Bible Study Planet » Christian Living

Overcoming Backsliding

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:07:28 +0000

What Do We Mean By “Backsliding”?

“The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel” – 1 Kings 11:9

“I have this against you; you have left your first love.” – Revelation 2:4

Backsliding is when a person who follows Christ turns away from Him. To the backslider, God is no longer the main focus of his life. Without God’s leading, the person “backslides” into his old way of life.

What Causes Us To Backslide?

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

“If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12

Pride is found at the root of backsliding. Pride tells us we don’t need God to lead us. There are two forms pride takes when it comes to backsliding: Trying to justify oneself to God and taking part in sin.

Trying To Justify Oneself To God Leads To Backsliding

“You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” – Galatians 5:4

“Justified” means to be made acceptable to God. In the verse above, Paul tells us that trying to justify oneself through the law (or through good deeds) can lead to backsliding.

How can doing a good deed cause backsliding? Let’s say someone helps an elderly woman across the street. The Christian who is walking with God will say, “Jesus has been kind to me so I want to be kind to others,” where the Christian who is backsliding will say, “I am acceptable to God because I helped this woman across the street.”

Pride makes the backslider think that he can impress God when in fact he is moving away from Him because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

Taking Part In Sin Leads To Backsliding

“You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” – Galatians 5:13

Here again we pride, but in this case pride makes the backslider say, “I can lead myself. I don’t need God to tell me what to do.”

Or, in another case, a person may face hard times, and instead of turning to the Lord who is our “strength and our shield” (Psalm 28:7), will instead turn away from Him.

Less and less time is spent looking for God’s direction. The backslider will stop praying and reading the Bible.

Without God’s direction the backslider will — without even realizing it — lead himself. This results in a sinful life away from God because, as Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

What Happens When We Backslide?

“Justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind, we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.” – Isaiah 59:9-10

We no longer seek the Lords leading and we lack direction. We no longer fellowship with Him and so our hearts are empty because we were created to have a relationship with God.

As terrible as it is to have never have known the love of Jesus Christ, how much worse is it to have experienced His love then turn away? Once you’ve followed Jesus nothing else can ever truly satisfy you.

That’s why backsliding is such a terrible thing. You try to replace His prefect love with something imperfect. But the Lord stretches out His hand to you and offers to forgive your backsliding and restore you.

How Do We Overcome Backsliding?

We turn back to the Lord:

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:7

“I will frown on you on longer, for I am merciful, declares the Lord, I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt – you have rebelled against the Lord your God” – Jeremiah 3:12

And we pray:

“Our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities.” – Isaiah 59:12

Then we are forgiven:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

And restored:

“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them.” – Hosea 14:4

“Peace, peace, to those far and near, says the Lord.” – Isaiah 57:19

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The Strength To Carry On

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:53:17 +0000

There is a truth about Christian living which, if people knew it, would make all of life easier for them. The truth is this: Whatever trial or task comes our way in life, we will receive the strength we need to face it. There are several promises that give this assurance.

One reads, “your strength will equal your days.” (Deut 33:25) This seems to mean that the help which God gives, varies according to the tasks and trials of the particular day. God fits His blessing to our days.

When we are weak, He increases strength. (Isa 40:29)
When we are sorrowful, He gives comfort. (2 Cor 1:3-6)
When we are in danger, He grants protection. (Ps 32:7)
When we are weary, He gives rest. (Mtt 11:28)

Another of Christ’s promises reads, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (Cor 12:9) Every word of this assurance shines with brilliant light.
“My grace is sufficient for you.”

It is Christ’s grace that is sufficient. We know that He has all Divine fullness, and so we are sure that no human need can ever exhaust His power to give help!

“My grace is sufficient for you.”
It is Christ’s grace that is sufficient. If it were anything else but grace, it might not give us such comfort. Grace is undeserved favor, goodness shown to the unworthy. We deserve nothing because we are sinners, but it is Christ’s grace which is sufficient, and so we can claim it.

“My grace is sufficient for you.”
His grace “IS” sufficient. Christ is always speaking personally to the one who is in any need, and saying, “My grace IS sufficient for you.”

“My grace is sufficient for you.”
The word “sufficient” is one whose meaning expands and amplifies with the measure of the need. No need is so small that it can’t be included; and none is so great that it can go beyond the capacity of the blessing that is promised.

“My grace is sufficient for you.”
The grace is sufficient for each of His redeemed children. “For you” the promise is made.

Life lies before us, with its burdens, its duties, its responsibilities, its struggles, its perplexities. It does not come to us all at once. God breaks our years into months and weeks and days, and never gives us more than we can bear or do for the day.

If we take up the present duty or burden we shall always have strength to do it. If we do not have strength of our own, we don’t need to falter because even if the task is impossible to our ability He will sustain us by giving us all the help we need.

- J.R. Miller

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Four Ways To Enjoy This Day

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:00:52 +0000

There are four things we can do to be blessed, and be a blessing to others, today:

1) Meditate On God’s Word

“I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (Psalm 119:14-16)

God’s Word is a “light for our path.” (Ps 119:105) It brings us joy by “teaching, rebuking correcting and training us in righteousness,” (2 Tim 3:16) showing us what things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy, (Phil 4:8) and by reminding us of all God’s promises. (Ps 119:76, Gal 3:14) Take time everyday to read the Bible.

2) Live Faithfully

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)

Christians represent the living God to a dying world. Whatever happens throughout the day our goal should be to “conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Phil 1:27)

We should be faithful children, parents, spouses, employers, employees and friends, treating people the way the Bible tells us to, and remembering when we fall short “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jhn 1:9)

Another aspect of living faithfully is truly putting our faith in Christ, who we trust to not only pay for our sins, but also provide, guide, strengthen and comfort us. (Rom 3:22-26, Phil 4:13, 2 Cor 12:9-10)

3) Live For Others

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)

We’re created in Christ to do good works, and He has blessed each of us with gifts which allow us to accomplish these works. Some are good at encouraging, some are able to teach, some love to pray, others have the gift of compassion… there are many different types of gifts but what they all have in common is the gifts God gives us are designed to serve others.

We’re encouraged to have the same attitude as Christ by “serving one another in love.” (Phil, 2:5-7, Gal 5:13) A day spent living for others will fill your heart with joy because “it’s more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

4) Rejoice In the Lord Despite Any Earthly Circumstances

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Every day we should rejoice with “joy inexpressible” because we have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 1:3-4,8) Even when we go through hardships we still rejoice because we’re focused on this hope.

We rejoice in spite of the fact that the bank is about to foreclose, or the doctor has bad news, or whatever else comes our way. We rejoice because the source of our joy doesn’t come from our earthly circumstances, it comes from our heavenly standing. We rejoice always because we belong to Christ.

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Four Types of Christians

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:07:44 +0000

As we read through the New Testament we find at least four types of Christians.

1) THE DEAD CHRISTIAN

“I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” – Revelation 3:1

The first type of Christian we find is one who is a Christian in name only. The Dead Christian may go to church, and may even claim to follow Christ, but hasn’t truly come to Him for forgiveness.

Jesus addressed the Dead Christian in Revelation 3:2-3 when He told them, “I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent.”

What is the work of God He found to be incomplete? John 6:29 tells us that “the work of God is that you believe in him whom he has sent.” And what is it we’re to believe? We find the answer to that in 1 John 5:11-13, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Once a person believes in, and calls on Christ to forgive them, they are forgiven and are “made alive” in Him (1 Cor 15:22).

2) THE BOUND CHRISTIAN

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature… serve one another in love.” – Galatians 5:13a

The next type of Christian we want to look at is the Bound Christian. This is a Christian who is alive in Christ, but is bound by sin, and this hinders his relationship with the Lord.

Romans 6:16 warns that “when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness.”

And Galations 5:17 tells us of a battle that wages between the Spirit and the flesh. “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

We follow the Spirit when we “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” and produce the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galation 5:22-24)

Yes, we’ll stumble in our walk, but when we do “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

We don’t have to be slaves to sin. We can be slaves to righteousness if we follow the Lord’s ways. Romans 6:17-18 gives “thanks to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
　
3) THE LONER CHRISTIAN

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:22-25

The third type of Christian is the Loner Christian. The Loner Christian is alive in Christ and enjoys fellowship with God. His life is full of blessings but the Loner Christian is keeping his blessings to himself.

Jesus said He came so that we “may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Christianity is a faith that should be lived through both our words and our actions.

Jesus told Peter in John 21:17 that if he loved Him he would care for His followers. We’re all blessed with some sort of gift. Some are good at encouraging, some are able to teach, some love to pray, others have the gift of compassion… there are many different types of gifts but what they all have in common is the gifts God gives us are designed to serve others. This stands in sharp contrast to the world which put its emphasis on serving yourself.

4) THE COMPLETE CHRISTIAN

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

The final type of Christian we want to talk about is the Complete Christian. We call him complete because he alive in Christ, has a strong relationship with God and is a blessing to everyone around him.

We are encouraged in Matthew 5:16 to “let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

We should live our lives in a way that when people see us, they see Jesus, and God is glorified. When we came to Christ we took all the blessings that go along with it. Forgiveness from sin, freedom from sin, fellowship with God and the honor of representing the living God to the dying world.

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The Art of Living a Christian Life

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:44:17 +0000

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:6

We’ve only learned the art of living a Christian life when we have learned to live our faith, and enjoy its help and comfort, in our daily life.

It’s easy to join in devotionals, to quote Bible verses, to praise the beauty of the Scriptures…but all of us must go out from church on Sunday into a week of very real and very common life. We must mingle with people who are not angels. We must pass through experiences that will worry and upset us.

Many people around us, either on purpose or by accident, annoy and try us. We’ll meet many troubles and worries during the week — there are continual irritations and annoyances.

The key is to live a beautiful Christian life in the face of all these trials and temptations. But how can we get through the obstacles which block our path? How can we live sweetly amid the vexing and irritating things, and the multitude of little worries and frets which infest our way, and which we cannot avoid?

HOW WE SHOULD LIVE

Life should be a joy and not a burden. We should live victoriously, ever master of our experiences, and not tossed by them like a leaf on the dashing waves. Every earnest Christian wants to live a truly beautiful life, whatever the circumstances may be.

Someone, when asked “what does it mean to be a Christian?” replied, “To be a Christian means to live as Jesus would live, and behave as Jesus would behave.”

No better definition of the Christian life could be given. Each one of us is to live just as Jesus would if He were living out our little life, mingling with the same people with whom we must mingle, and exposed to the very annoyances, trials and temptations to which we are exposed. We want to live a life that will please God, and will bear witness to the genuineness of our faith and love for Him.

SCRIPTURE ON LIVING A CHRISTIAN LIFE

- Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. (Phil 4:7-8)

- Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thes 5:15-18)

- The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Gal 5:2-26)

- Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:15-17)

J. R. Miller

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7 Commands for Christian Living

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:54:06 +0000

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

In this passage Paul is summing up how the Christian should live. In seven verses he gives us seven commands for Christian living. Let’s go through them one by one.

1) Rejoice Always

In 1 Peter 1 we’re reminded to rejoice with “joy inexpressible” because we have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”.

Even when we go through hardships we still rejoice because we’re focused on this hope. We rejoice in spite of the fact that the bank is about to foreclose, or the doctor has bad news, or whatever else comes our way. We rejoice because the source of our joy doesn’t come from our earthly circumstances, it comes from our heavenly standing. We rejoice always because we belong to Christ.

2) Pray Without Ceasing

If we’re always rejoicing, and always focused on our relationship with Christ, that will lead us to being continually in prayer.

To pray without ceasing doesn’t mean we’re to go on and on repeating the same words. Jesus told us not to do that in Matthew 6:7, “when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

To pray without ceasing means that there shouldn’t be a long gap in our prayer life. In other words, we shouldn’t just pray once in a while, we should pray all the time.

In Mathew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches us how to pray. We learn that it’s through prayer we praise God, make our requests known to Him, ask forgiveness for our sins and forgive sins done against us, and ask for His protection against evil.

Someone once described prayer as the breath of the Christian’s life. Just as we can’t live without breathing, the Christian life can’t be lived without praying. And just as we don’t wait a long while in between breathing we shouldn’t wait a long time in between praying.

3) In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

If we’re rejoicing in Him, and we’re constantly in prayer, the result will be a heart that gives thanks for all things.

Thankfulness is a characteristic of the Christian. A.J. Gossip once said that “thanksgiving is the language of heaven.” This is in contrast to the unbeliever who, we’re told in Romans 1:21, “neither glorify God nor give thanks to Him.”

We praise God from who all blessings flow. From who all things work together for the good of those who love Him. Who gives us beauty for ashes, whose strength is made perfect in our weakness.

We don’t always understand the reasons for our hardships but we’re promised that even though these things aren’t good, God will bring good out of it.

In John 16:21-22 Jesus was talking to the disciples about His death and resurrection. He told them that, “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

In other words, “you won’t understand what’s happening now, and it will grieve you, but later you’ll understand and when you do you’ll have a joy no one will ever be able to take away from you.”

Now you’ll notice that Paul adds, “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We always ask, “What’s God’s will for me?” Here’s our answer: rejoice always or always keep focused on your relationship with Christ, pray without ceasing or don’t go a long time in between praising God and seeking His blessings, and in everything gives thanks or be glad that even in bad times God is working in your life. If you’re doing these things then you’re doing the will of God.

4) Do not quench the Spirit.

John 16:8 tells us that the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. Romans 8:14 says the Spirit leads us. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 tells us the Holy Spirit teaches us the spiritual things of God and us discernment.

So we shouldn’t quench or, as the NLT puts it, “stifle” the Holy Spirit as He works in our lives to make us more like Christ.

5) Do not despise prophecies.

In other words don’t reject the preaching, interpreting and applying of Scripture. Remember Acts chapter 8 where Philip meets the Ethiopian who’s reading Scripture? Philip asks him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?”

God has given the Church teachers to help them understand the Bible. We should never reject good bible teaching.

6) Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Just because someone claims to be a bible teacher that doesn’t mean we’re to automatically accept their teaching.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:15 to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 warns us that “Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

False teachers present themselves to the Church as good teachers.

Charles Spurgeon gave good advice, “Do not believe all a man says because he is a clergyman, or eloquent, or learned, or even because he is kind and generous. Bring all to the bar of Holy Scripture, and if they cannot stand the test, do not receive them.”

Do not accept any teaching from anyone unless it lines up with Scripture.

7) Abstain from every form of evil.

If we’re holding all things up against Scripture then it’s inevitable that we’ll find teachings and actions that are unbiblical. When we find these things we’re to stay away from them.

If we do accept something unbiblical 1 John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, Christ is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

To sin is to go against God’s will and to be out of fellowship with Him. To abstain from sin is to draw closer to the Lord. Closer to the Lord is the place every should Christian want to be.

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The Savior You’re Missing

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:30:05 +0000

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” Revelation 1:18

If your faith ends at the cross it misses the full blessings of Christ!

You’re missing a Savior who, not only went to death two thousand years ago to redeem you, but one who also is alive to walk by your side in loving companionship.

You’re missing a Savior who can hear your prayers, who you can repent to when you have sinned, and who you can call to for help when the battle is going against you.

You need a Savior who is interested in all the affairs of your common life, and who can assist you in every time of need.

You’re missing a Savior who can be a real friend — loving you, keeping close beside you, able to sympathize with your weaknesses.

You’re missing a Savior who will come into your life, and will save you, not by one great act of centuries past — but by a life warm with love today, and living again in you.

A dying Christ alone will not satisfy our heart. We must have the living Christ and that is the Christ the gospel brings to us: one who was dead and is now alive for ever and ever!

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God!” cried the psalmist, and cries every redeemed soul. It’s only as we realize the truth of a living Christ that our hearts are satisfied.

We crave love, a hand to touch ours, a heart whose beatings we can feel, a personal friendship that will come into our life with its sympathy, its inspiration, its companionship, its shelter, its life, its comfort. All this, the living Christ is to us.

- J. R. Miller

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Living by Faith

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:00:12 +0000

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the life — and world — changing message that, though we are more sinful and flawed than we had ever dared imagine, we can be more loved and accepted than we had ever dared hope, because Jesus Christ, in our place and on our behalf, lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we should have died, to save us. (1 Cor 15:1-4)

And the way we obtain this salvation is not by striving, nor by trying ever harder, nor by religious exercises, nor by repeating formulas, nor by anything we do at all, but simply by turning to Jesus and setting our trust in him as Lord and Savior. (Jhn 3:16)

It is by faith alone that we are united to Christ and rest secure in the salvation he has won for us.

But! Our faith is not a thing exercised once, “the hour we first believed,” then placed in storage with mothballs, as ideas subscribed to but not brought to bear. To the contrary, our faith is living and active. The Bible defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)

Faith, therefore, is the stuff of assurance and conviction concerning the ultimate reality and priority of God’s promises. Faith is a living trust and whole-hearted reliance upon God for our very hope and life.

As followers of Jesus, we do not merely believe IN God, we BELIEVE God. And in believing him, we are called to put our faith to work, to bring our trust in his goodness, justice, and power to bear in the real life decisions we make through the course of every given day — that we will forgive and not seek vengeance, that we will love and not cultivate bitterness, that we will follow the pattern of our Master, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

St. Francis advised Christians to “preach the gospel always; and when necessary, use words.” Having been saved by grace, let us now live lives of gratitude and graciousness. Having been forgiven, let us forgive. Having been loved, let us love. And let us do all of this in the assurance and conviction that God’s promises are sure in Christ; that is, let us live by faith, believing God day by day, every day, all the way to glory.

- Jules Grisham

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Forgiving Others

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:26:02 +0000

Jesus spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of forgiving others. He made it clear that forgiveness is to be a characteristic of his followers. So let’s explore what it means to forgive others, the benefits of forgiving and how to forgive.

What It Means To Forgive

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

To forgive someone means to not seek revenge on the one who has hurt you. It means letting go of the anger we harbor inside us and allowing God to deal with him or her as he, in his perfect wisdom, sees fit.

It doesn’t mean excusing a wrong or denying that it ever happened. It means we don’t allow ourselves to be consumed with anger towards the one who has done something to us. Instead of cursing him, we pray for him. Here are three verses that reflect the attitude of the forgiving heart:

“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.” (1 Peter 3:9)

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you’. Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.” (Romans 12:17-21)

The Forgiveness Factor

“And don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior” (Ephesians 4:26-27,31)

As the verses above tell us, anger gives Satan a foothold in our lives. Anger has a devastating affect on our relationship with God as well as with others. Over time we will take our anger out on those around us. It will consume us and eats us alive unless we deal with it. Jesus passionately taught us to forgive others, to let go, to let him handle it. He wants us to be at peace and for that to happen anger must be replaced with forgiveness.

A few years ago Christianity Today featured a cover story entitled, “The Forgiveness Factor: Social Scientist discover the power of a Christian virtue” (January 10,2000). In it, they discussed how researchers have discovered the importance of forgiveness. What was most interesting was that they had come to the conclusion that the one who does the forgiving is the one who benefited the most.

How To Forgive

“Without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

After Jesus taught the apostles about forgiveness (Luke 17:3-5) they said to him, “Give us more faith!” Forgiving is not easy. It takes the strength of God to truly be able to let go. It takes faith and much prayer to say to someone, “I will repay this evil with good. I will not hate you.”

“I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

The One who spoke these gentle words has the power to heal the hurting soul. He can take your shattered life and piece it back together again. You just need to let Him. “Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you.”

Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and when we do something beautiful and indescribable happens: He takes that which is terrible and molds it into that which is wonderful. He gives us beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). With His help all the restlessness, all the anger that has built up for so long, will wash away like waves turning back into the ocean. He will, just as He promised, give us peace.

Here are some tips to help you forgive:

- Do not deny that you have been hurt. As we learned, forgiving is not denying.

- Make a decision to forgive others (Luke 17:3-5)

- Do not seek revenge or repay evil for evil. Let God handle it in his perfect way (1 Peter 3:9)

- Ask Jesus to help you release the anger inside you (Ephesians 4:26-27,31)

- Pray for a forgiving heart and read what the Bible says about the subject.

- Pray for those who have hurt you (Matthew 5:44)

Related studies:

The Golden Rule

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:30:35 +0000

In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12

In the verse above, Jesus lays down a general principle for delaing with people. We’re not to deal with others as others deal with us, we’re to deal with others as we would like others to deal with us. This is how the Christian is to live.

This is a golden rule indeed! It doesn’t simply forbid petty malice and revenge, cheating and deceit. It does much more. It prevents the necessity of laying down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases. It sweeps the whole debatable ground with one mighty principle. It shows us a balance and measure, by which everyone may see at once how they should act.

Is there something we wouldn’t like our neighbor to do to us? Then let us always remember, that this is the thing we ought not to do to him. Is there a thing we would like our neighbor to do to us? Then this is the very thing we ought to do to him.

- J. C. Ryle