those areas of shortcomings and weaknesses in our lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the grace and mercy to overcome it. Then, we will be able to win our family, community, and even our nation to the Lord. God bless. 

  (1)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r83ZRissyw                                               

   Photo courtesy by Marco Montero Pisani on Unsplash