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by M. Renee Byrd

The Forgiveness Factor (Part 1)

The Forgiveness Factor

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!

by M. Renee Byrd

The Parable of the Contented Hoarders

The Parable of the Contented Hoarders

A man, a woman and their family lived on a lush, beautiful plot of land.  The land had everything anyone ever needed to live well. Anything that was not available, the land yielded enough produce to trade for whatever else was needed. The people who lived there were happy and content.

Rumors of Impending Dangers

One day rumors began to spread throughout the kingdom of impending dangers on the horizon. The leaders of the land along with many of the community leaders advised the citizens of the kingdom to begin to create stores of food, water, and to stock up on long-term survival supplies. So, the man, the woman and their family did what was advised; they began to store half of food produced on their land along with all their other supplies until he, his wife and their family had enough to survive for over a year without outside help. And again, the man, the woman and their family were happy and content.

The Discontented Movers

There were many in the kingdom, however, who did not have the means to store and hoard supplies as they were barely surviving, living day to day and week to week. Others, who had more severe struggles, found it difficult to maintain even a place to stay.  They had to move about the kingdom from place to place.  They didn’t have the means to trade for the food they needed to store so they learned to live off the land. They found that the land in the kingdom was a gracious host that provided all the food they needed. Also, many of the supplies they needed could be built from wood, stone, and metals found on the land. Whenever the land did not have or ran out of things they needed to survive, they would just move to another place in the kingdom that did.

Danger from the South

One day a message came from the leaders of the kingdom that danger could be coming from another kingdom across their southern border.  They sent word to all the builders of the kingdom to come to the southern border and help build a barrier to keep the danger from coming up and harming its citizens. Those who had large stores were content with the decision, but those who lived off the land knew that during the cold and wintery season of the year the southern kingdom was the only place that provided food and a warm place to survive.   The discontented movers also knew that the residents and leaders of the southern kingdom had no desire to hurt or bring any kind of harm to their kingdom. They had welcomed them and helped them survive even though many were just like them, working and struggling to survive. However, no one in the kingdom would listen to them.  But the man, the woman and their family helped build the barrier, returned home, and were happy and content.

Attack from the North

One night while the citizens of the kingdom were asleep, a large fire-breathing serpent attacked the kingdom unawares. When the sentinels sounded the alarm, everyone looked to the south for the attack, but lo and behold, the serpent and its army attacked from the north and east! Joining the assault was its comrade the grand grizzly and its army attacking from the far north and the west.  No one had any idea that their good neighbors to the north had conspired with the serpent and the grizzly.  The leaders of the kingdom mistakenly thought that while there were hints of a possible “encounter” with the serpent’s army, they thought that it would come from afar to destroy their land. Little did they know that the serpent and its allies wanted their land for themselves. So, there was war in their kingdom for the first time in many, many wars.

The Kingdom Responds

The kingdom sent in their large, powerful, predatory bird, the symbol of their kingdom, and its army to fight against the forces of their enemies on their own soil. The combat was so grueling and vicious that the land was covered in violence. Those who had no stable place to stay and others who thought it prudent went south past the barrier wall where there was food and safety, since the people of that land were not at war with their kingdom, the serpent’s, or the grizzly’s.  Those who had their hoards and supplies stayed in place, hunkered down while the war was raging around them. Many of them lost their homes, their stores, and their lives to the warriors of the serpent and the grizzly. Those who finally realized that it wasn’t safe to stay put, packed their goods and wares, and set off to the south. For most of them, however, it was too late. The grizzly’s forces had already begun to move to the south to flank the mighty bird’s forces and cut off any escape from the citizens. Some who tried to fight back were maimed or killed. Others were caught, imprisoned, and had their goods confiscated. This was the fate of the man, woman, and their family. They were caught, separated, and imprisoned while the children were corralled with other kids, and sent to a faraway land for . . . processing. Only a very few who stayed in their homes made it to safety.  The kingdom’s leaders had unwisely advised them to hoard and hunker down when they should have also told them to prepare for escape.

MORAL:

Not all timeless, sage wisdom is appropriate for the current time.

READ:

2 Chronicles 20: 2; Revelation 3: 1-6

INSIGHT:

To my family and friends in Yeshua (Jesus):

Not everything that sounds like wisdom is applicable for the current situation.  And not everyone who says they are hearing from Father is. It is important for us to be attentive and listen for what the Holy Breath (Spirit) is currently saying to those who hear His Voice and like sheep following the Shepherd, act on what He tells us.  We should position ourselves to hear Him for ourselves. There are many voices in the world and in the IoT (internet of things) ecosystem. Let us follow His Voice and not another’s (John 10: 27 – 30). Let us make certain we are listening to the only One who actually knows what is about to happen.

We need not fear; however, Father protects those who love, follow, and believe on His Son Yeshua. Remember the story of the first Passover in Egypt? The whole land and all its inhabitants were about to experience the power of the angel of death who was coming to take the first born of the land. Father told those who were listening, willing and obedient, how to survive the death angel’s assignment before it happened. Those who recognized His Voice through Moses and were obedient, survived.  However, those who followed what the Egyptians were saying lost their first born to the angel. 

My brothers and sisters, this is not the time to be unaware of the current climate of our nation or the world.  It is not the time to be unaware of the plan of Elohim on earth today.  The world stage is changing quickly and dramatically.  Are we ready for what is coming next?  Are we sure? There are nation influencing, world changing events happening presently and on the horizon.  It is my desire to hear the directions of Father from the Holy Breath Himself.  Anyone one else with me?  This is a time for us to watch and pray, then listen and obey to access the promises to be rescued from the coming onslaught (Psalm 91: 14 -16). We cannot just listen to what everyone is saying around us; we should find out what Father is saying to us for ourselves. 

PRAYER:

Our Father,

We are living in the dark and dangerous times spoken of in scripture long ago.  Before our eyes we are seeing age-old prophesies coming true with hints of more coming on the horizon.  This, however, does not surprise or worry You.  “For You declare the end, from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. Your purpose will stand and all Your good pleasure You will accomplish.”  (Isaiah 46:10) So Father, we thank You that not only are You aware of what’s going on, but You also know what’s about to happen, and You have a plan for it! You put plans in place to counter and remedy the present chaos on earth long ago, and You did so with us in mind. You created us to be a part of Your purpose, Your good pleasure here on earth in the last days!!  Indeed, we were made for such a time as this.  Is there any other god like Yahweh?  There is none other like You Father!!

With these things in mind considering who You are, and what You’ve done for us through Your obedient Son, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah), we cry out to You: Open our eyes, that we may see what You are doing on earth today, and in Your living body within the Kingdom of Elohim (God).  Open our ears, that we may hear what Your Holy Breath is saying to the churches.  Give us understanding and discerning hearts that can perceive Your plans through all the noise of the day and distinguish Your voice from all the other voices that may sound like Yours but are not.  We submit our wills to the power of Your grace. Work in us to want to do, and then empower us to act on and accomplish Your good purpose.  (Philippians 2: 13) 

Finally, Father, we forgive those who have harmed us in any way.  We understand that not only did You command us to love our neighbor, but You also require us to love our enemies.  (Matthew 5: 43-48) We also understand that if we do not forgive those who’ve sinned against us, You will not forgive our sins which will hinder us from hearing from You because of unforgiven sin in our lives.  Show us the things in our lives that are weighing us down and keeping us from fulfilling the purpose You have for us.  Give us grace to lay aside the thoughts, words and behaviors that are impeding our progress.  Reveal to us what is keeping us from perceiving Your Voice. We want to know what the next steps in Your plans are so we may be apart.

So, like David said,

                Search me, Oh Elohim, and know my heart,

                Test me and know my thoughts,

                And see if there be any offensive way in me.

                And lead me in the way everlasting. 

                (Psalm 139: 9-10)

We pray for all these things in the name of Your Son, Yeshua HaMashiach!

Amen!