Forgive So You Can Be Free

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:50.960 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:55.840 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:59.920 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.480 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.280 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:08.760 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:10.320 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:13.360 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:27.720 your life. Well, God bless you, and we welcome you. 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:30.720 It's always a joy to come into your homes. We 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:33.320 love you. And if you're ever in our area, I 0:01:33.319 --> 0:01:35.119 hope you'll stop by and be a part of one 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.679 of our services. I promise you we'll make you feel 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:40.360 right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in today, 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:42.760 and thank you again for coming out. And I like 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.120 to start with something funny each week. And I heard 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:48.000 about this group of elderly ladies. They were way up 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:51.360 in their eighties. As they were driving down the freeway together, 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:54.840 they got pulled over by a police officer. The officer 0:01:54.880 --> 0:01:58.400 said to the lady driving, ma'am, do you realize you're 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:02.120 only going thirty five miles an hour? She said, yes, Officer, 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:04.200 I realized that. He said, well, why are you going 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:07.640 so slow? She said, because the sign says thirty five. 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:10.320 He kind of laughed. He said, no, ma'am, that's the 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.960 number of the freeway. This is Highway thirty five. And 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:16.640 by the way, why did these other ladies look so terrified. 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.080 She smiled and said, because we just got off Highway 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:25.000 ninety five. Hold up your bible and say it like 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:28.280 you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:30.840 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:34.040 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:37.520 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:41.600 My mind is alert, my heart is recepted. I will 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:45.400 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:49.600 I want to talk to you today about forgiving so 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:52.760 that you can be free in life. We all have 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:56.200 unfair things that happen to us. We can choose to 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:59.440 hold on to the hurt, become bitter and angry, and 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.080 let it poison our future, or we can choose to 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:05.560 let it go and trust God to make it. 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:06.400 Up to us. 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:09.639 You may think that you're not able to forgive. They 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.839 hurt you too badly, Joel, you don't know how I 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:16.040 was raised. My ex fouse caused me a lot of pain. 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:20.160 This friend betrayed me. I just can't let it go. No, 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:23.720 you're not forgiving for their sake, You're forgiving for your 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:28.040 own sake. When you forgive you are taking away their 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:31.560 power to hurt you. The mistake we make so often 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:34.400 is we hold on to it. We go around bitter 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:38.920 and angry. All we're doing is allowing them to continue 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:42.520 to hurt us. That other person is out enjoying life, 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:46.800 having a good time. We're not hurting them by staying angry. 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:50.280 We're just poisoning our own life. I know people they're 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.520 still mad at someone that's dead and gone, they're not 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:57.120 even alive, but they've got unforgiveness toward their parents, a 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:01.360 former boss, an ex fouse, bad enough that they hurt 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:05.200 you once. Don't let them continue to hurt you by 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:09.560 staying angry. I've heard it said when you forgive, you 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:13.400 are setting a prisoner free. You will soon realize the 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:17.960 prisoner wasn't the other person. The prisoner was you. What 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:20.640 they did to you may have been wrong, but my 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:25.080 challenge is don't let it ruin the rest of your life. 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:29.240 They may have betrayed you, lied about you, mistreated you, 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:33.240 but what they did is not worth you missing your destiny. 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:38.480 You cannot let one divorce, one betrayal, one bad childhood 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:41.400 keep you from the awesome future God has in store. 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:46.520 Joseph was betrayed, he was sold into slavery by his brothers. 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:50.440 He could have let that one bad break, that one 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:55.159 injustice steal his destiny. No telling how many people in 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:57.800 the scripture that we don't read about because they got 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:01.400 angry mad, tried to pay you people back and miss 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:05.200 God's best. Don't let that be you. Your destiny is 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:08.720 too great to let what somebody did to you keep 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:12.320 you from moving forward. Forgiveness is not about just being 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:14.479 nice and kind. Oh, I know, joy, it's the right 0:05:14.480 --> 0:05:14.960 thing to do. 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:15.479 No. 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:19.680 Forgiveness is about not missing the amazing future that's in 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.039 front of you now. I know some of you have 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:25.640 a valid reason to be angry. You were mistreated when 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:29.400 you were younger. Wasn't your fault. You had no control 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:31.960 over it, and what those people did was not right. 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:36.880 Forgiveness doesn't mean that you're excusing their behavior. Does it 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:40.200 mean that you're lessening the offense. Nor am I saying 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.560 you got to go be good friends with them. I'm 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:46.200 simply saying you need to let it go. Quit dwelling 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:50.159 on it, quit replaying it in your memory, quit giving 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:53.800 it time and emotional energy. You've got a destiny to 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:57.760 fulfill every time you let it consume you in your thoughts, 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:00.240 and you go back to it and replay how bad 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:03.680 it was and how unfairly you were treated. It's like 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:07.240 you're opening up an old wound. When you don't let 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:10.640 it go, it won't heal properly. It's like a bruise 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:13.640 that won't go away. If you've ever hit your arm 0:06:13.720 --> 0:06:16.520 really hard and gotten a big bruise, somebody comes over 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:19.080 later to give you a hug or accidentally bumps up 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:23.240 against it, it's very painful. It's very sensitive, so you'll 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:27.320 be overly protective and make sure nobody gets close to it. 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:30.599 It's the same way when we've been emotionally bruised. We've 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:33.640 been hurt somebody did us wrong. If we don't let 0:06:33.680 --> 0:06:37.040 it heal so the bruise can go away, we too 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:41.880 will be overly sensitive. We'll be defensive about the smallest things. 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:46.320 We end up not having good relationships. I know ladies 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:50.360 that don't trust men because one messed up man did 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:54.000 them wrong. One messed up man hurt them, and they 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.680 never let it go. And how they're defensive. They're distrustful. 0:06:57.720 --> 0:06:59.800 They think all men are bad, all men are out 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:02.799 to get them. I had a gentleman tell me several 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:06.080 months ago how he enjoys watching me on television. But 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:08.640 he said, Joel, I don't know if I really trust you. 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:11.040 I thought that was odd and ask him why, and 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:14.600 he explained how twenty years ago he was on a 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.760 committee at his church and the pastor did him wrong. 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:21.120 He got hurt and left the church. Year after year, 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:23.880 he's holding on to that bitterness. Now he thinks all 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.160 ministers are bad. I know he's wrong because this minister's good. 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:31.400 Not only that good looking too. Let me add that. 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:38.720 What's his problem? He's still bruised. The scripture says Jesus 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.200 came to set at liberty them that are bruised. That 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:45.680 indicates we're not really free. When we're bruised, we're not 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:48.960 at liberty. And if you want the bruise to go away, 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:51.200 if you want to walk in the freedom that belongs 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:55.200 to you, you simply need to forgive the wrongs, let 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:59.040 it go, and move forward in life. There's nothing the 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:02.200 enemy would love any more than for you to let 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:06.120 one bad thing that happened, one messed up person that 0:08:06.240 --> 0:08:10.000 hurts you, one injustice to ruin the rest of your life. 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:12.400 You got to put your foot down and say no way. 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:16.040 My destiny is too great, my future is too bright. 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.559 My God is too big to let what somebody did 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:22.239 or didn't do to me cause me to get stuck 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:25.120 where I am. I'm gonna shake that off and press 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.960 forward into the bright future that God has in store. 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:31.520 I had a young lady tell me recently how when 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.319 she was a little girl, she was abused by several 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:39.880 men in her life. It's very unfair. She grew up confused, ashamed, 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.120 thinking that it was her fault. She didn't trust men, 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:45.559 but she would do anything to try to please them. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:50.000 That's all she had known. On the inside, she was bitter, angry. 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.679 She had a chip on her shoulder. For twenty six years, 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:57.160 she had not spoken to her father. She hated him. 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.720 Every time she thought about him, she would become more bitter, 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:04.440 more angry. One day she heard me talking about what 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:08.640 I'm telling you, that when we forgive, it releases us 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.000 to move forward. Nothing that somebody's done to us has 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.360 to keep us from our destiny. At thirty six years 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:18.200 of age, she made a special trip to another city 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:22.079 and found her father. When he saw her, his eyes 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.480 got this big. She said, Dad, what you did to 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.800 me was wrong, and I've hated you every day of 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.880 my life. But i cannot live with this poison anymore. 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.119 So I've come here to tell you that I'm forgiving 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:39.320 you for everything you've done to me, she said. When 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.040 she left that day, she felt like she was being 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:46.240 released from prison. Up to that point, she had floundered 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:51.240 in life, in and out of relationships, several different jobs. Today, 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:55.680 ten years later, she's happily married. She's got three beautiful children, 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:59.160 she owns her own successful business. She said, your life 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:03.920 could not be any better. It all started when she 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:08.280 let it go. Forgive so that you can be free. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.240 Don't let that person that hurts you keep you in prison. 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.120 If you will let it go, God will do for 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:17.720 you what he did for her, what he did for Joseph. 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:20.840 He'll take what was meant for your harm and he'll 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:23.960 use it to your advantage. And it may have been painful, 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:26.920 but don't waste your pain. God wants to use the 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:31.600 pain to promote you. Hebrews ten thirty says God is 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:37.520 a just god. He will repay the exact compensation owed us. 0:10:37.800 --> 0:10:41.440 He will settle and solve the cases of his people. 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.280 Some of you today you need some cases settled. You've 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:49.840 had unfair things happen. Maybe somebody stole your childhood, or 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.559 somebody left you with a bunch of children to raise 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:56.439 by yourself. Perhaps a business partner cheated you, you lost 0:10:56.480 --> 0:10:59.600 a lot of money. You could easily be angry, bitter 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:03.680 to pay them back, nor be encouraged. God is a 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:08.200 just god. He knows every person that's hurt you. He's 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:12.080 seen every person that's violated you, every person that left 0:11:12.120 --> 0:11:15.719 you alone and afraid. Nobody else may have seen it, 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:18.280 but God saw it, and he knew it wasn't right. 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:22.400 He's saying today, I'm going to settle your cases. I'm 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:25.480 going to make your wrongs right. I'm not only going 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:28.920 to pay you back what you deserve, but God promised 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:32.440 in Isaiah he will pay you back double for every 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:36.560 unfair thing that's happened. That means every person that lied 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.720 about you, tried to make you look bad, let it go, 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:44.520 and Double is coming. Those people that violated you, forgive them, 0:11:44.840 --> 0:11:48.040 and double is on its way. That business partner that 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:51.360 cheated you get rid of the resentment in Double's coming. 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:56.040 That spouse that was unfaithful, forgive, and you're going to 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:59.439 see double the joy, double the peace, double the fulfillment. 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:02.959 God never brings you out the same. He will make 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:07.320 the enemy pay for bringing that injustice into your life. Now, 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:09.160 you've got to do your part and let it go. 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:14.160 As long as you're going around with resentment, holding a grudge, 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:18.000 it happened thirty years ago, but you're still angry five 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:20.920 years ago that coworker did you wrong. You're still trying 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:23.440 to figure out how to pay him back. No, let 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.880 God be your vindicator. Let God settle your cases. Some 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:31.240 of you today you feel guilty about something that wasn't 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:34.960 even your fault. People mistreated you when you were growing up. 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.920 Now there's a nagging feeling on the inside, like something's 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.480 wrong with you, like you were to blame. Now you 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:46.520 cannot help the way people treated you when you were younger. 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:50.640 If somebody took advantage or did you wrong, you don't 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.400 have to feel ashamed. Don't live guilty. It's not your fault, 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:57.760 it's the other person's fault. Hold your head up high. 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:00.880 You were a child of the most High God. Your 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:04.000 value did not go down because one messed up person 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:07.440 did you wrong. You are still the apple of God's eye. 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:11.040 You are still his most prized possession. You still have 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:15.640 seeds of greatness on the inside. Know this life is 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.800 not always fair, but God is fair. And if you 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:22.360 will let go of the shame, the blame and press forward, 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.840 God will cause the rest of your life to be 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.000 better than it would have been if that never would 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:31.360 have happened. He will pay you back with more. Now 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:35.000 I've learned, God will not allow one of his children 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:39.839 to be constantly mistreated and taking advantage of. If you're 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:42.400 in a situation like that, where somebody's doing you wrong 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:46.040 or somebody has done you wrong, don't get depressed. Don't 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.320 give up on life. You keep believing, knowing that payday 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:52.520 is on its wife. If your husband packed up and 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:55.160 ran off with another woman, you don't have to feel ashamed. 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:58.600 Don't listen to those voices telling you you're not good enough, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.520 you're not attractive. Now, those are all lies. You don't 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:05.040 have the problem. He has the problem. If he'll do 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:06.760 that to you, he'll do it to the next woman. 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.880 You keep your head held high, knowing that the creator 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:12.480 of the universe is going to settle your cases. He's 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:16.199 going to make your wrongs right. It'll help us to forgive. 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:20.320 If we can realize the people that hurt us, they 0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:24.760 have problems of their own. They have issues. Somebody lashes 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:29.440 out and mistreats you, Somebody abandons you, rejected you. They've 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:33.080 got unresolved issues down in here that they're not dealing with, 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:37.240 and that doesn't excuse their behavior. But bottom line is, 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:41.280 somebody hurt them, Somebody didn't give them what they needed. 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.280 If you will take a merciful approach and say, God, 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.880 I know what they did to me was wrong. God, 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:50.720 they hurt me. It wasn't right. But God, I'm not 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.000 going to try to pay them back. I'm not going 0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:56.240 to try to get revenge. God. I'm asking you to 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:59.840 heal them of their hurts. God, give them what they 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:03.680 need need. When you can pray for your enemies, when 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.080 you can bless those that have done you wrong, like 0:15:06.160 --> 0:15:08.720 the scripture says, then you might as well get ready. 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.240 God is going to show up to settle your own cases. 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:16.120 I heard a story about this young man fourteen years old. 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:19.840 He was raised in a very abusive environment. His father 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.680 was an alcoholic and he would come home in these 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:26.560 violent rages. There was no peace in this home. They 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:29.480 all lived on edge. This young man was afraid for 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:33.080 his life, feared for his mother's life. One night, the 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.320 dad came home drunk and he began to abuse the mom, 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:40.000 not just verbally, but this time physically. This young man 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:43.440 fourteen years old, stepped in there to protect his mom, 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.040 and he and his dad got into this big fist fight, 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:48.960 and long story short, the father kicked him out of 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.400 the house. He said, I never want to see your 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.480 face again, and if you ever set foot in this house, 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:57.680 it'll be the last time that you do. That young 0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:02.040 man left that night so dejected, so desponded, he was 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.920 going to end his life. He was standing on the 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:07.600 side of a bridge in the middle of the night, 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:11.600 about to jump. And these people weren't religious people, they 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.160 didn't attend church anywhere. But all of a sudden, he said, 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.720 he heard a voice saying to him, as clearly as 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:22.560 I'm talking to you, saying, don't jump. I'll be your father, 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:25.760 I'll be your protector. I'll take care of you. That 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:29.360 was his heavenly father showing up to bring justice into 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:33.800 his life. The Psalmist said, even if my father and 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:37.200 mother forsake me, God will adopt me as his very 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:41.240 own child from that day forward. That young man was 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:44.720 on his own fourteen years old. He was filled with 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:48.880 all these hurts, pain, so much rejection. But he made 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.040 a decision early on that he was not going to 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.280 hate his father. He forgave him and moved on with 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:59.280 his life. He ended up becoming a minister. Over the years, 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:01.400 he reached out to his father, but he wouldn't have 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:04.640 anything to do with him. Twenty two years later, one 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:07.560 Sunday morning, he was in the pulpit. Out of the blue, 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:10.320 his father walked in the back of the church. He 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.360 hadn't seen him since that day when he was fourteen 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.920 years old, the day of that big fight. After the service, 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:20.040 the father came down to the altar, big tears running 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:22.959 down his cheeks. He not only asked his son to 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:25.800 forgive him, but that day he gave his life to 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:29.960 the Lord. Friend. God is a just God. I don't 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.920 know how long it may take, but God is faithful. 0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:38.080 He will nature wrongs right. He will restore what the 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.480 enemy has stolen. It doesn't matter how bad they hurt 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:44.280 you and how wrong they were. If you let it go, 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:48.080 God will settle your cases. After the service, the father 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:51.159 and son began to talk, and this father told the 0:17:51.240 --> 0:17:54.480 son things that he had never known before. How his 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:58.439 father was an alcoholic. His father was very abusive to 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:02.399 his mother. This father was raised in such a dysfunctional home. 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:05.280 By the time he was six, he had already lived 0:18:05.320 --> 0:18:09.160 with four different families. And again, I'm not making excuses 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:13.800 for anybody's behavior, but the point I'm making is hurting 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:17.959 people usually hurt other people. This father had all that 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:21.919 anger and bitterness and rejection on the inside. Instead of 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:25.119 letting it go, he made the mistake of carrying it around. 0:18:25.600 --> 0:18:28.439 He didn't realize he was passing it down to the 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.640 next generation. When Jesus rose from the dead, he came 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:35.879 back to talk to his disciples. He said something interesting. 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:41.879 Whatever sins you forgive will be forgiven. Whatever sins you 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:46.560 retain will be retained. When we retain something, it means 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:48.960 we hold on to it. I believe one thing God 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:51.679 is saying in this passage is when we hold on 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:55.360 to the wrongs that people have done, when we retain 0:18:55.840 --> 0:19:00.280 their sins, it not only contaminates us, but that's sin 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:04.000 is like a seed. It can actually produce in us 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:08.200 exactly what they did. In other words, when you don't forgive, 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.320 it's easy to become what you hate. I know a 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:15.679 young lady that hated her father. He ran around on 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:19.600 her mother. She didn't have a good childhood. She resented 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.680 the fact that her father was unfaithful and he wasn't 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:25.919 there for the children. She couldn't stand that man. But 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:28.159 do you know when this young lady grew up and 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:31.800 got married, she ended up running around on her husband. 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.720 She was unfaithful, she wasn't there for her children. She 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:40.000 became exactly what she hated in her father. That's why 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:43.920 it's so important to let it go and forgive the wrongs. 0:19:43.960 --> 0:19:47.440 We hold on to, the sins we retain, they can 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:50.800 produce in us exactly what we don't want. If you 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:56.639 were raised in a dysfunctional home, maybe violence, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, whatever, 0:19:56.960 --> 0:19:59.400 don't let that poison get on the inside of you. 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.080 Why don't you be the one to set a new 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:04.800 standard for your family. Why don't you be the one 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:07.280 to rise up and make a difference. Are you going 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:10.240 to hold on to the anger, the unforgiveness and pass 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.520 it down to the next generation, or are you going 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:15.680 to be like the young men we talked about earlier 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:18.240 and just let it go so you can see your 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:21.520 family go to a new level. Somehow, that young man 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:25.040 knew that God would settle his case, even though it 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:28.679 took a long time. God was faithful. He brought justice 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:32.080 into his life. God will do the same thing for you. Now. 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:36.160 I know it can be difficult to forgive, especially when 0:20:36.200 --> 0:20:39.560 people have hurt us badly. But God will never ask 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:42.720 us to do something and not give us the power 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:47.760 to do it. Forgiveness is a process. Doesn't happen overnight. 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:50.199 You just snap your fingers, pray one prayer, and then 0:20:50.240 --> 0:20:52.600 it's gone. You never think about it, not at all. 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:56.320 It's a process that has to be walked out. If 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:59.720 you have the desire to forgive, and every day you 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:02.879 will and ask God to help you, then little by little, 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.400 those negative feelings will get less and less. One day 0:21:06.400 --> 0:21:08.760 you'll look up and that won't affect you at all. 0:21:09.720 --> 0:21:13.960 Matthew Chapter six, Jesus prayed the Lord's prayer. In one part, 0:21:14.000 --> 0:21:18.320 he said, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:22.359 When God talks about debts, he's just not talking about 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:26.440 monetary debts. He's talking about when people hurt us, when 0:21:26.480 --> 0:21:29.840 people do us wrong. God refers to that as a debt. 0:21:30.480 --> 0:21:34.919 It's because when somebody mistreats us, down deep, we feel 0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:39.040 like they owe us something. Human nature says, you hurt me, 0:21:39.560 --> 0:21:42.560 now want justice. You did me wrong, Now you've got 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:46.720 to pay me back. The problem is, many times we're 0:21:46.760 --> 0:21:50.000 trying to collect a debt that only God can pay. 0:21:51.119 --> 0:21:54.399 That father that abused his daughter, he can't give her 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:58.879 her innocence back. Only God can. That friend that cheated 0:21:58.960 --> 0:22:02.200 you are those parents if you're grown now, they can't 0:22:02.240 --> 0:22:05.720 pay you back for not having a loving childhood. That 0:22:05.960 --> 0:22:09.520 spouse that was unfaithful, he can't pay you back for 0:22:09.600 --> 0:22:13.160 the pain that he's caused. Only God can truly pay 0:22:13.200 --> 0:22:15.639 you back. And if you want to be restored, if 0:22:15.680 --> 0:22:18.280 you want to be whole, if you want to be free, 0:22:18.359 --> 0:22:21.199 you need to get on God's pay wrong. He knows 0:22:21.280 --> 0:22:24.000 how to make your wrongs right. God knows how to 0:22:24.040 --> 0:22:28.800 bring justice into your life. Now quite expecting people to 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:31.639 make it up to you, they can't give you what 0:22:31.720 --> 0:22:35.560 they don't have. Jesus told a parable about a man 0:22:35.600 --> 0:22:38.600 that owed ten thousand talents. It would be like ten 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:43.040 million dollars to day. The scripture says he could not pay. 0:22:43.800 --> 0:22:46.080 Didn't say he didn't want to, it said he could not, 0:22:46.560 --> 0:22:49.720 he didn't have the means to pay. If you're always 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:52.560 looking to people to pay you back for the wrongs 0:22:52.600 --> 0:22:56.160 they've done, You're going to live a frustrated life. I've 0:22:56.160 --> 0:22:58.800 known people that have gone through a bitter divorce. They 0:22:58.840 --> 0:23:01.520 get into a new relationship, a new marriage, and they 0:23:01.560 --> 0:23:04.600 expect this new person to pay them back for all 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:07.840 the wrongs that somebody else has done. They're always trying 0:23:07.920 --> 0:23:11.520 to collect that debt. They end up ruining that relationship 0:23:11.560 --> 0:23:15.359 as well. Don't punish the person you're married to now 0:23:15.760 --> 0:23:18.880 for something that happened years ago when they weren't even around. 0:23:19.080 --> 0:23:21.399 They can't pay you back, Why don't you get on 0:23:21.440 --> 0:23:24.240 God's payroll. I had a man tell me a while 0:23:24.280 --> 0:23:27.399 back how he was wronged in a business decision. He 0:23:27.520 --> 0:23:31.800 ended up losing his entire business. This happened years ago. 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:34.560 He was still mad at the world. He'd been with 0:23:34.600 --> 0:23:37.840 several different companies, couldn't keep a job. He's got all 0:23:37.880 --> 0:23:42.000 this bitterness on the inside, thinking that people owed him something, 0:23:42.359 --> 0:23:45.480 expecting them to pay him back. What was his problem. 0:23:45.880 --> 0:23:49.960 He's on the wrong payrong. Our attitude should be God, 0:23:50.280 --> 0:23:53.960 you know everything that I've been through. You know, every hurt, 0:23:54.440 --> 0:23:57.640 every wrong, every tear, And I'm not going to live 0:23:57.680 --> 0:24:00.240 my life bitter trying to get people to give me 0:24:00.440 --> 0:24:02.800 what they don't have. God, I'm gonna leave it up 0:24:02.800 --> 0:24:06.160 to you. You promised that you would settle my cases. 0:24:06.760 --> 0:24:09.240 You said that you would pay me back double for 0:24:09.359 --> 0:24:13.320 every unfair thing. So God, I'm letting all my family, 0:24:13.440 --> 0:24:17.600 my friends, my coworkers, my neighbors off the hook, and 0:24:17.640 --> 0:24:20.359 I'm putting my hope, my trust, my confidence in you. 0:24:21.040 --> 0:24:23.760 When you get on God's pay roll, He'll make sure 0:24:23.840 --> 0:24:28.080 you are well compensated. Some of you today. If you 0:24:28.080 --> 0:24:30.760 would just let some people off the hook in your 0:24:30.840 --> 0:24:34.119 life and quit thinking that they owe you something, you 0:24:34.160 --> 0:24:36.240 would see your life go to a whole new level. 0:24:37.040 --> 0:24:40.040 They may have been wrong, it may have been their fault, 0:24:40.119 --> 0:24:42.879 but it's not their fault that they can't pay you back. 0:24:43.320 --> 0:24:46.320 If you spend your life trying to get from people 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:50.520 what only God can give, it'll end up running that relationship. 0:24:50.840 --> 0:24:53.359 And the sad thing is you'll take that problem into 0:24:53.359 --> 0:24:56.240 the next relationship and the next and the next. So 0:24:56.400 --> 0:25:00.280 much better to just let God pay you back. Times 0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:03.000 when I'm looking over our bills I'll see these big 0:25:03.040 --> 0:25:06.919 red letters that say paid in full. You've seen one 0:25:06.920 --> 0:25:09.840 of those big rubber stamps that people use. It means 0:25:09.880 --> 0:25:13.359 the account is totally taken care of. You need to 0:25:13.400 --> 0:25:16.800 start seeing your accounts where people has hurt you as 0:25:16.840 --> 0:25:20.159 being paid in full. Instead of always trying to collect 0:25:20.200 --> 0:25:22.640 the debt thinking they owe you something. Get that big 0:25:22.720 --> 0:25:26.680 rubber stamp out. Mark that account paid in full. Next 0:25:26.720 --> 0:25:29.520 time you see that person that hurts you, stamp it 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:32.800 paid in full. That man that lied about you paid 0:25:32.840 --> 0:25:35.960 in full. That friend that betrayed you paid in full. 0:25:36.520 --> 0:25:40.800 It's very freeing to say, nobody owes me anything. They 0:25:40.840 --> 0:25:43.320 may have hurt me, they may have stolen my childhood, 0:25:43.320 --> 0:25:45.200 they may have cheated me out of some money. That's 0:25:45.240 --> 0:25:48.440 all right. I'm not on their payroll. I'm on God's payroll. 0:25:48.720 --> 0:25:53.760 And the good news is God never misses a payment. Friends, 0:25:53.760 --> 0:25:58.320 Start marking some accounts paid in full. Life is too 0:25:58.440 --> 0:26:01.719 short to go through it bitter, angry, trying to get 0:26:01.800 --> 0:26:05.000 people to pay you back. Let it go. God will 0:26:05.040 --> 0:26:09.879 settle your cases. It's interesting today. Some airlines will let 0:26:09.920 --> 0:26:13.160 you take baggage, but you have to pay for each 0:26:13.240 --> 0:26:17.159 individual peace You can't take it free anymore. It's the 0:26:17.240 --> 0:26:21.040 same way in life. You can take emotional baggage, but 0:26:21.080 --> 0:26:24.200 it's gonna cost you something. You can carry that bag 0:26:24.240 --> 0:26:27.560 of unforgiveness, but it'll cost your joy. You can take 0:26:27.600 --> 0:26:30.159 around that bag of bitterness, but it'll cost your peace. 0:26:30.800 --> 0:26:33.359 You can carry that bag of you owe me something, 0:26:33.400 --> 0:26:36.160 that attitude, and if you carry it long enough, it'll 0:26:36.160 --> 0:26:40.480 be a very hefty price. It'll keep you from your destinies. Well, 0:26:40.520 --> 0:26:43.160 you say, Joel, they don't even deserve to be forgiven. 0:26:43.720 --> 0:26:47.320 Maybe not, but you do. When you don't forgive them, 0:26:47.480 --> 0:26:50.639 your heavenly father cannot forgive you. Why don't you get 0:26:50.760 --> 0:26:53.200 rid of the baggage. Why don't you mark the accounts 0:26:53.400 --> 0:26:56.639 paid in full? Why don't you forgive so that you 0:26:56.720 --> 0:27:00.560 can be free? If you will let go of the hurts, 0:27:00.680 --> 0:27:03.359 the wrongs and get on God's pay roll, Let me 0:27:03.400 --> 0:27:05.879 declare what's going to happen. God is going to settle 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:09.040 your cases. He's going to make your wrongs right. He's 0:27:09.040 --> 0:27:11.600 going to restore what the enemy is stolen. He is 0:27:11.640 --> 0:27:14.840 going to bring justice into your life. God is not 0:27:14.920 --> 0:27:17.360 only going to give you what you deserve, but he's 0:27:17.359 --> 0:27:19.960 going to pay you back with double the joy, double 0:27:20.000 --> 0:27:23.120 the peace, double the friends, double the fulfillment. He's going 0:27:23.119 --> 0:27:25.480 to bring you out better off than you were before. 0:27:25.800 --> 0:27:29.160 I believe it and declare it in Jesus' name. If 0:27:29.160 --> 0:27:33.760 you receive it, can you say amen. We never like 0:27:33.800 --> 0:27:37.000 to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to 0:27:37.040 --> 0:27:39.720 make Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray 0:27:39.760 --> 0:27:44.400 with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. 0:27:45.440 --> 0:27:50.600 Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:27:50.640 --> 0:27:52.880 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:27:52.880 --> 0:27:56.000 born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:27:56.040 --> 0:27:58.800 God first place. He's going to take your places that 0:27:58.840 --> 0:27:59.919 you've never even dreamed of. 0:28:00.200 --> 0:28:03.600 Thank you for listening to the Joelus Deine podcast. Help 0:28:03.680 --> 0:28:06.439 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:28:06.520 --> 0:28:10.440 all over the world. Visit Joelostin dot com slash give 0:28:10.480 --> 0:28:12.200 Hope to give a gift today. 0:28:13.480 --> 0:28:16.400 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:28:16.400 --> 0:28:19.760 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:28:19.840 --> 0:28:23.040 keep you inspired all through the week. 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