Forgiveness and Offenses
The Sunday Sermon I heard on Forgiveness dealt very effectively with that subject as it addressed the instruction given us in what we commonly call The Lord’s Prayer. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (those that trespass against us)") It also addressed the Matthew 6 prayer calling forth the will of God on earth as it is in Heaven. The sermon also dealt with how that heavenly Kingdom with its operating principles was further illustrated in Matthew 18 in the parable of the King who wished to settle his accounts and which concluded, “So also my heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.” (AMP)
A couple years ago another aspect of the ways of the Kingdom of God was introduced to me by a pastor friend who shared that he’d required all his elders to read a book he was recommending to me: Unoffendable by Brant Hansen. I had previously shared two articles with this pastor by Frances Frangipane on the way of being unoffendable so I was very open to following this friend’s recommendation to purchase the book. It has opened my eyes to the root causes of our offenses and the reasons we need to forgive people…not just because we are “ordered by the Word of God” to do it, but because we come to realize we too have offended and need forgiveness.
This book was shared in a bible study that I attended and the teacher told the group how it had opened her eyes to seeing that she'd made choices in the past based on her own offenses. Presently another group of women I fellowship with have started reading this book and already some have shared how it is opening their eyes to new areas of freedom in relationships.
So am I just here recommending Brant's book or Frangipanes’ 2 articles? No…but I encourage you if Holy Spirit is stirring you as you read this to seek them out. But most of all I encourage you to seek the Lord and His ways as it relates to the condition of your heart.
We have much to learn as we walk as Kings Kids, as children of the Kingdom of God, learning how to address issues that previously offended us. Does the immorality of the world and its participants offend you? Do the participants in the political process of this nation call forth rebukes silently or openly? Do you find that various people deserve to have various “names” attached to your reference to them? What kind of things do you say about the guy that cuts in front of you on the freeway or who gives you the finger at an intersection or honks when you don’t move through a signal fast enough?
Recently I put this quote in my Unoffendable book, a quote from the late John Paul Jackson. "There’s no offense without a stronghold and the amount of emotion tells the strength of the stronghold.” 2 Corinthians 10 tells us we’re to be casting down strongholds, thoughts that exalt themselves before the throne of God. That refers to thoughts that come from a way of thinking in our lives that is contrary to the Truth of who God is and Who He is in us, to us and in and to others.
The strength of our response to situations we dislike and which we have judged to be wrong and which justify our judgment and condemnation determines how deep an offense is rooted in our lives. This requires Holy Spirit to work His loving searchlight of love into our deceitful unrepairable hearts. It requires us to be trusting His love to show us His heart and our choice to let it be His heart where our roots sink into or will it be into our own reason and logic and other aspects of our humanity? We are free to allow Holy Spirit to do this work because there is now no condemnation for those who walk in the Spirit of His great love. (Roman 8:1) That Love paid the price for all our trespasses/sins/iniquities AND everyone else’s…ouch!
May we come to awareness of our own offenses so that we can truly be forgiven and release that forgiveness to others. For this is the choice given to us as those in the Kingdom knowing as scripture says…if you forgive the sins of anyone they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.”
Meri Ford
merifordrh@gmail.com
All references to Brant Hansen’s UNOFFENDABLE: HOW JUST ONE CHANGE CAN MAKE ALL OF LIFE BETTER ISBN978-0-529-12385-5 by W Publishing Group..Brant's website
https://branthansen.com/2015/05/11/now-that-unoffendable-is-out-5-things-im-learning/
