Why You Still Hurt After You Forgive | Maintaining Fire with Desmond Flores Forgiveness was the first step — not the last. The Lamb was slain. The blood was applied. The debt was paid. But the leaven is still in the cracks. Let’s search by candlelight. Have you ever forgiven someone… and still felt the pain? You did the right thing. You let it go. You chose grace. But the hurt is still there in the cracks. In this episode, host Desmond Flores opens up the ancient Jewish practice of bedikat chametz — the candlelight search for hidden leaven before Passover — and shows how it mirrors what God still wants to do in your heart long after you’ve said “I forgive.” In this episode we unpack: Why a little leaven leavens the whole lump — Galatians 5:9 (ESV) “Cleanse out the old leaven” — 1 Corinthians 5:7–8 (ESV) The searchlight prayer — Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) The “root of bitterness” warning — Hebrews 12:15 (ESV) Mercy asymmetry — Exodus 20:5–6 (ESV): three or four generations of consequence vs. a thousand generations of love What “searching by candlelight” really looks like: therapy, honest conversations, journaling, listening prayer, and trusted community If this is you — forgiven, but still hurting — this episode is for you. Pick up the candle. Walk into the first room. The Holy Spirit is already there. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” — Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) Join us as we stoke that fire, here on Maintaining Fire. If this podcast encourages you, hit like, subscribe, and share it with a friend. Let’s help each other walk out faith in the Lord. — SCRIPTURE REFERENCES (ESV) Galatians 5:9 — “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:1 — “For freedom Christ has set us free…” 1 Corinthians 5:7–8 — “Cleanse out the old leaven… For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Romans 7:17 — “So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” Psalm 139:23–24 — “Search me, O God, and know my heart!…” Hebrews 12:15 — “…that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble…” Exodus 20:5–6 — “…visiting the iniquity of the fathers… showing steadfast love to thousands…” GREEK & HEBREW KEY WORDS (STRONG’S) Leaven — zymē, G2219: leaven; figuratively, a corrupting influence. Cleanse out — ekkatharate, G1571: to cleanse out thoroughly, purge (imperative). Old — palaian, G3820: old, belonging to a former era. Search — chaqar, H2713: to search out, examine, investigate thoroughly. Steadfast love — chesed, H2617: covenant loyalty, lovingkindness, mercy. Bedikat Chametz — בְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ: the candlelight search for leaven before Passover. STATISTIC According to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible USA 2024 report, only about 38% of U.S. adults are “Bible engaged” or higher, while many report ongoing struggles with unresolved hurt, anxiety, and forgiveness — underscoring how often we stop at the moment of forgiveness without continuing into deeper inner healing. SOURCES & FURTHER STUDY ESV Bible — https://www.esv.org Bible Gateway — https://www.biblegateway.com Romans 7:17 (ESV) — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7:17&version=ESV Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139:23-24&version=ESV Bedikat Chametz (Chabad) — https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/117217 Bedikat Chametz (Halachipedia) — https://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Bedikat_Chametz Bedikas Chametz (Jewish English Lexicon) — https://jel.jewish-languages.org/words/2086 Strong’s / Bible Hub — https://biblehub.com State of the Bible USA 2024 — https://americanbible.org KEYWORDS forgiveness, healing after forgiveness, why does it still hurt, bedikat chametz, leaven, Galatians 5:9, Psalm 139:23, Hebrews 12:15, root of bitterness, generational pain, inner healing, Christian podcast, Maintaining Fire, Desmond Flores, Passover, 1 Corinthians 5:7 TAGS forgiveness, christian podcast, maintaining fire, desmond flores, inner healing, generational healing, root of bitterness, bedikat chametz, leaven, passover, psalm 139, hebrews 12:15, galatians 5:9, 1 corinthians 5:7, biblical exegesis, christian youtube HASHTAGS #MaintainingFire #DesmondFlores #ChristianPodcast #Forgiveness #Healing #InnerHealing #BedikatChametz #RootOfBitterness #Psalm139 #Galatians5 #ChristianYouTube #WalkOutFaith Thank you for watching. Please like, subscribe, and share. Keep stoking that fire. We’ll see you next time, here on Maintaining Fire.