In Times Like These

We live in a time when the “Us Against Them” philosophy is prevalent and growing. Whether it’s one yelling “Yes we can” to another screaming, “Make America great again!” Or whether one is for or against abortion, round or flat earth, climate change, black or blue lives matter, pro-vax vs. anti-vax, or democrat vs. republican. If you can name it, people will be at each other’s throats about it. This contentiousness is not just a difference of opinion; there is an overwhelming intolerance and hatred for any ideas foreign to our own. Many of our political leaders hold grudges and refuse to work together on common goals that will ultimately help the country.

Most importantly, for our purposes here, believers reject each other for differences in belief or for others’ weaknesses and shortcomings. Instead of being prayerful and remorseful for the failures of our brothers and sisters, we deem them unworthy of our Savior’s grace, love, acceptance, and forgiveness. This attitude is not only prevalent with believers, but there is also a distinct lack of compassion, understanding, and tolerance toward anything or anyone not like ourselves.

A Lesson from the Osama Bin Laden Situation

The night the US military forces caught and killed Osama Bin Laden, Abba taught me a valuable lesson about how He sees all people. When the local news announced what happened, I began to dance around singing the Wicked Witch song from the original Wizard of Oz musical. “Ding dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked witch!” In the aftermath of his killing, thousands gathered around the US Capitol building, cheering and celebrating. I considered driving down there since I didn’t live far.

As I continued celebrating, the Breath of Truth tugged at my heart and said, “What are you doing?” I began to feel convicted right away. “I’m celebrating the demise of an evil man.” I retorted slowly, realizing that Abba was not pleased. He responded, “Do you think that’s what I want?” My shoulders dropped, “No?” I answered meekly. Then I began to understand that while his death kept him from killing any more people, celebrating it was unacceptable for a believer in Yeshua to do.

Later, He showed me the verse in Ezekiel 33: 11 – 12 – “As surely as I live, declares Adonai YAHWEH, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their wicked ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, oh house of Israel?”

Bin Laden had, as many believe, masterminded the most significant attack on US soil, and many in America wanted vengeance, not just justice. But those of us who love and serve the Almighty are taught to live by different standards. We are not allowed to hold grudges or seek revenge. Nor are we encouraged to harbor resentment and secret wishes for the demise of our enemies. The bottom line is that every individual, no matter what they’ve done, is loved by our Father and is a candidate for repentance and forgiveness. And we, as His ambassadors, should remain neutral by putting ourselves in a position to minister the gospel to them no matter who they are or what they have done. We cannot do that if we are at odds with them because of something they’ve done to offend us or if they have a different and opposing opinion than us. 

What if?

What if we were on vacation and while lying on the beach, the Holy Breath told us to get up and go to a building where an active serial killer was hiding to give him a specific message from Him? What if he received the Word and repented? Or what if our Father led us to mass murderers while they were still active to give them the message of salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and deliverance? Are we willing to lay aside our offenses and fears to save their eternal lives, even though they are actively taking lives? The world will tell us to take a gun or call the police on them, which is understandable, but how our Father does things is not how the world does things. 

There is an example of this very thing in scripture. Paul, while his name was still Saul, had conspired with other religious leaders in Israel to commit premeditated, cold-blooded first-degree murder on those called Christians back then. He was actively hunting down men, women, and children to have them stoned to death for their beliefs. See Acts 7: 54- 8: 3. During this time, Yeshua appeared to him and took his sight so that Paul would see the error of his ways. He then told Ananias to go to him to help him restore his physical sight after Yeshua opened his spiritual eyes. See Acts 9: 10-19. Our Savior called Paul, forgave him, and changed his heart so much that he wrote the majority of the Renewed Testament of the Bible. He had one of His trusted servants Ananias, go to talk to him even though he could have ended up being one of his targets. What Yeshua did then, He wants to do today.

Our Forgiveness, Serious Business

Forgiveness is a necessary, integral part of a believer’s life. We cannot live a victorious life without it. Our sin separates us from the life of Elohim and restarts the process of death in our lives. But as the Apostle John told us in 1 John 1: 9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Our asking for cleansing and forgiveness should be daily habits. Just as dirt builds up on our bodies daily, sin accumulates in our spiritual lives. If we do not wash our bodies regularly, we will begin to have an odorous stench. And if we are not forgiven and cleansed from sin daily, we will also start to give off a spiritual odor. Through His forgiveness, we are injected with His Life. That life reverses the death brought into our lives by sin. Only with the supernatural Life of Yahweh can we overcome the natural and supernatural obstacles that arise due to disobedience, transgression, and sin.

Our Forgiveness Links us to God’s Forgiveness

The forgiveness we give to others links us directly to the forgiveness we receive from our Heavenly Father. While being forgiven of our sins is a beautiful gift from our Father, it is only one side of the coin. One side represents Abba’s glorious forgiveness to us; the other side, however, represents our forgiveness of others. Both sides must operate in our lives for the coin of salvation and restoration to work. When we stand at the gate of heaven and produce our “coin” of salvation for entry into eternity if one side is present, but the other is not, the coin will be rejected as a counterfeit. One side only works with the other. Yeshua, when teaching His disciples to pray during the Sermon on the Mount, told them to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:14). He went on to say in Matthew 9: 12, 14, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”

Not forgiving others, including our brothers and sisters, is more significant than many of us may understand. Our Father wants us to pardon the wrong things others have done to us so that He can forgive the wrongs we have done against Him. However, we will not be forgiven of our wrongs if we will not forgive others of theirs. Once again, if we have not forgiven everything done against us, none of our sins are forgiven. Yeshua is clear in His wording. A lack of forgiveness hinders our healing, deliverance, and triumph. We have difficulty moving forward and are stuck in our present situations because we have not forgiven others.

Say this aloud with me:

“My forgiveness is serious business. If I do not forgive the harm people have done to me, my Father will not forgive my sins against Him and others. If I don’t forgive them, He won’t forgive me. If I don’t release them, He won’t release me. So, for me to walk in triumph; for me to be healed; for me to get a breakthrough; for me to get delivered; and for me to grow to maturity, I must be forgiven. But, for me to be forgiven, I must first forgive. As Yeshua has forgiven me, I will forgive others. And as I forgive others, my Father and my King will forgive me.”

We should continue to say this until Father makes it alive in our hearts and releases us to move forward. 

Read Matthew 18: 21-35; Luke 6: 37-42; John 20: 21-23, and Romans 12: 14-21.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the gift of your Son, Yeshua, who died so that I may live. He never sinned, yet He died for those who sin regularly. He took my sin so that I could be forgiven. 

Abba, forgiveness and compassion are part of Your nature. You are compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abound in love and faithfulness.  You forgive sin to a thousand generations.  I lift my hands and praise You for Your goodness, mercy, and love. I praise Your name for the incredible gift of Your forgiveness toward me through Your Son, Yeshua ha Mashiach (Jesus, the Messiah). HalleluYah.  I am forgiven, for you have forgiven me.  I am released of what I owe because You have liberated me.

Father, I pray that Your Holy Breath will grant me repentance.  I pray that He would create the desire and power in me to forgive others as You have forgiven me. Write these Words in my heart and mind that I will not sin against You. 

So, since You have forgiven me, I will forgive those who have intentionally and unintentionally sinned against or harmed me. You require that I release them of what they owe me.  I call them by their name.  Abba, I forgive . . . I release them. I let them go.  I give You my right for vengeance.  I will not hold it against them.  I bow down and put my feelings toward them on Your altar. I cast my concern for justice and vengeance toward You because You care about me. Like Yeshua prayed for His enemies while He was on the cross, I pray for those who have harmed me, “Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they are doing.” Release them from their sin and let them go.

Forgive me for not forgiving them. Wash away the stain of sin and unforgiveness from my life with the blood Yeshua shed for me. Cleanse me of all wickedness and sin.  Create in me a heart and mind that forgives.  I have forgiven them; please forgive me.

Thank you, my King, for hearing my prayer.

I pray all these things in the name of Yeshua ha Mashiach. (Jesus, the Messiah). Amen!