(Photo reference: http://vividlife.me/ultimate/41223/breaking-the-chain-of-pain/)
I. Introduction:
In this message, I am going to explain to you how to be set free from bondages cause by unforgiveness; since most bondages begins with unforgiveness. Unforgiveness causes strongholds to set up in your mind (soul-made up of mind, will, and emotions) which leads to principalities being set up; bitterness and self-bitterness are two of satan’s principalities– I will discuss in full later. When this happens, the person or persons who has hurt you has gotten the victory over you; you are in bondage to him/her because you eat and sleep them – they have taken control of your life! The strongholds of bitterness and self-bitterness are satan’s weapons that he causes to produce toxic emotions to destroy us; the enemy uses every trick in the book to keep us from forgiving others and ourselves. This is why forgiving is not easy BUT it is NOT impossible! We CAN DO ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13); we just have to make up in our minds to do it!! God’s grace is sufficient for us because His strength is made perfect in our weakness and when we are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)!
To help us forgive others, we must know who REALLY is fighting against us; it is not the flesh and blood person that is fighting against us but the spirit behind that person! Ephesians 6:12 lets us know this: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (biblegateway.com – NKJV). Knowing who are really fighting against us will cause us to immediately forgive someone when they offend us and cause us to immediately forgive ourselves when we make a mistake. We can choose to forgive people when they hurt us or choose not to forgive them; the choice is ours. EVERYTHING we do, we have choice to do or not to do.
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Gethsemane, this caused us to have choice; it opened their eyes and they knew good and evil (Genesis 3:5; Genesis 3). After Adam’s and Eve’s eyes were opened to good and evil, God gave mankind a choice between life and death (Deuteronomy 30:11-20; Deuteronomy 30). God said in Deuteronomy 30:15, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,” (biblegateway.com – NKJV). Therefore, we have a choice to do what is right when others hurt us (forgive) or do what is wrong (not forgive); we can either choose life or death or blessings or curses – the ultimate choice is ours!! There is NO in between; we either choose God or the devil!! We are either for God or against Him; we SHOULD NOT be straddling the fence (Matthew 6:24; Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23)!!
May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds ALWAYS!!!
Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks
NOTE: These materials are copyright protected therefore you must request permission to reproduce any part of this material. To request permission, please contact Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks: drdehooks@abusedwoman.org.
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