Have you been tempted this week? Satan is a tempter. Too often, we see temptation as a sin. Temptation is not from God, and being tempted is not a sin (see James 1:13-14). Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, and yet He did not sin (see Hebrews 4:15). King David warned his […]
Satan is a Tempter (Matthew 4:3-11)
Guard Your Heart from Satan’s Schemes (Proverbs 4:23-27)
Are you being tempted to commit an act apart from God’s design for your life? When we read David’s instructions to his son Solomon in Proverbs 4:1-9, we recognize that the King of Israel was warning his eventual successor that he would be tempted toward foolish behavior. Wisdom would be his weapon to apply his […]
How Do We Let Go of Resisting Blessing Horizontally in Relationships? (Matthew 7:12)
Can you honestly say that you love your offender? How do we truly let go of resisting blessing our enemy horizontally in relationships? We wish our enemy well before others. First, we love our enemy by serving them in order to meet a legitimate need in their life. This love fulfills the Law: “In everything, […]
Praying for Your Offender (Matthew 5:43-48)
Have you tried praying for the person who wronged you? If so, what did your prayer sound like? Too often we hold on to resisting blessing our offender, the fourth prison wall of withholding forgiveness. Resisting blessing does not wish our offender well before God or others; it treats others as they have treated us, […]
How Does Resisting Blessing Affect Our Vertical Relationship with God? (1 John 4:20)
Are you involved in a conflict where you simply cannot bless the offender? Resisting blessing does not wish our offender well before God. It treats others as they treat us. Jesus said, that His followers had been taught a legalistic interpretation of the greatest horizontal commandment to love one’s neighbor (Matthew 5:43). They had learned […]
The Prison Wall of Resisting Blessing (Matthew 5:43-48)
Are you withholding something positive from a person who has sinned against you? Resisting blessing is not wishing one well before God and others. Whereas the other three prison walls of withholding forgiveness hold on to negatives, resisting blessing holds on to a positive. We withhold wishing the offender well before God and others — […]
How do we experience freedom from regret? (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Are you holding on to regret, imprisoned by the thought you could have changed the past? In order to be free from regret, we must continue to practice the instant forgiveness experiment. When someone sins against us, we can instantly let go of the prison walls of revenge, resentment, and regret. We let go of […]
How Do We Let Go of Regret Horizontally in Relationships? (Philippians 2:3)
How do we let go of regret horizontally in relationships? We repent, trusting in God for the freedom of forgiveness. Rather than harboring the thought that we could change the past: the offense, the offender, or our past behavior, we change our thoughts about the past. We let go of the past and hold on […]
How Do We Let Go of Regret Vertically with God? (Psalm 139:23-24)
Oftentimes, we utter the words, “I’m struggling to forgive God for allowing this tragedy to happen to me,” when in fact we cannot forgive God because He has not sinned against us. However, we can let go of regret, the thought we could have changed the past, which tends to be the core issue. In […]
How Does Regret Affect Your Relationships? (Psalm 139:23-24)
Is regret of someone’s past sin against you stifling your relationships? In the heat of conflict, did you raise your voice to abnormal decibels or say something you wish you didn’t that led to the offense against you? Are you constantly rethinking your actions, surmising you could have changed something to have totally avoided the […]
The Prison Wall of Regret (Psalm 10:4)
What is regret? Regret is the thought that we could change the past. When we withhold forgiveness from holding on to regret, we think about how we could have changed the past in a way that would have eliminated or minimized the offense. In order to be free, we must let go of the third […]
How Do We Experience Freedom? (Ephesians 4:31-32)
How do we experience freedom from resentment? We must keep practicing the instant forgiveness experiment in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” […]
How To Let Go of Resentment Horizontally in Relationships (Ephesians 4:31-32)
How do we let go of resentment horizontally in relationships? The Apostle Paul wrote: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). First, we must pour out […]
How To Let Go of Resentment Vertically with God (Ephesians 4:31-32)
How do we let go of resentment vertically with God? We pour out the bitter (resentment) and drink in the sweet antidote: God’s restoration of forgiveness, kindness, and compassion in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and […]
The Prison Wall of Resentment (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Jesus likened withholding forgiveness to a prison (Matthew 18:21-35). The irony is the person who will not forgive is the one locked inside the four walls. Forgive means “to let go.” In order to forgive someone who has wounded us, we must let go of four prison walls that incarcerate us in the prison of […]
The Prison Wall of Revenge Comes in Three Levels (Romans 12:17-21)
Which form of revenge do you favor? Revenge comes in three levels: (1) greater, (2) same, or (3) lesser. When our talent, treasure, or time is damaged, we are tempted to repay the offender with either greater, the same, or lesser damage to his resource of life. Revenge takes the matter into our own hands […]
The Prison Wall of Revenge and our Three Resources of Life (Matthew 5:38-42)
Often times, our first reaction to someone who wrongs us is revenge, the first prison wall of withholding forgiveness. Revenge means retaliation, or repayment. We are harmed in three ways, representing our 3 resources of life: (1) talent — the unique person God has created us to be, (2) treasure, and (3) time. Jesus addressed […]
The Prison Wall of Revenge (Matthew 18:21-35)
Have you had the opportunity to forgive someone who has wronged you? Who harmed you? Who was it? How did the act make you feel? Did you hold on or let go? Jesus likened withholding forgiveness to prison (Matthew 18:21-35). The irony is that the person who will not forgive is the one locked inside […]
What Can We Learn from Solomon? (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Life apart from God is meaningless. A divided heart led to a divided kingdom. It’s the first sin. It’s the wide gate. It’s love of the world. King Solomon pursued earthly knowledge for the sake of contentment, possessions for the sake of significance, military might for the sake of control, money for the sake of […]
Forgiveness Flows From The Heart (Matthew 6:14-15)
Are you characterized and known as a forgiver? The Bible teaches us two heart conditions exist: proud or humble. A proud heart is hard and holds on. A humble heart is soft and lets go, or forgives. When someone harms us, we either hold on or we let go. When we hold on, we remove […]