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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