Tag: lay it down

Holding a Grudge

Leave a comment

b80ffeba01a74d58e920319e299eeb28

Holding a grudge clutters the soul with bitterness.

Living hurt or nursing regret doesn’t help you live in wholeness today.  It keeps you living wounded.

Forgiveness is vital to your soul and it is a journey Jesus wants to walk you through.

It is vital because you are valuable.

Jesus spoke about this to the crowd that followed Him up a mountain:

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.

And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff.  Live generously.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:38-42‬ ‭MSG‬‬

God doesn’t deny that bad things happen or that people will take advantage of you but He also doesn’t abandon you to it either.

Jesus is saying that when someone takes advantage of you, give them what you have and move on with your life.  Let it go.  Forgive them.  Ask God to bless them.

In this way, you will be living in the abundance of God’s love instead of the famine of your past hurts.

You are not meant to carry the heavy load of resentment and regret.

What resentment or regret is weighing you down?

What grudge is poisoning your soul?

Bring them all to Jesus and lay each one at the foot of the cross. Then, take a deep breath and allow Him to fill the newly evacuated space with the cleansing power of His love.

 

 

You Are Not A Tree

1 Comment

70ec18ac8b7c1cdecd46667e334d5b08ce1f

“and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations”

Luke 24:47 MSG

I have come to treasure the gift of repentance, a word that simply means to turn around. To change. To move from where you are and head in a new direction.

There is no freedom without repentance.  The freedom that comes from recognizing your sin and being able to lay it down before God. There is no greater sense of peace than the one that comes the moment after receiving God’s forgiveness.

There is no greater sense of purpose than accepting God’s power to make a 180-degree turn and change.

This doesn’t just happen once. It isn’t reserved only for “the first time” you recognize you are a sinner in need of salvation but is a privileged right of every child of God, no matter how long (or how little) you have walked with God. It is the ONE thing that keeps your relationship with God thriving and alive.

Get before God and lay down what is holding you back.

Every day.
Once a week.
Once a month.
Once a year.
Whatever it takes.

The more the better. One of the reasons I need to go away by myself is that I need the time and space to squirm, to be real before God, to mourn my own weaknesses, own my mistakes and get neglected areas of my heart right with God.

And that takes courage because after repentance comes life change.
God gives you the power but you have to apply it to your life.

Be brave.

I want God’s prosperity in my life. In my mind, my heart, my health, my relationships and my ministry. But that means some things must change. I love the quote that says “if you don’t like where you are at, change it. You are not a tree”.

No, you are not a tree, you are a child of God.

What things do you need to be brave about?

When was the last time you found freedom through repentance?