Fellowship Over Formula

In Proverbs 3:1-8 and Proverbs 4:20-23 where it talks about healing and health, it doesn’t say anything specifically about SPEAKING the Word of God bringing life or health to our bodies. Of course, speaking His Word is a good thing, if it comes from your heart.

Speaking something that is not in your heart is false fruit. It is hypocrisy and even lying (See Matthew 12:33-37).

Of course, we are to speak the Word of God, but even in Joshua 1:8 where the Lord told him not to let the book of the law depart out of his mouth, (in other words, to keep His Word in his mouth—to keep speaking it), He said to meditate on it day and night so he would be careful to do according to all that is written in it, for then he would make his way prosperous and have success.

Proverbs 3 talks about not forgetting His teaching, keeping His commandments, not letting kindness and truth leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on your heart, trust in the Lord, do not lean on your own understanding, acknowledge Him, do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, turn away from evil…

THAT is what will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. It doesn’t even mention speaking. Though speaking, of course, would be a part of this.

Proverbs 4 talks about giving attention to His words, inclining your ear to His sayings, not letting them depart from your sight, keeping them in your heart…

For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.

When we emphasize all of these things we are to do with the Word of God, rather than just speaking it like a formula to get a result, it will bring the life to us we are looking for. Remember what Jesus said,

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words." (Matthew 6:7). Speaking the Word of God is absolutely important to do, and effective, when it's from a right heart.

Moses

Look what happened when God told Moses to strike the rock to get water for the people (Exodus 17:1-6). It worked. But then when they needed water again, God told him to speak to the rock, yet Moses didn’t, he did what he did before when he struck the rock. God provided the water, but was angry at Moses for doing what he did before, instead of what He told him to do this time. As a result, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. (Numbers 20:1-12). It’s not about a formula.

David

When the Philistines came against David after he was made king of Israel, He inquired of the Lord whether he should go after them. The Lord said yes, and they defeated the Philistines. But then, when the Philistines came after him again—same place, same people—David didn’t assume he should go after them, he inquired of the Lord again. The Lord told him to go, but gave him instructions for a different method of attack. Because David didn’t assume, but went to the Lord again, He got victory. (2 Samuel 5:17-25).

Remember what Jesus said after He cast a demon out of a boy which the disciples couldn’t. They asked Him why they couldn’t, (because they had done it before), and He said, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21).

Prayer and fasting take time. Spending time with Him, seeking Him, meditating on His Word, treasuring them and doing what they say, will bring us the results we need.

David wrote:
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. (Psalm 32:6).

Spending time with the Lord before the great flood of waters come, will be of great benefit to us. Yet it’s not just about results.

It’s not simply about getting through our troubling situations or overcoming our enemies, which of course is important, and which God loves to do for us. But beyond that, the Lord wants FELLOWSHIP with us. He doesn’t just want us to go to Him in crisis to get through our tough times. He wants us to enjoy His company as He does ours (Revelation. 3:20).

After David's victory over the Philistines, David began to move the ark of God back to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 6). He wanted the presence of God near all the time. He enjoyed the presence of the Lord, not just in times of crisis.  

There is much to be gained by fellowshipping with the Lord, yet the oneness in love and unity with Him is the greatest gain of all.

Knowing Jesus: The Six Groups

Jesus, when praying to the Father said, 

"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)

Eternal life is knowing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Considering the eternal importance and consequence of knowing (or not knowing) Them, it's a good idea to ask ourselves how well we do know Them.

As a guide to examining our own hearts along this line, we can look at six groups of people discussed in Scripture.

#1- The "Feed Me" Followers
These people are not really true followers of Jesus but are those who are curious and "wowed" by the miracles He does. We see this in John 6 after Jesus fed the five thousand and the crowd caught up with Him across the lake the next day.

They asked Him, "Rabbi, when did You get here?"

He answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."

In other words, the signs didn't prove to them that He was the Christ, it only caused them to think of Him as what I call a "bread factory." Someone who will keep feeding them, providing for them so they can continue to live their lives as they want. They weren't interested in what He had to say. They weren't interested in living a godly life. To these ones, it's not about Jesus being their Lord or the Christ. It's not about what they can do to love and serve God. It's about what He can do for them to help them continue living the kind of life they always have. They don't question things like eternal life or truth or knowing God. They hope to be on the receiving end of those miracles if they are really real, but not to honor the Lord for who He is or even know Him for who He is.


#2- The "Distant" Disciples
Some of the Followers, however, would listen more closely to what Jesus said. Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables hoping to spark an interest in them about what He was saying. If any of them would begin to ask, "What does He mean?" That would be an indication that they were seeking understanding. And understanding, according to His parable of the sower, is what causes the Word to grow in a person's heart (Matthew 13:19, 23).

When one seeks understanding of the Word of God and pursues that by listening to the Word more intently, drawing closer to Jesus in the process, and coming to know Him better as a result, then they may indeed become a disciple.

A disciple of Jesus is a student of the Word of God. In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." These disciples, with hearts like the seed sown on rocky ground, receive the Word with joy and spring up, confessing Jesus as Lord (Matthew 13:20-21, Romans 10:9-10). They begin to know Jesus.

However, one can't stay a "distant" disciple of Jesus. For once He starts walking, they will be left behind if they are not willing to leave their life behind to follow Him. Like the seed sown in rocky places, when the heat is on, when some sacrifice is required, they hesitate, and do not stay close to Jesus. The soil of their heart does not allow room for the Word of God to grow in them. They stumble over what they see as the "harder" things the Lord requires of them.


#3- The "Twelve"
The twelve represent those disciples who do leave all to follow Him. They catch the attention of Jesus and are called to come even closer to Him. These are the Luke 14:27 disciples who understand when Jesus said, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." Where the Distant Disciples tripped over this Word, those who would be close to Him are willing to give all to follow Him--to be near Him and to know Him. They come to know Him better than the "crowd." They understand the concept of the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-14).


#4- The Religious Opposers
This is the most dangerous group to fall into. These are those who have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). They look like nice people. They seem to be trying to live for God and please Him. The Feed Me Followers and Distant Disciples may easily slip into this group, determining its better than falling into blatant sin. This seems safer, and less costly, than following Jesus. But this is a wrong assumption, as Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:25).

However, the religious opposers don't just ignore Jesus. They don't just dismiss Him as someone they don't agree with or believe in. They actively oppose Him. In fact, they killed Him. And this religious spirit that drives them is partner with an antichrist spirit. So, eventually they will not just oppose Jesus, they want to replace Him. They want to steal the glory that belongs to Jesus, the Christ, for themselves. 

Jesus said to them, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?" (John 5:44). John said that they "loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God." (John 12:43).

Jesus warned against those who would come in His name and say He is the Christ yet deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5). He said there would be many false Christs and false prophets, who would mislead many (Matthew 24:11, 23-26). Jesus warned that not everyone who calls Him "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of the Father will. One day, there will be those who question Him--"Did we not prophesy in your name...?" But He will say, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23). Jesus asked, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).

In Matthew 10:32-33 we read where Jesus said whoever confesses Him before men, He will also confess before His Father in heaven. One day, Jesus will recognize those of you who do His will, you who have His Word in you, who have not just confessed Him as Lord, but have truly made Him Lord and have done what He says. He will tell the Father--I recognize that one. I see My Word in them. I know them. They are close to Me. Stay close to Jesus and far from the religious opposers!

#5- The Three
This group of three disciples are three of the twelve who became even closer to Jesus than the others--Peter, James, and John. These three He took with Him when He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Luke 8:51). These three were with Him on the Mount when He was transfigured and they saw Him in glory speaking with Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:28). These three came farther with Him into the garden where He prayed just before He was arrested and crucified (Mark 14:33). 

The Three received more personal training and impartation than the others. When you think you are close enough to Jesus, because you have already "sacrificed" so much for Him, to be with Him and know Him, there is always a deeper intimacy waiting for you in Him. He stands at the door and knocks, if anyone hears His voice and opens the door, He will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Him (Revelation 3:20).

#6- The One
Out of the group of three, John was the closest to Jesus. John was the one who leaned on His chest while reclining at the table (John 13:23). He is the one called, "The disciple whom Jesus loved," (John 13:23, John 19:26, John 21:7, John 21:24). He is the one who went all the way into the court with Jesus when He was arrested (John 18:15). He was the one who was at the foot of the cross with Jesus' mother when Jesus gave the care of His mother over to him (John 19:26-27). 

John called himself, "The disciple whom Jesus loved." He became close enough to Jesus to identify himself in relation to Jesus' love for him, rather than by his own achievements or opinions, or even by his own name. When our entire identity is based on our relationship to Jesus, when we lose ourselves in Him, then we have found ourselves, and we have come to know Him. We have become one with Him and the Father and He knows us. 

John was close enough to hear Jesus' heartbeat, to know His intentions. He didn't loudly claim he would follow Jesus until death, but he quietly followed Him all the way. He earned the trust of Jesus, who chose him to care for His own mother, even over His brothers.

Get Closer

Examine your heart. Identify where you are in regard to knowing Jesus. And if you find yourself slipping away at all, stumbling over a word of Jesus that seems to be hard to obey--hard to put into practice--then press in closer. Ask for the Helper's help--the Holy Spirit. Ask for a purging and cleansing of your soul from all that opposes God. Let Him be seated on the throne of your life. So when you confess Jesus as Lord, whether in private or in public, your lifestyle and heart's attitude confirms that He truly is your Lord.

Jesus said in John 14:23:

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him."

In response to His love for you (1 John 4:19), love Him in return, and you will keep His word. Guard His word. Treasure it. Hold it close. It is your life. Treasure it and keep it until you know the Father's love for you, and you will experience the abiding, indwelling presence of both God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Read part two: Knowing Jesus: The Word Made Flesh

You might also be interested in my booklet, "21 Days to Die; What it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus, and live a resurrected life in Christ." Download it for free here.

How to Love and Forgive

How do we love people? Why is it hard at times, even as a Christian, to love and forgive?

I think it will help if we look at various aspects of forgiveness and love, as it relates to restoring and maintaining relationships. To begin, let's look at something I call the "forgiveness facade." 

FORGIVENESS AND ALLOWANCE

The forgiveness facade is when we feel that we must quickly forgive a person's sin against us, thinking that means we hastily forget about it and move on. This mindset keeps us from judging righteously because by not addressing the sin, it appears we are allowing it. However, there's a difference between forgiveness and allowance. 

We read in Luke 17:3 that Jesus said, "If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." 

To rebuke your brother when he sins doesn't mean to accept the sin, or simply brush it under the rug and move on. Yes, we do forgive him if he repents, but that doesn't mean the sin is not addressed. How this is done will vary, and I won't get into that here. (There are many Scriptures on this topic, including Matthew 5:21-26 and Matthew 18:15-35, as well as other New Testament verses). The point is, not understanding this forgiveness facade may get in the way of  working through the forgiveness process, and maintaining the relationship. 

FORGIVENESS AND OFFENSE

Additionally, it's also important to understand that there's a difference between forgiving someone for a wrong they committed against you, and the offense you may have taken in your heart for what they did. Forgiveness is a response to repentance from sin, but any offense you might have taken also needs to be dealt with.

You forgive someone for the sin they committed against you, when they come to you and repent. You don't "forgive" someone for the offense you took from their sin. They are not responsible for the offense that you took. That is a separate issue that you must deal with before God, (and you might need to ask that person forgive you depending on how you might have reacted toward them).

There's been crazy talk in our society, some places even trying to pass laws, saying that if you say something that another person takes offense at, then YOU can be charged for their offense! This is absurd. Biblically, each person is responsible for what they have control over. I don't have control over how you feel, or what you think, so how can I be held accountable for your feelings or thoughts, or what you did as a result of them? 

In the same way, if I became bitter over a sin committed against me, the other person is not responsible for my bitterness. I might try to convince myself that they are responsible, but they are not. And I dare not wait until they repent to let go of my bitterness. It might never happen. 

So remember to distinguish between these two things:

• When a person who has sinned against you comes to you and repents, forgive them.
• When a person sins against you, don't pick up, or hang on to, any offense, bitterness, anger etc. Get rid of it right away, don't wait for them to come to you and repent.

OFFENSE OR JUDGEMENT

Once we learn to distinguish between forgiveness and offense, then we also need to understand the difference between taking offense from a sin committed against you, and taking on a condemning judgment toward someone who hasn't sinned against you. They might just rub you the wrong way, or you don't like them for whatever reason. 

We can see how we might be tempted to take offense against a person who has wronged us, but we may not always see the "offense" we develop when a person has done nothing wrong against us. We, for whatever reason, develop a condemning, judgmental, critical, irritable, or accusatory attitude against them.

In either case, whether you're dealing with an offense due to sin, or some other condemning attitude you have against another person, it's up to you to get before God and deal with it, repent of it, and get your heart right. It's not up to to the other person to fix the condition of your heart for you. 

If a person has wronged you, they may NEVER come and ask for your forgiveness. You can't wait for that. And by dealing with your heart issues right away, then if/when they do come and repent, you'll be ready, and can sincerely, from the heart, let them know you forgive them. 

In some cases, you might think a person needs to repent, but if they have no conviction in their heart, if they have done nothing wrong, if they have no idea that you are struggling to love them, and have no idea that there may be something they could do to help bring reconciliation into your relationship, they will never come to you to repent or seek reconciliation because they do not know it's needed. 

How many times are we waiting for the other person to come to us to make amends, when they have no idea that there is anything to make amends for? And the problem is not with them, its with us.

HOW DO WE FIX THIS?

I believe if we get too wrapped up in what is right and wrong for ourselves--meaning that we put ourselves under a legalistic relationship with the Lord--then we will project that same legalism onto others, becoming intolerant and unmerciful toward them. (Read that again!)

We are to forgive as God has forgiven us. But in order to do so, we must FIRST receive His forgiveness for us. We must FIRST take ourselves out from under law--from under soulish-realm rule. 

We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We MUST receive His love, His Son, His salvation, His grace, His truth, His forgiveness and mercy, before we can ever truly offer it to others without it being a religious act of duty based on legalism instead of relationship.

We must not let the enemy bring condemnation on us, causing us to pick at our faults, our sin, or our weaknesses. Instead, we must receive the love of God--the sacrifice of His Son--in us.

We need His love and forgiveness embedded within our hearts, so as not to be judgmental toward others.

It's really about receiving His love for us.
REALLY RECEIVING IT.
Then, and only then, can we love others the same way.
That's it. We make it too hard.

You are not being selfish in receiving the love of God.
Without receiving it, you can't love others. You'll just put them under law, as you do yourself, apart from His love.

It's true that we're not worthy of His love, but we NEVER WILL BE. We have to get up and get past that. This is worship--acknowledging His great love for us, when we don't deserve it, and then doing the same for others.

I think what often happens, is that we get motivated by our love for God (because of His love for us) and then we try and live up to His standard in our own strength. When we slip away just a bit in our relationship with Him, when our understanding of His love dims a little, and our daily time in His presence, (which reassures us of His love for us), begins to be neglected, then we will eventually try and earn that love back and legalism begins to rise. It just doesn't work. We can't do it that way. We NEED His love as a continual flow in our lives. 

We must remember, and hold close, His love for us, not just our love for Him. This is only possible as we stay in daily, intimate, communion with Him.

See also

Forgiveness Check-up

Healing from the Wounds of Sin.

Forgiveness Check-up

 

Do you ever struggle to forgive someone? Do you feel so obligated to forgive a person quickly that you mumble your forgiveness without a real sincerity? Let's take a look at the process of forgiveness as Jesus described it. 

Luke 17:3-4
3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Jesus was talking to His disciples when He said if your brother repents of his sin to forgive him, even if he sins against you seven times in one day, if he comes to you and repents then forgive him. Notice He said, “if he repents.” So if your brother or sister in Christ comes to you in repentance, seeking forgiveness for a wrong they’ve done, you are to forgive them.

But what if they don’t come to you in repentance?

First, let’s clarify that if your brother doesn’t come to you and repent then that doesn’t mean you don’t “forgive” him. 

Forgiveness is a relational thing. It takes two people. According to what Jesus said here you can't really “forgive” a person if they don’t come to you and repent. In the same way that you can’t withdraw money from your bank account if you don’t ask the bank for it. It’s there, it’s available to you, but if you don’t go through the process of requesting it then the bank won’t just randomly give it to you. They don’t even know you want it. In the same way, if a person who has wronged you doesn’t come to you and ask for forgiveness you can’t give it to him. They have got to go through the process of requesting it—to come to you and repent.

However, that doesn’t mean that you hang on to unforgiveness if he hasn’t repented. That doesn’t mean that you hold on to bitterness and seek vengeance. You deal with all of that (hopefully) at the time the sin is committed, (or when you find out about it). 

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:5 that love “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” Love will not allow any bitterness or resentment to remain in your heart when someone wrongs you or sins against you. Neither will it seek vengeance or revenge on a person who wrongs you.

Romans 12:18-20 
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

We sometimes call forgiveness the thing that we do when we determine we will not become bitter or seek revenge on a person who wrongs us. Or we call forgiveness the thing that we do when we have held on to bitterness and then come to point where we realize we need to let go of our bitterness toward that person. But really, that is simply guarding our own heart against sin and determining that we will walk in love and not take account of the wrong(s) we suffer because of another person’s sin. We call it forgiveness, but it's more accurate to say we are keeping our own heart pure before God, and remaining in His love, which puts us in a position where we stand ready to forgive if/when they ask. Forgiveness is what we do toward them when they come to us in repentance asking for our forgiveness.

The reason I think this distinction is important is because there is a process we go through to come to the point of keeping bitterness and revenge out of our heart. When someone sins against us, we might be able to let it roll off of us without a problem. But there are times we may need to take a minute to acknowledge a wrong done toward us and go to the Lord about it. We may need to talk to the Lord to gain understanding about the person, what they did, or the situation in general. We might need healing from wounds caused by the person's sin. We might need to examine our heart to see if we’ve done anything wrong. This takes a little time, prayer, and thought to work through, but when we feel that we have to immediately “forgive” a person (or God won’t forgive us) then we may bypass this important process of healing, self-examination, and seeking the Lord for His perspective.

Now that we understand what we can do right away when we are wronged to keep our hearts right, let's look again at what Jesus said:

Luke 17:3-4
3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Notice Jesus first said if your brother sins to rebuke him.

Again this is relational, so you don’t go around rebuking every Christian you know for what you perceive to be sin in their life. There was a woman who came to our church once who told us of a time she visited a church with her two young children. Before the service even started some women came up to her and told her they had already found four things wrong with her. That is not what Jesus meant here and I would guess that not one of those four things was actually sin.

So we don't want to go around looking for faults in every Christian we see. Yet with those we have a relationship with, the best course of action to take when they sin against us is to talk to them about it and address it (See Matthew 18:15-22, Galatians 6:1, James 5:16, 20). Try to clear the air right away. Ideally, we want the relationship restored. Sometimes that’s not possible. But in any case, we still do what we need to so we keep our own hearts pure and ready to forgive.

Forgiving as Christ has Forgiven us

Paul said we are to forgive our brothers and sisters as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13). 

How has He forgiven us? Jesus came and died so we could be forgiven of our sins and made righteous. Yet it doesn’t happen without our coming to Him in repentance asking for His forgiveness and His salvation. Then, once we are born again into His family, we walk with Him endeavoring to keep His Word and not sin. But if we sin, we confess it to Him, and seek His forgiveness.

John said if we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Asking for forgiveness brings us into relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ and it keeps us in relationship with Him even if we sin after we have experienced His salvation. He provided for our forgiveness by dying on the cross and He is not holding our sin against us (2 Corinthians 5:19). Jesus took our sin on the cross and paid the price. He presents us before the Father without spot (sin, defect) or blemish (original sin).

In the same way, we do not personally hold our brother’s sin against them. We do not hold bitterness in our heart against them or seek their demise. Yet the act of forgiveness doesn’t happen until they ask for it, and we let them know we have forgiven them, having genuinely kept our hearts pure from anything which would result in unforgiveness. In our minds, and heart, we have already forgiven them, it’s ready and waiting for them as we’ve already gone through the process of forgiving them before the Lord—a process that might have included healing, correction, a strengthening, and/or gaining understanding on our part first.

Stephen asked the Lord not to hold the sin (of stoning him) against those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60). God is the one who forgives sin, and though Stephen wouldn’t be around to forgive them if any of his murderers repented later on, at the time of his death he did “forgive” them by keeping his heart free from seeking vengeance and letting the Lord know he did not want anything to be held against them on his behalf.

We do not have to, nor should we, wait for a person to come to us in repentance before we "forgive" them. We prepare our hearts now.

What About Retaining Sins?

John 20:21-23
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

According to Strong’s Concordance the word retain is the Greek word krateo which most often in the NASB version is translated seize or seized. It’s also translated to hold, hold fast, take hold in various forms or arrested.  The word means to be strong, rule.

Keeping the thought in mind that you don’t technically forgive someone until they come to you seeking forgiveness (even though you’ve determined not to hold on to bitterness or a vengeful heart), we might look at this action of retaining sins as something that occurs if a person is seeking forgiveness for a sin but wants to continue in it. In other words, they are seeking permission or tolerance of the sin, not true forgiveness. They want “forgiveness” and fellowship among the brethren, but not through repentance.

There are times that sins are to be “seized” or “arrested.” It is to be ruled over and put in its proper place. We are to declare what God has already judged about sin—that it is not to be allowed to freely operate in the church, among believers. It is to be rebuked, not tolerated.

So what this means is that by our forgiveness we are not saying we condone someone continuing in sin. We seize that sin, arrest it, address it and confront it in our brother or sister. More important than restoring their relationship with us is the restoration of their relationship with God.

 So What to Do?

To check up on yourself, go before the Lord and talk to Him about anything you may be holding in your heart against another person who has wronged you. Ask for healing if needed, ask for understanding, and receive any correction He gives you. Remember that His love has been poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Remind yourself of His love for you and receive it fully because receiving His love is what gives you the ability to love others (1 John 4:19). Ask Him for forgiveness for anything in your heart that you are holding against anyone else. You do not need to wait to be free from the pain that their sin has caused you. You can be free right now.

If that person does come to you in repentance, asking for forgiveness, then you will be ready and willing to do so because you already have in your heart. They may never repent and ask for forgiveness. Some may have passed away and others just might never seek your forgiveness, but in any case you are not bound or wounded by their sin anymore. You are free from that sin and the rippling affects of it.