Wise words are like deep waters;
Wisdom flows from the wise like a brookling brook……
-Proverbs 18:4
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“I remembered narrating this story many times in our
meeting but I think today I might have to reiterate an
important part of my story… This morning the Holy Spirit
would have me repeat it…”Pastor(Dr) Paul said as his
voice was booming in the speaker. Joseph had followed
John to church and they both sat at the front seat. Joseph
was ready for an encounter. He missed his fellowship
with God…
“I remember that very scenario where I entered my father
in law’s room after hearing the sound. The old man was
bleeding from the broken pieces of glasses that pierced
his hand when he fell, he was trying to fix his dead wife’s
picture when he slipped. As a Doctor I quickly treated
him. Though he accepted our proposal but I faced
another round of issues in my life until the Holy Spirit
intervened…” Doctor Paul said, as he motioned to pick his
handkerchief to clean his face. He was the youth pastor
of the church and it was youth’s Sunday…
Joseph sat comfortably, though he was shocked at first
when he saw doctor Paul coming up to the pulpit, John
had explained the situation to him…
“This morning I would be teaching on *forgiving yourself* .
I know some people here would say pastor Paul has
come with his teachings again…anyway, sit back and relax
because I will be teaching you a revelation that the Holy
Spirit taught me when I was depressed blaming myself
about the situations I found myself in…you see brethren
you can’t give what you don’t have. How can you easily
forgive another person when you have not learnt to
forgive yourself? Are you getting me?” Doctor Paul asked
the attentive congregation and they chorused yes!!
“Alright, firstly you need to understand that Life is full of
choices and every choice we make will either take us in a
positive, life-giving direction or rob us of the opportunity
to be a life-giving individual. Forgiving ourselves does not
let us off the hook, it does not justify what we have done,
and it is not a sign of weakness. Rather is a symbol of
strength.” Doctor Paul was hitting on the introduction of
his teaching… Joseph was at full attention he understood
the Holy Spirit was opening his eyes of understanding to
some deep things…
“Now listen carefully to this- If you look in the mirror and
look yourself in the eyes but you don’t like the person you
see, then you need to forgive yourself and learn how to
love the person that God has made in you! This is what
we call a stronghold, or an incorrect thinking pattern that
needs to be torn down in your mind. If you have repented
of your sins, and taken them before the Lord, then you
are forgiven and now you need to come to realize the
power of that. You need to stop associating your failures
with your “new creation” image, for God’s Word says…
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.” Doctor Paul jumped
down from the pulpit. The message was getting hotter.
Then he continued his message.
“Can you honestly look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I
love you” and mean it within your heart? I’m not talking
about a prideful way, but a humble means of accepting
who God has formed in you. We need to love and accept
the person that Christ has made in us, and forgive
ourselves as Christ has forgiven us!.. Face your neighbour
and repeat that to him or her.” He said that, when he
noticed some people were already dozing…
“Now lets talk about the importance of forgiving yourself.
When you look inside, you hate yourself, you could kick
yourself over and over for your past failures and choices.
You’ve come to Jesus and repented, but you haven’t
really accepted the truth about what Jesus has done for
you yet. You still feel ashamed and guilty over your past
and you keep holding it against yourself. The way you see
yourself is not an accurate picture of what Christ has
done for you. My brothers and sisters!!! It is basically
denying the work that Jesus accomplished for you on the
cross! If your sins are forgiven, then you need to see
yourself as separated from your sins. The enemy will try
diligently to remind you of your past and continue to beat
you up over sins that were supposed to be nailed to the
cross. Tell your neighbour- I have been crucified with
Christ Halleluyah…” He walked back to pulpit and went
through his sermon note then he continued the message…
“You see…if you are wrapped up in guilt and
condemnation my friend…you NEED to forgive yourself.
You can go through deliverance, but if you don’t forgive
yourself for the mistakes you’ve made, you won’t
experience the breakthrough that you need to be totally
set free. Let me make you understand the reality…. When
the recipient of a gift receives it gladly and with joy, the
giver is glorified. But when the recipient receives the gift,
but ignores it, the giver is mocked, belittled and feels
unappreciated. It is the same thing when we fail to forgive
ourselves. We are like a child who is given a trip to Disney
World for Christmas, yet he keeps complaining that he
can’t go even after his parents have already packed the
car and are waiting on him to get in! How would you feel
if you were that child’s parents? Wouldn’t you feel sick
inside, knowing that you spent all that money on the trip,
the tickets, the hotel reservations, etc, and your son
refuses to go because he doesn’t believe that what you
gave him was real? Hmmmmmh just think about how
your heavenly Father feels when He looks down and sees
His children walking around beating themselves up over
things that He shed His blood so that they could be
forgiven and set free from?” Doctor Paul adjusted the
microphone that was attached to his ears.
“Are you enjoying yourself in the presence of God…?” The
congregation screamed “yes sir.” Although he was not a
motivational speaker, he definitely knew how to catch his
audience’s attention
“I believe it is clear that failing to forgive ourselves
from our past mistakes is denying the work of the cross
and the shed Blood of Christ in our lives. When God’s
Word tells us that we’ve been washed clean with the
Blood of Christ and our sins are removed through the
atoning work that Jesus did for us… yet we still “could
kick ourselves” for our mistakes, then we are basically
saying, “I don’t care what the Blood of Jesus has done, I
still hate myself for what I’ve done!” “It’s staging to think
such a thing, but that is what really happens when we
refuse to forgive ourselves.” Doctor Paul held out his
hands in a funny way, placing it by his side. Then he
walked up to a lady in the crowd and said to her “If you
don’t see yourself as a new creature in Christ, then you
have a serious problem. You will be hindered and held
back from freely and confidently living out who you really
are in Christ! You will be hesitant and feel unworthy to
approach your Heavenly Father, because you feel you’re a
failure and unworthy. This is why it is vital for your
conscience to be cleansed of dead works, I mean your
past failures… The scripture in Hebrews 9 verse14 says-
“How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God?” He read the bible
offhand and pointing at the large screen that was
projecting the Bible verses…
“Listen to this…Failing to forgive yourself will put blinders
on your spiritual eyesight quickly. It will cause you to see
things through the eyes of guilt, shame and
condemnation. It will ruin your faith, and cause you to go
blind spiritually. Second Peter chapter 1 verse 9 says “But
he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar
off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old
sins.”
In the following verse, we are told to forgive one
another, but did you know that the root word for
the phrase “one another” actually includes yourself? The
Greek root word Heautou refers not only to others, but
also to ourselves! Listen to what Colossians 3:13 has to
say… “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another,
if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye.” …Doctor Paul was sweating
profusely.
Joseph was on his feet. He could not absorb those words
coming out at him. The Holy Spirit was hitting him right in
his heart. John was really happy, he had brought him to
church that morning though he was reluctant at first…
“Should I stop here and maybe share the grace?” doctor
Paul said. “No sir!!, continue please.” The response came
from various sections of the congregation…
“Now, God’s Word tells us that Jesus purged that is,
removed our sins Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 says “…when
he had by himself purged our sins…” but if we fail to
forgive ourselves, we are in essence, calling God’s Word
a liar! We are saying- “I hate myself because I did that
sin…I won’t forgive myself of it!” When God’s Word tells
us that the sin has been PURGED or REMOVED from us,
who are we to say that it is still part of our past? We are
in essence, calling God’s Word a LIE! Seriously, brethren…
I can’t tell you how important it is to realize that when the
recipient of a gift which is you and I receives a
gift of Jesus’ shed blood for the forgiveness of
our sins with joy and enjoys it to the fullness, the
giver of that gift that is Jesus is glorified! Failing
to forgive ourselves is denying or rejecting the gift
of God and brings no glory actually dishonor and
humiliation to what Jesus did for us. Can you please
project Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 to 22… He faced the
screen and he read it out loud..
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come,
and not the very image of the things, can never with those
sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they
not have ceased to be offered? because that the
worshipers once purged should have had no more
conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a
remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take
away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he
saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body
hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come
(in the volume of the book it is
written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he
said, sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and
offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then
said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second. By
the which will we are sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every
priest standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sins: But this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made
his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost
also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their
hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins
and iniquities will I remember no more . Now where
remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way,
which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is
to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house
of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
“I so much love the book of Hebrews…so explanatory.
Alright lets take a step further. Can we all open our bibles
to Matthew 14:21-31…its a story we very conversant
with…Peter and Jesus…Its something we Christians are
guilty of. We follow Christ yet we look at the environment
like Peter, and we are drowning… So quickly, how do we
get through unforgiving spirit. How do we stop it? Let’s
see Step1 which says, *be honest with yourself*…you
have to realize that deep down inside, you’re not happy
with the person of your past. If you are in denial, then
forget trying to treat the root of your problem. You need to
see the problem before you can apply the solution. It
might even be helpful to
list all of the things that you hate about your past,
and one-by-one, give them to the Lord and release
yourself from each failure.” “I hope you are writing it
down… Step 2 says you need to realize that your debt has
been PAID…The only way that you can beat yourself up,
after Jesus has paid your debt, is if you aren’t accepting
the gift that He has given you. If He has paid the debt,
and you keep denying that fact, then you are rejecting the
very gift that God has given you! You need to accept what
Jesus has done for you by faith…Galatians 2:16 says
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
My brother…the blood of Jesus was shed for the payment
of your sins. Jesus said it clearly in Matthew chapter 26
verse 28, “For this is my blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Now
Because of the powerful work that Christ did for us on the
cross, God’s Word tells us to come boldly unto the throne
of grace, so that we can obtain mercy:…The price for your
redemption has been paid in full. It’s up to you receive it
and realize that the blood of Jesus actually removes the
sin from your record. Now you need to see yourself as
being forgiven and justified which means, “just as if
you’ve never sinned.” In Luke 7, Jesus took a very sinful
woman likely a prostitute and freely washed her clean
without hesitation…Luke 7:47 says “Wherefore I say unto
thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved
much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little. “This verse is just one example of how freely Jesus
would forgive a person of their sins. It is true that if we
take our sins to Jesus, He will freely
forgive us without hesitation: Also take a look at Romans
3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
There is also no sin that you can take to Jesus which He
will not forgive, for the Bible tells us that He is prepared
to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness if we will turn to
Him with our failures! Even 1John 1:9 made it more clear
that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” We are getting closer to the end of the
teaching.” Doctor Paul said out loud, as he checked his
wristwatch. The protocol official already brought a
warning note for him to round up.
“Let us quickly look into Step 3 which says- Allow the Holy
Spirit to heal your soul. You need to let God heal you. As
long as you keep holding something against yourself, you
are blocking the Holy Spirit’s power from entering and
healing that area of your mind and life! You need to open
up your heart, and allow the light of Christ to shine into
the darkness of your soul….and to the last step it says-
Begin to see the “new creature” of Christ within you…You
are not seeing yourself as you really are. If you’ve
repented of your past, and sought God’s forgiveness, then
you are forgiven and justified which means “just as if I’ve
never sinned”..It’s not that you should try to forget what
happened and don’t remind yourself of it either, but the
important key is to see your past through the Blood of
Jesus. You need to see your past as “paid in full” by the
work that Christ did for you on the cross! Seeing things
with this perspective changes everything! You need to
begin seeing yourself through the blood of Jesus. So that
day, when the enemy was trying to beat me up over my
past, the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to me and said, “You
need to KNOW that you’re clean…your faith depends upon
it!” Your what!!…” Doctor Paul screamed loud as he closed
his sermon note…
Tears were flowing from Joseph’s eyes… The sermon was
an eye opener, it touched every part of his life… He was
sorry for everything… As just as the altar call was made…
He was the first to make his way to the altar… And as he
got to the front a hand touched his shoulder. He looked
back and saw Jadesola.. And beside her was James.
Their eyes were red from crying. Joseph turned around
and hugged his best friend saying I forgive you. And then
he turned to look at Jadesola… “Sweetheart am sorry… I
know I hurt you.” He was cut short by Jade who made a
shut up sign with her hand to her mouth… They joined the
others who were standing in front to say their confessions
to God…
