December 2017
Holy Spirit resides in your heart. All the love that He is, dwells within you( 1 John 4:7-8). Therefore, if you are willing to fully surrender to Him, in addition to removing the hurt, God can miraculously pour out His love in your heart. Love is a“ fruit of the Spirit”( Gal 5:22), and can replace the acid of bitterness with the sweetness of compassion. What an amazing and healing exchange!
Would you ask God to fill your heart with His love particularly for the individual who hurt you? If you cooperate with God, you will discover an outpouring of His power in your life. You may find yourself looking and acting very much like the Christ who lives within you!
5. Thank God for the Experience
There is a difference between“ thanking God” and“ being thankful.” Thankfulness is an emotion that we sometimes feel and sometimes do not. We may not feel thankful about a situation that has come into our lives, but we are called by God to continually give thanks( 1 Thes 5:18; Eph 5:20; Phil 4:4).
Why would God make such a seemingly impossible command?
Our Great Physician knows that thanksgiving has amazing remedial properties. Giving thanks reminds us of God ' s might, and lifts us up to view the situation from His perspective. The obedient response of thanksgiving takes our mind off the pain and focuses our thoughts on God.
Such faith-based thanksgiving is able to say,“ Lord, even though I do not understand it, and may not feel like it, I believe You are sufficient for this situation... and I thank You. You have not left Your throne. This did not take You by surprise. You have ample grace and sovereign purposes for me in the midst of my hurt.”
6. Keep continually and instantly forgiving
Do not think for a moment that your enemy, the devil, will take defeat lying down. You may encounter a multitude of additional opportunities to exercise faith and forgiveness sometimes involving the same person. Satan may even parade the past hurt through your memory and try to revive your former emotions of anger and revenge.
When this happens, you could choose to relive the situation and pick up the hurt of the past. Or, you could realize that God is developing you into a godly man or woman, and that your character is strengthened by every act of the common day. Each hurt that comes your way is a fresh opportunity to forgive and love like He forgives and loves.
The continued presence of difficulty is an indication that God has not given up on teaching you how to be like Him. And if you have any desire to be like God, you must learn to forgive.
( Taken from Forgiveness: Healing the Harbored Hurts of Your Heart by Bill Elliff with Tim Grissom. Copyright © 1998 by Dr. Bill R. Elliff. Used with permission)
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