Do you remember last week when I shared about demonic spirits, and the areas that they can inhabit in your life?
I am going to continue my series on unforgiveness because I think it’s very important right now. I have a feeling that in order to get to your next season, your next “level” if you will – you need to go through a massive amount of forgiving those who you thought you forgave, but you really didn’t.
I’m going to focus on breaking down forgiveness, because I have the notion that people don’t really know how to do it so that it heals the wound that was created by the hurt. Essentially you are trying to put a Band-Aid on something that needs an antibiotic. There’s gunk in there and putting a Band-Aid on it is only going to leave the infection, not fix it.
How many times have you heard “𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘻𝘦?“ How many times have you said that? It’s ok, be honest with yourself. We all have.
Ready for that perspective I told you was so important to have?
What if Jesus said the same thing to you?
But He didn’t. When He hung on the cross He said “𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨.“ He wasn’t just talking about the people that nailed Him to the cross. He was talking about the next generation, the next generation, the next generation, all the way down to you and me, and beyond that- to our children, and our children’s children.
Now, I don’t know about you but my children’s children haven’t apologized for their sins yet. Jesus didn’t wait for their apology. He said I Forgive You first.
It brings me to my next question – how long are you going to stay tormented because you’re waiting for an apology?
Last week we talked about how you’re wounded when you’re hurt. It creates that trauma, and in that trauma it’s like a beacon for demonic spirits to come to. In that wound, is where they live, where they attach themselves to and invite their evil spirit squatter friends to come visit and live. Thus creating your torment. So I ask again, how long are you going to entertain these squatters living in your wounds, creating torment? Until an apology is given? Do you think that apology from them will serve as a Band-Aid or an antibiotic?
Because how many times has someone come back to you after hurting you and said “𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, *𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦*” And you are still left with the icky feeling.
The one where you see them in a room and you just get the Ick. Or maybe you see them being blessed in their life and you think “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘟𝘠𝘡 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦?!”
The worst thing you can do is try to deceive yourself. Hunny, if you’re getting that feeling or thinking those thoughts – you haven’t forgiven them.
Luke 17:4 says “Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
IN that same breath. Acts 24:16 says “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.“
If you break that verse down it is explaining that you are exercising yourself so that you are not taking offense to God AND not taking offense to man.
How do you fix an injury? You do what? Physical Therapy. What is physical therapy? Exercising the area that was injured.
If you read in Matthew 5:43-48 You are to love and pray for your enemies.
Now this can go one of two ways. When you’re in physical therapy you have two options, right? You can either push yourself and truly work to rebuild that damaged area, or you can just kinda skate by. We all know which is going to be more beneficial BUT do we always do it correctly? No.
The same goes for when you are acting out Matthew 5:43-48. If you are to pray for your enemies, what kind of prayer you are praying MATTERS. You can give a “𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯.” OR you can act out Psalm 35 where David is describing how he prayed for his enemies as if they were his mother. So here we are at the choice of how you are going to pray. Are you going to take the easy way OR are you going to truly pray for this person who hurt you as if they were your mother?
Through that prayer, that continuous prayer – you will see the wound start to heal. You have found your antibiotic. Sometimes you need an extra dose, but we can save that step for another day.
In getting offended you are creating strongholds which are giving the enemy permission to harass you, torment you, and the spirits to live in that wound that you are refusing to heal. You can take someone else’s offenses too. We tend to do it with friends and family members. When one of our loved ones gets hurt, we tend to want to protect them and we end up taking offense for them. If you aren’t careful – and if you don’t start praying for that person that wronged your loved one – you are going to be opening an avenue for the demonic spirits to have permission to dwell within you.
I’m going to leave you with this. If a basketball star who was headed in the direction to play for the NBA was wounded – let’s say it was their leg. If they hurt their leg and they choose to not do physical therapy, are they going to walk very well? No. Do you think they are still going to the NBA? No, they aren’t. If their wound isn’t fixed in the right way their life trajectory is altered. If you don’t fix the wound in your life, if that unforgiveness is not removed, you’re anointing can only stretch so far. You will not live out to the full purpose that your soul was intended to here on earth.
So pray for them. Pray like they are your mama. Maybe your spouse. Maybe your daddy. Pray like you want God to move heaven and earth for them. Every. Single. Day.
Watch what happens to your heart and your wound.
,– Steph