Do These Seven Things Daily to live a long and satisfying life!
- Forgive, forgive, forgive! Anytime you feel
- Hurt
- Offended
- Abandoned
- ‘Dissed’ (not treated with honor or dignity)
- Trashed by another
- Let down
- Disappointed
- Controlled
- Manipulated
- Lied to
- Stolen from
- Judged by another
- Ignored or overlooked by another
Forgiving those who do these things to you (including when you do it to yourself…) sets you free. It doesn’t change the other person (unless you are forgiving you…) When we forgive, we are basically releasing or cancelling the debt the person owed due to their behavior, words or failure to behave or speak in a certain way.
Jesus paid for all the debt of mankind’s sins, including yours. A debt that is paid is uncollectible. Unforgiveness in the heart is like trying to collect a debt that has been paid. It is unrighteous.
Forgiving from the heart means you realize your own sins are forgiven and you are not the Judge. That’s God’s job. He promises He will bring justice in the end.
Forgiving from the heart is a Kingdom Power Tool that keeps you free from becoming bitter, resentful, cast down, depressed, or bound to the one who harmed you. Unforgiveness gives the enemy a foothold in your life (2 Corinthians 2: 10) and he will take advantage of it!
If you do not forgive, you won’t be forgiven -Jesus said that in Matthew 6:15 and Mark 11:6. Jesus elaborated on unforgiveness in the story of the unrighteous servant in Matthew 18. A failure to forgive results in torment. (Mt 18:35.)
- LOVE, LOVE, LOVE without conditions. This begins with acknowledging God first loved you without conditions, while you were yet a sinner. When you come to Christ, acknowledging Him as your Savior, you are no longer a sinner. Your nature is changed by God to that of a saint. You become a son or daughter of God, a king and priest in His Kingdom. As a child of God, you must let God love you without conditions. This increases your capacity to worship Him and enables you to love others in the same way He loves.
- Love gives energy to faith (Galatians 5:6.)
- Love drives away all fear and anxiety, which causes depression if not dealt with (1 John 4:18 and Proverbs 12:25.)
- Love is lasting and never fails. (1 Corinthians 13.)
- LAUGH as often as you can and don’t neglect crying once in a while. Laughter is like taking good medicine (Proverbs 15:15.) We need to laugh at ourselves on occasion, not in ridicule but in humility. Laughter may lead to crying. Don’t cry because you got caught or feel sorry for yourself. Cry to release emotional pressure and let it go!
- ASK and keep on asking for help from God, family and friends. Keep your thoughts positive. God’s knowledge vastly exceeds all human knowledge, so ask Him what you need to know to avoid perishing. (Hosea 4:6) Be sure to ask for a love of the Truth. You will perish without this. (2 Thessalonians 2:10.)
- SEEK and keep on seeking God for everything you need, including His knowledge about your circumstances and how to make changes. Never give up. Keep seeking Him, even when it seems He’s not listening. He is listening and He’s got His eye on you to guide you (Psalm 32:8)
- KNOCK and keep on knocking. He has the key to every door. He closes doors no man can open and He opens doors no man can close. Trust Him in this. When He opens the door you have been knocking on, step through it! You don’t need to knock any more. If a door you are knocking on doesn’t seem to be opening, go back to #4 and ASK for His wisdom, knowledge and guidance. Timing may be a factor when waiting on the Lord. Don’t become impatient in waiting on Him. If you take action ahead of His plan, you may end up with an Ishmael…
- FEAR NOT! (See #2 above) You don’t need to deny that you feel fearful or anxious, but when you do feel that way, stop what you are doing and FOCUS on God. Let Him love you. Perfect Love drives out all fear. Pray, giving Him your burdens and He always ‘trades up’ by giving you His peace, approval, and strength (John 14:27, I Peter 5:7, Psalms 55:22, Phil 4:6.) If fear won’t go, then submit unto God, get His wisdom, knowledge and plan, then resist the devil (fear) until he flees. Shift the atmosphere by releasing the opposite Spirit -power, love and sound mind!
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
14 But thanks be to God, who in the Messiah constantly leads us in a triumphal procession and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of what it means to know him! 15 For to God we are the aroma of the Messiah, both among those being saved and among those being lost; 16 to the latter, we are the smell of death leading only to more death; but to the former, we are the sweet smell of life leading to more life. Who is equal to such a task? 17 For we are not like a lot of folks who go about huckstering God’s message for a fee; on the contrary, we speak out of a sincere heart, as people sent by God, standing in God’s presence, living in union with the Messiah. CJB
About The Author: Bill Kline
Pastor Bill Kline is founder and leader of Sozo Freedom Steps Ministry. He also serves the International Bethel Sozo Network (IBSO) as Rocky Mountain Regional Sozo Facilitator. He is a certified Bethel Basic Sozo trainer. He helps churches and ministries start and develop Sozo ministry in Colorado and all the surrounding states. Pastor Bill is married to Debby and together they have four children and eight grandchildren.
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