Last night was one of the most terrifying nights of my life. I was in the same situation I feared to be in for years now. The last time I was in that scene was around 5 years ago when I had to face someone who was about to lose everything she had invested for years. Last night was no different. I faced a friend in front of the man whom I shall say would draw the end of her story. We had a long talk and it was an opportunity for us to make a good closure for this is something really big for her so she can easily move on. I say closure for the issue but a new beginning for the two of us. She will no longer have to call me by my title but I think this will take a little time til it diminishes from her system. Fast forward, with humility she admitted what she had done and bravely faced the consequences she has to face at that young age but this is how she'll learn and I am proud for her boldness. God was with her and she was guided and protected all throughout the entire talk.
After she gave her last word, we went in one corner of the room and we whispered a prayer to God and I am so relieved of what the end was. HIS presence is with us when we were talking. There was no hurt, only love. There was no condemnation, only forgiveness. There was no ending, only a new journey. I just thank the Lord for being faithful to His promises and He is the stickiest Being that binds that friendship.
I love you Lord and I lift my voice to You so the whole world will know how WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL You are in our lives.
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
[Blog] Forgive and Forget
Amidst everything that is happening these days, I lift everything up to God that He will change the hearts of these people to fulfill the command that He said in the Scripture --- "Love one another as I [Jesus] have loved you." People were hurt, are hurting and maybe will continue to be hurt and be at that state until they step out IN FAITH saying that they will FORGIVE, MOVE ON and let GOD make His way into their hearts. I am hurt that seeds of division are planted in their hearts but I am sure that God is even more hurt seeing His children not loving and forgiving each other. FORGIVENESS is ALWAYS a conscious effort and decision to do when we say that we love God.
Let me just share some points about FORGIVENESS in the recently concluded T4V in VCF Pioneer on what the Bible says about Forgiveness.
(1) Forgiveness is our DUTY and there are no limitations on how we should forgive or how many times. Forgiveness is our duty because without it, there's a root of bitterness that will grow in us that will cause trouble to a lot of people [Hebrews 12:15]
(2) There are no limitations on who we should forgive or how many times. It is mentioned in the Bible that we must forgive our brothers and sisters not seven times but seventy-seven times. [MATT 18:21-22] It's so easy to count the number of times we have forgiven someone who had oppressed us but have we thought of counting the number of times we have been forgiven by Our God? Who are you to count them as you do this for your brothers or sisters?
(3) If we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. The Bible said in Mark 11:25 that: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Yes, it's so hard to forgive the people who hurt us and it's our natural tendency to revenge but God promised that He will avenge for us and will curse those who have cursed us. He also instructed us not to revenge but leave room for God's wrath. [Romans 12:19] You may say that you know these already and the nitty-gritty of this word but why do we actually do this? We do this because this is exactly what Jesus did for us and even was sent here by God the Father to wash away our sins. Also, since we are claiming that we have Christ in our hearts, we must forgive because God has forgiven us in Christ! Need I say more about forgiveness?
Many of you might ask how we forgive from the heart. According to the T4V as well, the following are the steps:
(1) Acknowledge the hurt.
(2) Resolve to forgive.
(3) Pray to release forgiveness to those who have hurt you and release blessings in their lives
Many of us got stuck on the 1st step that's why we cannot release forgiveness in our heart. There are two more steps and it takes FAITH in GOD to move to the next one. We must start and finish this strong so we’ll have peace in our hearts. Many of you might react: "WHAT?!? She already hurt me, I forgave her and now I am blessing her?!? No way!" --> This mentality is so wrong! The title of this blog is "FORGIVE and FORGET" and a lot of us are guilty of just doing one of these two words. This is not alien to me because at one point in time, I chose one and did not mind the other one then I say I moved on. NO! You cannot forgive if you have not forgotten what she did as well as you cannot forget is you do not forgive. It's hard to forget but pray that God takes it away from your heart. When we resist to forgive and forget, our hearts harden thus it becomes stone in the process but the Lord said "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." [Ezekiel 36:26] You cannot say that you have moved on but say that you do not forget. You SHOULD and MUST forget once you release forgiveness from your heart.
Sigh… I am just sad with the sight of these things happening within my yard and I am accountable to God that I will guide them properly and will enlighten them as they go through this battle and come out victorious still after the storm. Today, make that conscious decision. You will put this issue to rest; leave them alone and let them do their thing; cry out loud for one last time; stop pointing fingers to who is at fault and who we think is the victim. REMEMBER: If you point your finger to someone, the other 4 are pointing back at you. PRAY for forgiveness and compassion and LET GOD ARISE in the middle of this turmoil.
Let me just share some points about FORGIVENESS in the recently concluded T4V in VCF Pioneer on what the Bible says about Forgiveness.
(1) Forgiveness is our DUTY and there are no limitations on how we should forgive or how many times. Forgiveness is our duty because without it, there's a root of bitterness that will grow in us that will cause trouble to a lot of people [Hebrews 12:15]
(2) There are no limitations on who we should forgive or how many times. It is mentioned in the Bible that we must forgive our brothers and sisters not seven times but seventy-seven times. [MATT 18:21-22] It's so easy to count the number of times we have forgiven someone who had oppressed us but have we thought of counting the number of times we have been forgiven by Our God? Who are you to count them as you do this for your brothers or sisters?
(3) If we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. The Bible said in Mark 11:25 that: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Yes, it's so hard to forgive the people who hurt us and it's our natural tendency to revenge but God promised that He will avenge for us and will curse those who have cursed us. He also instructed us not to revenge but leave room for God's wrath. [Romans 12:19] You may say that you know these already and the nitty-gritty of this word but why do we actually do this? We do this because this is exactly what Jesus did for us and even was sent here by God the Father to wash away our sins. Also, since we are claiming that we have Christ in our hearts, we must forgive because God has forgiven us in Christ! Need I say more about forgiveness?
Many of you might ask how we forgive from the heart. According to the T4V as well, the following are the steps:
(1) Acknowledge the hurt.
(2) Resolve to forgive.
(3) Pray to release forgiveness to those who have hurt you and release blessings in their lives
Many of us got stuck on the 1st step that's why we cannot release forgiveness in our heart. There are two more steps and it takes FAITH in GOD to move to the next one. We must start and finish this strong so we’ll have peace in our hearts. Many of you might react: "WHAT?!? She already hurt me, I forgave her and now I am blessing her?!? No way!" --> This mentality is so wrong! The title of this blog is "FORGIVE and FORGET" and a lot of us are guilty of just doing one of these two words. This is not alien to me because at one point in time, I chose one and did not mind the other one then I say I moved on. NO! You cannot forgive if you have not forgotten what she did as well as you cannot forget is you do not forgive. It's hard to forget but pray that God takes it away from your heart. When we resist to forgive and forget, our hearts harden thus it becomes stone in the process but the Lord said "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." [Ezekiel 36:26] You cannot say that you have moved on but say that you do not forget. You SHOULD and MUST forget once you release forgiveness from your heart.
Sigh… I am just sad with the sight of these things happening within my yard and I am accountable to God that I will guide them properly and will enlighten them as they go through this battle and come out victorious still after the storm. Today, make that conscious decision. You will put this issue to rest; leave them alone and let them do their thing; cry out loud for one last time; stop pointing fingers to who is at fault and who we think is the victim. REMEMBER: If you point your finger to someone, the other 4 are pointing back at you. PRAY for forgiveness and compassion and LET GOD ARISE in the middle of this turmoil.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
[Blog] A brand new ONE
What does brand new ONE give us? It gives us the opportunity to scratch the bad things that happened in the past. It gives us the opportunity to correct what went wrong the last time. It gives us an opportunity to have another chance to everything - work, love, friendship. But do we really give one more chance to people who did us wrong? We should for God forgave us and gave us another life to live in victory. GOD is The ONE and the ONLY ONE who has the ability to do this unconditionally. He just gives new grace and renewed mercy every single day of our lives.
Who are we not to give another chance to other people?
Let us live a life pleasing to God and you'd see the difference in your life.
God bless us always!!!
Who are we not to give another chance to other people?
Let us live a life pleasing to God and you'd see the difference in your life.
God bless us always!!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
[Blog] When you are hurt...
When we are hurt what do we do? Do you avenge? Do you fire back at them? Do you curse their lineage? Do you dump your friendship? Do you forgive and forget?
Most of us easily just do everything but forgive and forget. A lot of us would say that we forgive this person but will never forget what they did. If so, where's forgiveness then? A couple of weeks ago, during our T4V, we talked about forgiveness and how wonderful feeling can it give us once we practice doing so. However, as human beings, we just opt not to because we're hurt. One thing that struck me the most was that the reason why we cannot forgive is the fact that we just acknowledge that we are hurt that's why we cannot move on and by moving on means that we have to forgive first. We cannot do this the other way around. Just today, I felt a big thug in my heart for I was hurt by someone who is so dear to me. Without her knowing it, she did hurt me.
It all started when she hurt the people around our circle even those who are outside looking in and trying to get in to the impenetrable membrane of our group. She ripped them off their property and possession. I may sound very accusing but I know that there has been tarnished trust and damaged relationships. I would talk to her and verify if there's a sight of truth somewhere and she did but people are saying otherwise. I would in turn talk to each individual and they would say otherwise. At first, I gave her the benefit of the doubt that this person may have been a victim of a black propaganda however, as the week’s progress, names are popping out of no where and the stories are overwhelming.
One night, as I was preparing for work, I received a very concerning and alarming call from this person. She was ripped off by the sidewalk! I was so concerned about her and wanted to just get there to show support and to tell her that I'm here for her. When I stepped in, I went straight to her and made sure that I ask her how she was really and she said [while sobbing] that she's not okay. I hugged her and told her I'm here for her. The night progressed and I saw smirking look from a lot of people which I confirmed when one soul came up to me and told me that she doesn’t believe her. Of course, I asked what happened and what made her say her claim then the stories started pouring out. This person ripped off a lot of her friends and those outside looking in. I then talked to her what really happened so the cycle started all over.
Today, she's not here and people are waiting for her arrival because they are waiting for their prized possessions are returned to them but they failed. I confronted her through SMS and told her what's happening and all that but she gave me the entire alibi she can provide me. Towards the end of the day, the people gathered and I gathered more information about what went really wrong. As I try to dig deeper to the issue, I was still able to preserve my poise and kept my cool however, somewhere in my heart, I know that there are questions that I want her to answer. Then I and 3 more souls went up to take a little break when one of them said something that broke my heart. I cannot put things in detail but this person tarnished my integrity with our common ground. I know there's truth somewhere but what she said was totally unacceptable. I got my heart broken and checked my heart how's it doing now given these facts.
Honestly, I am deeply hurt but I don’t feel bad at all. I admit something went wrong down the road and there are a lot of favors that I did for her but shall I forgive her? YES and another YES for that. I don't want to get stuck on the fact that I am just hurt. I also want to move on because at the end of the day, she's still my sister in Christ. As mentioned in Matthew 6:12 "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." It was also mentioned in Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Who am I to judge? Who am I to condemn? Who am I not to forgive? Jesus Christ forgave us PERIOD. No IFs. No BUTs. He did not say "I will forgive you because you were good in giving your tithes and I will not forgive that person for he did not give his tithe." In God there is no uncertainty. He is unchanging so as His Love for us. Yes, I am hurt but I forgave her. I love her because Jesus loves me.
My heart may be hurting and crying right now but God will give me rest, calm me and ultimately will comfort me. I will forgive for this is what God did for me --- He forgave my past, present and future sins so who am I not to forgive?
Most of us easily just do everything but forgive and forget. A lot of us would say that we forgive this person but will never forget what they did. If so, where's forgiveness then? A couple of weeks ago, during our T4V, we talked about forgiveness and how wonderful feeling can it give us once we practice doing so. However, as human beings, we just opt not to because we're hurt. One thing that struck me the most was that the reason why we cannot forgive is the fact that we just acknowledge that we are hurt that's why we cannot move on and by moving on means that we have to forgive first. We cannot do this the other way around. Just today, I felt a big thug in my heart for I was hurt by someone who is so dear to me. Without her knowing it, she did hurt me.
It all started when she hurt the people around our circle even those who are outside looking in and trying to get in to the impenetrable membrane of our group. She ripped them off their property and possession. I may sound very accusing but I know that there has been tarnished trust and damaged relationships. I would talk to her and verify if there's a sight of truth somewhere and she did but people are saying otherwise. I would in turn talk to each individual and they would say otherwise. At first, I gave her the benefit of the doubt that this person may have been a victim of a black propaganda however, as the week’s progress, names are popping out of no where and the stories are overwhelming.
One night, as I was preparing for work, I received a very concerning and alarming call from this person. She was ripped off by the sidewalk! I was so concerned about her and wanted to just get there to show support and to tell her that I'm here for her. When I stepped in, I went straight to her and made sure that I ask her how she was really and she said [while sobbing] that she's not okay. I hugged her and told her I'm here for her. The night progressed and I saw smirking look from a lot of people which I confirmed when one soul came up to me and told me that she doesn’t believe her. Of course, I asked what happened and what made her say her claim then the stories started pouring out. This person ripped off a lot of her friends and those outside looking in. I then talked to her what really happened so the cycle started all over.
Today, she's not here and people are waiting for her arrival because they are waiting for their prized possessions are returned to them but they failed. I confronted her through SMS and told her what's happening and all that but she gave me the entire alibi she can provide me. Towards the end of the day, the people gathered and I gathered more information about what went really wrong. As I try to dig deeper to the issue, I was still able to preserve my poise and kept my cool however, somewhere in my heart, I know that there are questions that I want her to answer. Then I and 3 more souls went up to take a little break when one of them said something that broke my heart. I cannot put things in detail but this person tarnished my integrity with our common ground. I know there's truth somewhere but what she said was totally unacceptable. I got my heart broken and checked my heart how's it doing now given these facts.
Honestly, I am deeply hurt but I don’t feel bad at all. I admit something went wrong down the road and there are a lot of favors that I did for her but shall I forgive her? YES and another YES for that. I don't want to get stuck on the fact that I am just hurt. I also want to move on because at the end of the day, she's still my sister in Christ. As mentioned in Matthew 6:12 "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." It was also mentioned in Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Who am I to judge? Who am I to condemn? Who am I not to forgive? Jesus Christ forgave us PERIOD. No IFs. No BUTs. He did not say "I will forgive you because you were good in giving your tithes and I will not forgive that person for he did not give his tithe." In God there is no uncertainty. He is unchanging so as His Love for us. Yes, I am hurt but I forgave her. I love her because Jesus loves me.
My heart may be hurting and crying right now but God will give me rest, calm me and ultimately will comfort me. I will forgive for this is what God did for me --- He forgave my past, present and future sins so who am I not to forgive?
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