Kindle Edition
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Amazon
Category:
Religion
Publisher: NewBookPublishing.com
ISBN-10: 1939748143
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 440
Copyright: Nov. 4, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781939748140
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
"A Place in the Son" is a guide to growing in Christ in harmony with other true believers. It is suitable for individual or group study, with thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter and helpful appendixes.
A Place in the Son is a guide to growing in Christ in harmony with other true believers. Readers are urged to examine their beliefs and their lives and surrender all to Christ. The God who is Love has a calling(s) and a place in the body of Christ for every unique person. The wonderful works of God are accomplished as believers obey the Head, Jesus Christ, and love and serve with their assigned partners in the body of Christ. A Place in the Son calls believers to press on, to step into the realm of the supernatural, and to enjoy daily fellowship and intimacy with God. Personal experiences and testimonies of God's faithfulness combine with the Word of God to inspire readers. Both new believers and seasoned saints will find enlightenment and encouragement in the pages of this book.The call of A Place in the Son is loud and clear: "Search the Scriptures! Know who you are in Christ! Wake up, sleeping giants!"
Excerpt
3
Forgive and Live!
In the first two chapters, we focused on the love of God for you and for me and for all persons. The Bible reveals to us that God is love.1 The Bible tells us, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” The Gift was the Creator God Himself.2 He was the greatest gift that God the Father could give. God is a lover and a giver. If we are God’s children through faith in His priceless Gift (His Son Jesus Christ), we should be lovers and givers also.
The God Kind of Love
Then what are the guidelines for being lovers and givers in our everyday lives? Jesus Christ summarized the Ten Commandments in only two love commandments: And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
(Mark 12:30-31 KJV)
This second commandment is also expressed in what we call “The Golden
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Rule:” “Treat people the same way you want them to treat you” (Matthew 7:12 NASB). Hey, that’s only the beginning! God wants us to love others with a great love that excludes no one. First, we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ like Jesus loves us.
This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (Words of Christ to His disciples in John 15:12 NASB)
Fervently love one another from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22 NASB)
Peter is of course speaking of a pure and godly love for other members of the family of God.
Yet there is still a greater challenge.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
(Words of Christ in Matthew 5:44-45 KJV)
To love in the way described in the preceding Scriptures, you will assuredly need the help of the Holy Spirit. Ask God for His help (Matthew 7:7-8) and trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6) to help you love others with that God kind of love. Don’t expect it to happen overnight. Thank Him in advance for His help and keep on praying for blessings and eternal salvation for those who have hurt you. Keep on speaking your forgiveness every day until you have a complete and enduring peace in your heart whenever you think of that person who offended you.
How to Ruin Your Life by Unforgiveness
More than one Christian evangelist has stated, “All arthritis is caused by unforgiveness.” I don’t know whether that statement is true. Certainly I believe that any Christian minister facing a person seeking divine healing
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of arthritis must first insure that any unforgiveness is overcome before proceeding further.
I believe that stress can be very damaging to one’s physical and mental health. The emotion involved in holding on tenaciously to unforgiveness creates stress. Heart attacks and strokes and other crippling conditions are often triggered by stress.
Refusing to forgive another person is a sin (“missing the mark”). Jesus set the example for us in forgiveness. After the betrayal, rejection, desertion, mocking, shame and extreme pain that our sinless, loving Savior had endured, what did He say when He was crucified?
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34 NKJV)
Refusing to forgive everyone who has offended us is a sin that will block God’s forgiveness of all of our sins.
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. (Words of Christ in Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV)
Unforgiving Christians carry the burden of their own unforgiven sins. Although I am a Christian, I still sin and so do you. We should quickly confess our own sins and quickly begin the process of forgiving every person who has offended us. Then we can know that God has fully forgiven us. Then we have the peace of God in our hearts and protection from Satan and his demons.
Anyone who refuses to forgive someone who has offended him or her opens a door, through this sin, to a demon (also called an “evil spirit” or “unclean spirit”). Frank and Ida Mae Hammond wrote, “A classic example of the door being opened by sin of omission is the failure to forgive.... Unforgiveness opens the door to the torment of resentment and hatred and related spirits.”3 See Matthew 18:21-35. Can a true Christian have a
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demon? Derek Prince wrote, “Let us consider first the case of a person who already has demons when he or she seeks salvation. I have not been able to find any passage of Scripture suggesting that demons will automatically leave at that time.”4 Tom Brown wrote, “I would estimate that more than half of the deliverances I have performed were on Christians who had demons influencing their lives prior to salvation.”5
A person who belongs to Christ cannot also belong to a demon (cannot be demon-possessed). However, a demon can nevertheless enter in and dwell within a Christian’s body. Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of darkness and deception; so the demon will not announce that he is moving in. He simply enters the believer’s body unannounced.
In my view, demons that are inside Christians are "squatters." "Squatters" is a legal term referring to persons who have established their residence on land that they don’t own. All demons within a Christian should be evicted in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! The Christian belongs to God; yet somehow, at some time, a doorway was opened and a demon moved in. Unbelievers also open the door to a demon when they refuse to forgive someone who has offended them. Deliverance ministers (persons who cast out demons in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ) minister to Christians. If an unsaved person seeks deliverance from an evil spirit, the minister knows that he must lead this person to Christ before they leave each other’s presence. It would be foolish to cast a demon out of an unsaved person. Day by day, the unbeliever is walking in darkness and cooperating (1) with his own sinful nature and (2) with Satan, although he may not be aware of this. He is also influenced by the evil in this world that we live in. Satan will not inform him of these facts. God is looking for a Christian who will reach out to this lost person with the great and wonderful news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If a demon is cast out of a person who is unsaved and remains unsaved, the demon will soon reenter its former house with additional demons that are more evil than itself.
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When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. (Words of Christ in Matthew 12:43-45 NKJV)
When an unclean spirit finds its former residence empty, it will reenter the body of the person it lived in before. We need to be in Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and praises to God. Be quick to confess your sins. Forgive quickly everyone who has wronged or hurt you and pray for them. An evil spirit can feel at home in a person who is full of sin and self, a person who does not know Christ. However, a demon would become very uncomfortable in a Christian who prays every day, studies the Word of God, speaks the Word of God, thanks and praises God, obeys the Lord and walks in faith that works by love. Such a Christian might still need deliverance ministry, however.
Demons have been cast out of individuals in a number of ways, including self-deliverance. However, demons are always cast out in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 16:17) by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).
No one should be ashamed of a need for deliverance. In many cases, a demon enters a person through no fault of that individual. Concerning all other cases, remember that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Thank God for His grace (undeserved favor) because without God’s grace, none of us would have been saved! (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It is impossible to provide effective training in deliverance in a few pages. I have simply tried to alert the reader to the great importance of this topic. Appendix E lists some books dealing with the topic of deliverance. Derek Prince served the Lord and the body of Christ in deliverance ministry for many years. Derek stated the problem and its solution as follows:
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Most victims of demonic oppression have been left to suffer without any offer of practical help from the Church. The time has come, I believe, ... to reestablish the Church’s ministry on the bedrock of Jesus and the gospels.6
Spiritual Suicide by Unforgiveness
Surely, pressing on into complete and permanent forgiveness and the peace that only God can give will be a great turning point in the lives of many persons. Perhaps when a person comes forward to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or soon thereafter, the minister should inquire whether there is anyone this seeker needs to forgive. I believe that making this inquiry early on and following through will provide many new converts with a better start in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Microscopic amounts of a poison may be taken into our bodies and cause no immediate symptoms at first. However, as we continue to take in the poison day after day, the poison and its effects accumulate in our bodies. Eventually, the accumulated poison causes undesirable symptoms--sickness, infirmity, pain, mental or nervous problems or death.
Like accumulated poisons that bring great harm to our bodies, a bad habit can eventually cause serious physical and/or mental and/ or spiritual problems for an individual; all of the above if the bad habit is unforgiveness. As the offended person feeds on his (her) unforgiveness day after day, the intensity of that unforgiveness will increase. What begins as resentment may progress to anger, then bitterness, then hatred, then a spirit of murder. Offended persons may say, “I can’t ever forgive him for what he did to me.” The reality is not that they can’t, but that they won’t forgive. In spite of their deep hurt, they can open their mouths and start speaking forgiveness and keep on until they have the peace of God in their hearts.
Clearly, forgiving will be extremely difficult for some persons. However, there are only two choices: (1) Hold on to the unforgiveness and ruin your life
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and carry the burden of your own sins
or (2) Ask your Father, in Jesus’ name, for the help of the Holy Spirit, open your mouth and start speaking complete forgiveness for the offender. Pray for God’s blessings and for eternal salvation for that person who wounded you so deeply. Keep it up every day until you have complete peace in your heart every time you think of that person who hurt you. Then you can get on with your life. Then you can have the love, joy and peace of God in your heart (Galatians 5:22-23). Then you can know that all of your sins are instantly forgiven when you confess them (1 John 1:9).
I believe that unforgiveness is a very common problem in our general population today. That is precisely why I have presented the topic in one of the earlier chapters of this book. There is a great need in the body of Christ today for clear, complete and practical teaching on the subject of forgiving.7 For many years, I have seen the deadly effects of unforgiveness among my own relatives. In a time of tragedy, I helped a certain person. I provided the tangible help that was needed, and more, without complaining or arguing with anyone and without asking for help. It is true, however, that the way we do a good deed can hurt someone deeply. The manner in which I provided that help was coldhearted. I did not understand this nor know the hurt that I had caused until many years later. My coldhearted action also caused a taking of sides, a division among my relatives. I believe that I helped plant a seed of unforgiveness. I have confessed my sin to my Father in heaven. I know that, in the spirit realm, the blood of Jesus has washed my sin away and I have been forgiven (1 John 1:7-9). I have tried unsuccessfully to communicate with the person I hurt. Nevertheless, we walk by faith, not by sight. I continue to pray and wage spiritual warfare for this person. I have cast this care on the Lord (1 Peter 5:6-7) and I’m trusting Him to bring about a reconciliation with the person that I hurt. God is faithful!
I believe it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of forgiving. I feel that I must present a clear and complete practical
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introduction to what the Bible says about forgiving and unforgiveness. The teacher or facilitator may need to spend two or three sessions on this chapter. A number of persons in the group may still be burdened with unforgiveness. Others in the group may have testimonies of how they were able to break the chains of unforgiveness, receive the peace of God into their hearts and get on with their lives. These persons who gained the victory in Christ, I believe, will be able to share how forgiving the offender improved their relationship with everyone else. There is no doubt that their relationship with God was greatly improved when they began the process of forgiving in Christ and kept on until they had the victory. Even if the offender died many years ago, you must begin and complete the process of forgiving that person completely.
Determined to Cross Over from Death into Life
In my lifetime, I have twice seen men with two words written in ink across their fingers just below their knuckles. On the left hand, I saw the letters HATE. On the right hand, I saw the letters LOVE. These two words represent two kingdoms that are at war with each other. Satan’s kingdom is ruled by HATE and self-centeredness.8 God’s kingdom is ruled by LOVE.
Do you remember the Scriptures in chapters one and two about love? First, God is love. Second, God loved every person on this earth so much that He gave His only divine Son, so that whoever believes on His Son will not perish but have eternal life. Third, Jesus Christ gave us two great love commandments which are the basis for the Ten Commandments. All persons are commanded to love God with all of their being and to love their neighbors like they love themselves.9 Fourth, the Bible tells us that love (charity in the KJV) is greater than faith.10 A person without love in his heart might have a well-known miracle ministry. Yet he is only a harsh noise in God’s ears, and the miracles done through him do not profit him in the kingdom of God in the least, for he is not walking in love.11 Fifth, the Word of God tells
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us that in Christ Jesus, what matters is faith that works through love.12 Sixth, we find that other virtues are perfected when they are wrapped up in love.13 Seventh, Jesus Christ told us to love our enemies and do good to them and bless them and pray for them.14 Eighth, Jesus gave all of His followers a new commandment. He commands us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ like He loved His disciples.15
Led by the Holy Spirit, John continued to stress in his first epistle (letter) the Lord’s new commandment. We must love our brothers and sisters in Christ like Christ loved His disciples.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:14-15 NKJV)
John was referring to an unrepentant murderer. The murderer who receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and turns away from his sinful lifestyle is cleansed and forgiven and becomes a beloved child of God. Likewise, a Christian who begins to hate a brother or sister in Christ can repent of that hatred and be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God and with the Christian that he hated. The need for this repentance is urgent for two reasons: (1) we don’t know the date of our death nor anyone’s date of death. Many persons die unexpectedly, and (2) as a person continues to feed on resentment or hatred, the intensity of the unforgiveness increases. As time passes, it becomes increasingly difficult to overcome that consuming passion of hatred.
Removing this burden of hatred or unforgiveness is a life and death matter. No pride nor preoccupation with other matters nor anything else must be allowed to delay repentance from hatred or unforgiveness. As we carefully review 1 John 3:14-15 above, the message is clear and inescapable. Christians who die with hatred in their hearts towards a brother or sister in Christ will not have eternal life. When we die, our spirits and our souls go to one of two places--heaven or hell.16 According to 1 John 3:14-15 above, the names of Christians who die with hatred
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in their hearts for a brother or sister in Christ must be blotted out of the Book of Life.17 Their eternal place will be the fiery lake of burning sulfur (brimstone).18 “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” Suppose the person one hates is not a brother or sister in the Lord. We must recognize that if anyone murders an evil person, it is still murder. “No murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Also in Matthew 6:14-15 (NASB, CEV, TEV), Jesus told us to “forgive others,” not just brothers; “others” means “everybody.” The KJV has “men,” which I believe means “everybody.” Our Father will forgive us for our sins only if we forgive those who have sinned against us.
It is wrong to desire punishment upon the one who offended you. Jesus Christ is the righteous Judge of all the earth. No one else is qualified nor authorized to condemn a person nor to punish a person. Read Matthew 5:44 again (KJV or NKJV). Vengeance belongs to the Lord, to be administered by Him however and whenever He deems appropriate (Hebrews 10:30). Romans 12:19-21 is a companion Scripture to Matthew 5:44. The follower of Christ must never seek to “get even” or return evil for evil. Our unchanging rule of conduct is Romans 12:21 (NKJV): “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” God gives us His peace when we follow His instructions.
Many persons have suffered deep wounds from bitter divorces, abuse in childhood, rejection, the murder or “manslaughter” of a loved one and other tragic experiences or cruel circumstances. Foolish friends have led some individuals into degrading and self-destructive behavior. No matter how evil or inexcusable the offense was, the victim must, for his (her) own sake, forgive the offender. The injured person is the one who always benefits from forgiving the offender. Offenders may or may not benefit from being forgiven. Sometimes, they don’t even know that they were wrong or unkind; or they may feel that their behavior was justified. Sometimes, there is incomplete or inaccurate knowledge of what was done or said and the background leading to the event. Sometimes, the intent of the offender may have been misunderstood. Regardless of the facts, the greatest fact of all is that we cannot live in Christ while we hate someone. We cannot hate and have
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eternal life. If you have unforgiveness in your heart, ask for help. Pour out your heart to God. Ask God to lead you to someone who will understand and help you. There are caring Christians who will listen to you, pray for you and counsel and encourage you.
You must exercise your will. The emotions you have when you think of the person who hurt you cannot prevent you from beginning the process of forgiving. Open your mouth and speak your forgiveness, naming the offender. Pray blessings upon the offender. Pray for his (her) eternal salvation. You may want to read aloud a Scripture that tells us to forgive. This assures your heart that you are handling the problem in the way that God desires. As you persevere day after day (perhaps several times a day) in obeying the Word of God concerning forgiveness, you will grow stronger in your resolve. Your words are powerful. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). So avoid negativity. Speak words that will benefit you. Speak words that contain the promises of God. Remember that God is love, and God loves you.
Years ago, I was in a small group at church one Sunday morning. I don’t remember what I said, but one of the women in the group immediately responded to my statement with a curt remark. I don’t remember what she said, but she hurt my feelings. Now, this was definitely a minor incident. Nevertheless, it had to be dealt with. We dare not carry a trace of unforgiveness nor ill will in our hearts towards anyone, and especially not towards a brother or sister in Christ. While my procedure for dealing with this offense was incomplete according to the words of Christ, I feel that my testimony may encourage you.
For about fourteen days, when I entered into my prayer closet in the evening, I would say, “Lord Jesus, with your help, I forgive (her name) for what she said to me.” About the fourteenth time that I said this, the peace of God came over me. I knew I had the victory and that the need to speak my forgiveness had ended. The following Sunday, the woman came running up to me in church and asked me, "Have I ever
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said anything to offend you?” I said, “It’s okay. We all say things sometimes that we shouldn’t say.” It was all over for both of us.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul urged the Christians at Ephesus to love one another. If you memorize this verse and speak it daily, it will get down into your heart.
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV)
My senior pastor, Bishop Richard L. Johnson, says that when we forgive, we give up all thoughts of revenge (Hebrews 10:30). If anyone was entitled to seek revenge, it was our crucified Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus had never sinned. He poured out His life in loving good works freely given. Yet He was betrayed, tortured terribly, mocked, shamed and crucified without a legal or moral cause. Yet, from the cross, Jesus prayed:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
(Words of Christ in Luke 23:34 NKJV)
You will never go wrong by following Christ’s example. Forgive completely and bless every person who has sinned against you. Then you can live in Christ Jesus your Lord the abundant life that Jesus came to give you.
Teachings on forgiving are available on the Internet. Some of these resources are free. They can be downloaded and printed. Type “Forgiving” or “Forgiveness” or “www.joycemeyer.org” as search items.
Complete the Circle of Peace
There are other problem areas related to forgiveness. Some Christians have not forgiven themselves for some sin in the past, even though God has forgiven them for that sin. This problem will be
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dealt with in Chapter Seven. Right now, just remember that Satan is “the accuser of the brothers” (Revelation 12:10 TEV). Don’t do Satan’s job for him. Our God is a God of great mercy and grace!
Then there are persons who are angry with God. We may sometimes seem incapable of facing and coping with tragic events and great difficulties in our lives. In these hard times, “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV) is waiting for that hurting person to come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ to find comfort, strength and guidance. With the Lord’s help, we can always go on one day at a time.19 If you are angry at God because of what some person(s) did to you, you must put away this misplaced anger. Get alone with God somewhere and tell Him in your own words that you forgive Him. Perhaps your parents didn’t want you. God sees your hurt. God cares. Confess out loud your forgiveness of your parents, even if they’re dead, and ask God to heal your heart.
In the next chapter, we will be looking unto Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV). Jesus Christ is at the center of human history. When Christ came to the earth, He split time. Time is now divided between the time before Christ’s birth (B.C.) and the time after Christ’s birth (A.D.). Webster’s Dictionary shows that “A.D.” is an abbreviation for “anno Domini,” which is Latin for “in the year of the Lord.” Glory to Jesus!
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CHAPTER THREE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. It has been said that “the soul” includes the intellect (the ability to reason and understand), the imagination, the memory, the emotions and the will. Which one of these five functions is able to control the other four functions of a person’s soul?_____________________
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2. Who will help you to forgive completely someone who has hurt you deeply? __________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________
3. How long should you continue to speak forgiveness and pray for blessings and eternal salvation for a person who has hurt you?
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4. A co-worker continues to orally attack you unjustly “behind your back.” What should you do? _____________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________
5. How would you define “love” according to the Holy Scriptures? What part do feelings, attitudes and actions have in the Bible kind of love? ____________________________________________
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6. By early morning of those special days like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and Valentine’s Day, you should bless your spouse in a special way. How many ways can you remind yourself so that you will be an on-time blessing? Pray for creativity. Make some beautiful memories! ___________________________________
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7. Is there someone whom you or a person close to you needs to forgive? What are you going to do about it? _________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________
8. Name every benefit mentioned in Chapter 3 that persons who have completely forgiven every offender have received.
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9. Hopefully, you will agree by now that forgiving others is of the greatest importance. Who are the persons whom you should teach about forgiveness?
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