Chains of bondage are forged in the fires of hell, and Jesus wants you to be free of them! If you have been a victim of abuse, and you want to be free, please...read on! The key to freedom is here.
Remember, every Christian is just a diamond in the rough, but in the Lord's hands, we become more and more polished. We carry around the baggage from our past, and, if we let Him, God will chisel away all the roughness, and smooth us down to a fine polished stone. One that is brilliant, and shines with His glory!
Mark 11:25 reads: "And when you stand praying, if you hold ANYTHING against ANYONE, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
Matthew 6:14-15 reads: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
That is a pretty frightening statement, isn't it? Jesus was clear in what He was saying here. If you hold a grudge against someone, you have tied God's hands from working in your heart. He is unable to forgive your sins. There is no way around this statement of fact from the mouth of Jesus. WE MUST FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE SINNED AGAINST US. I will go into the HOW very soon...
You see, the scriptures tell us that what we bind here on earth, is bound in heaven. What we loose here on earth, is loosed also in heaven. What does this mean? If you refuse to forgive a person who has sinned against you, (abuse, adultery, etc) you have bound them. God is not free to work on your heart, nor on theirs.
In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus is speaking to Peter, who has just proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ. From Matthew 16:17 it reads: Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Jesus was not only speaking to Peter, but through this, the inspired Word of God, also to us, the church. The gates of hell CANNOT prevail against us, the church, as long as we have faith in Him, for He is the Son of God. What we bind on earth, is bound in heaven. Not only does this refer to binding the works of Satan, but it also refers to binding the hand of God from doing His will in our lives and in the lives of others. If we do not forgive someone for their sins against us, God is unable to move in our hearts, and do the healing that is necessary for us to live as free children of God. BUT...if we choose to forgive, then we loose God's Holy Spirit to work not only in us, but in the one who has sinned against us!
The decision to forgive is exactly that, a decision. We make choices every day. Some are more difficult than others. The choice to forgive one who has seriously wounded us is a life changing choice. In fact, when you decide to forgive, you are really choosing to let go of your own pain, and give it to Jesus.
We, as human beings, have a tendancy to feel that our hate, anger and unforgiveness is a "right". We hold on to that rage like a trophy. It feels right because we know the offender was wrong. Particularly in cases of child abuse, spousal abuse, infidelity etc. "He/she was wrong. My life is ruined because of what they did." Well, yes, they were wrong. But your life is NOT ruined. It has been damaged, yes, but God has promised us beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3) and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
This is one of the many promises of God to those who choose to follow Him. IF we give Him our ashes, He will return beauty. The ashes of our past are the scars of physical, mental, emotional, sexual abuse...the beauty He gives us, is complete restoration, and freedom from the burden of carrying so much anger and hate. Anger and hate are chains of the devil, and we are no longer under the power of the enemy, but under the saving grace of God, covered by the redeeming BLOOD of the LAMB! Hallelujah!
In our own strength, we cannot forgive such terrible sins against us. However, Jesus CAN. If you are harbouring unforgiveness in your heart, and you want to be free, and begin the process of healing, this is your first step. So what you MUST do, is ask in prayer, for Jesus to give you His heart of forgiveness for the one who has caused you so much hurt and damage. Tell the Lord that you have decided to forgive the offender, and want to be free of the chains of the enemy. Ask Him to remove the pain of the past, and replace it with His peace. Accept His love for you. Accept His healing, and above all things, give thanks for His sacrifice on the cross, for without that blood sacrifice, your deliverance and ultimate healing would not be possible.
For some, the Lord will bring complete healing. How He chooses to work in each one of us is up to Him, in His infinite wisdom. For others, there will be need for future counselling with a pastor or with a Christian counsellor, but this is the most important step of all. It is the first step on the road to recovery, and if you have taken this step, I applaud your bravery! I pray that this has helped you to see how Satan tried to keep God's children bound in his chains, and that God wants to free you from them! I pray that from here, you continue the journey to complete freedom in Christ!
I would love to hear from you. Please e-mail me, and let me know if this has helped you.
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