The Commands of Christ Podcast Gabriel Cleator, Nate Paine

Have you ever forgiven someone only to wake up the next morning to feel all the old hurts and bitterness again? We can be discouraged and wonder, “did I actually forgive them?” It is important to realize that just as we need to come to the initial choice to forgive, we also must learn to walk out the “journey” of forgiveness. A key in this journey is learning that forgiveness is not an emotion; it is an act of the will. As we choose to forgive, to bless, and to release our offenders, our feelings will follow.

It is sobering to realize that when we choose to withhold forgiveness toward an offender, we actually give ground to the enemy in our lives. Bitterness allows the enemy to have an “advantage” and to wreak havoc in other areas of our lives. Join Nate and Gabe as they exhort us to allow God to heal our pain so we can become channels of love and forgiveness to our offenders.

When Jesus says we must forgive seventy times seven, He was referring to an infinite number! If we grit our teeth and try to forgive in our own strength, we will see how impossible this is. However as we depend on the Lord, He is able to fill us with His forgiveness. We as believers ought to seek to have the heart of our King - a heart that forgives unconditionally.

Can you imagine the incredible burden of having a $4 billion debt? To pay such a sum back would be impossible! And beyond that, can you imagine the gratefulness that would overwhelm you if you were told the debt had been forgiven? In Scripture we read that a man was forgiven such a debt, but turned around and refused to forgive someone else a debt of a mere fraction of his own! Listen as Nate and Gabe share a key in learning to forgive others — namely, that we first need to recognize and value how much we have been forgiven.

One of the reasons we are warned to “beware of covetousness”, is because it starts out below the surface of our lives.  It begins many times unrecognized in our thoughts and desires and if left unchecked, suddenly we find ourselves caught in its trap. Are we setting our affection on temporal things? Are we cultivating desires for things that are outside the bounds of what God has for us? Listen as Nate and Gabe give examples from Scripture of those whose lives were devastated by the root of covetousness.

As believers, we need to be careful that we don’t derive our identity and value from our paycheck or our possessions - if we do, we will always be covetous for more! The substantive part of our life is not made up of the things we possess. But rather, our identity is found in the Person of Jesus Christ! The more we realize this the more we will experience life with rest and contentment.