PRAYER:
HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY. WE THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO COME TOGETHER, NOT JUST TO PRAISE AND WORSHIP YOU, BUT TO RECEIVE A RHEMA WORD, THAT WILL BRING US CLOSER TO YOU AND DOING THE THINGS YOU DESIRE FOR US TO DO. FORGIVE US, LORD; FORGIVE US, OUR THOUGHTS, DEEDS AND WORDS, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN GLORIFYING TO YOUR NAME. CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU LOOSE US RIGHT NOW, FROM ANY STRONGHOLDS, THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND ANYTHING THAT WILL HINDER US FROM RECEIVING ALL THAT YOU HAVE FOR US AND WE THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE, ARE DOING AND WILL BE DOING IN OUR LIVES. HAVE YOUR WAY RIGHT NOW, IN EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES. LORD, I ASK THAT AS I BEGAN TO SPEAK THE WORDS THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME THAT YOU REMOVE ALL OF ME AND YOU STEP IN, TO REVEAL TO US ALL YOU WOULD HAVE US TO KNOW AND LEARN. I THANK YOU, LORD, FOR WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO. THESE BLESSINGS, WE ASK, IN YOUR SON JESUS’ NAME. AMEN, AMEN AND AMEN.
THE WORD
FORGIVENESS. WHEN I THINK OF FORGIVENESS, I THINK OF GOD, I THINK OF GOD AND HOW HE HAS FORGIVEN ME, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I THINK OF HOW MUCH HE LOVES ME ENOUGH, TO GIVE ME CHANCE AFTER CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT. AND THEN I DESIRE TO FORGIVE THE WAY HE FORGIVES ME.
IF WE TURN TO MATTHEW 6, I AM GOING TO READ FROM THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. WE CAN START AT VERSE 6, WHERE JESUS WAS TEACHING THEM TO PRAY, AFTER THEY WITNESSED HIM PRAYING TO THE FATHER SO MUCH, THAT ONE OF THEM ASKED HIM TO TEACH THEM HOW, NOT ONLY THEM, BUT US AS WELL, SHOULD PRAY. THAT IS ANOTHER WORD, RIGHT THERE. IN VERSE 12, IT SAYS:
“AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.” NOT ONLY ARE WE ASKING THE FATHER TO FORGIVE US, WE ARE ASKING THE FATHER TO FORGIVE OTHERS AS WELL.
IN ORDER TO FORGIVE OTHERS, WE MUST FIRST LEARN HOW TO FORGIVE OURSELVES. IN PSALM 25: 18, IT SAYS, “LOOK ON MY AFFLICTION AND MY PAIN, AND FORGIVE ALL MY SINS.” FOR THOSE WHO PREFER THE NEW TESTAMENT, WE CAN GO TO MARK 2:10, THAT TELLS US, “BUT THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT THE SON OF MAN HAS POWER ON EARTH TO FORGIVE SINS”. WHEN GOD FORGIVES US, AS MENTIONED IN PSALM 103: 12 AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST, SO FAR HAS HE REMOVED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS FROM US. HE REMEMBERS OUR SIN NO MORE.
IT IS THE LIE THAT SATAN WHISPERS IN OUR EARS, THAT HAS US BEATING OURSELVES INTO THINKING WE STILL ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. IT IS HIS JOB TO KEEP US FROM GOD, TO KEEP US FROM DOING THE THINGS GOD DESIRES US TO BE DOING. IT IS SATAN THAT IS DOING ALL HE CAN TO KEEP US FROM WALKING IN THE FORGIVENESS THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN GRANTED TO US WHEN WE CRIED OUT TO GOD TO FORGIVE US. IT IS THEN WE ARE TO GO TO GOD, ASKING HIM TO TEACH US HOW TO FORGIVE OURSELVES. ONCE WE LEARN HOW TO FORGIVE OURSELVES, WE WILL BE ABLE TO START FORGIVING OTHERS.
AND, IF WE SKIP DOWN TO VERSE 14 & 15, IT TELLS US, “FOR IF YOU FORGIVE MEN THEIR TRESPASSES, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU. BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE MEN THEIR TRESPASSES, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES. TRESPASSES MEANS, AN OFFENSE, SIN, OR WRONG. THEREFORE, WE ARE TO FORGIVE OUR FELLOW BROTHER AND SISTER, SAVED OR UNSAVED OF ANY OFFENSE, SIN OR WRONGDOING THEY HAVE COMMITTED AGAINST US.
IF WE TURN TO MARK 11, VERSES 25 AND 26, IT ALSO TELLS US, “AND WHENEVER YOU STAND PRAYING, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ANYONE, FORGIVE HIM, THAT YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN MAY ALSO FORGIVE YOU YOUR TRESPASSES. BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES.”
WHEN WE THINK OF FORGIVENESS, WE THINK OF FORGIVENESS OF LETTING GO WHAT SOMEONE HAS DONE TO US AND NOT HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT PERSON EVER AGAIN. WHILE THIS IS