Forgive

Whenever….

Mark 11:25"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”

I got to go word by word, I don’t want to skirt a word and thereby miss what Jesus is trying to get across to us. Listen carefully! Observe the first word, ‘whenever’, now repeat whenever, come on, you can say it within yourself – I want you to digest this word. Ok. Whenever, you go to Jesus to speak with Him, pour out your petitions and heart to Him, He says, ‘before you read your ‘need list’ to me, I need you to search your heart thoroughly, forgive people who have wronged you immediately, confess and leave it, so that your Father in heaven can forgive your transgressions.” Are you listening? Boy, we better understand this scripture today!

Whenever, whenever, whenever you go to God for prayer, He says, ‘first forgive and then come to me.’ As I was reading this scripture, I remembered an incident that happened that morning, I actually was offended by a phone call, when that person spoke rudely and I actually had to disconnect the call so that further damage does not take place. When this happens with someone very close to you, it hurts tremendously, though I was trying to put away the incident, it came popping back in my mind, triggering anger inside me, but this scripture corrected me and also helped me to arrest the feelings of hatred. Did not Jesus say, ‘you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32) My, it’s so refreshing when the Word throws light on a particular situation! Jesus just does not want any kind of unkindness, hatred or evil lingering in our life, that’s why He says, ‘whenever you come to me, keep forgiving people and let go off bitterness.’ Clean up then and there. Let us try. Don’t harbor evil, never do that.

I was reading the newspaper this morning and read about a terrorist who talked how the feeling of hatred was inculcated into the children through their parents. They talked ill and evil of their enemies all the time which made their children hardcore terrorist in their teens itself. That’s exactly why God emphasizes that we speak the Word to the children when they stand, sit, walk and lie down. Read: Deuteronomy 6:7 "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” What does this mean? When the child comes home crying about a fight at school, don’t tell him to bash him back, but rather advise peace. Don’t keep talking negative things of the church and the pastor, the child keeps hearing what the elders speak, and eventually he grows with scant respect for the church and the servants of God, eventually their life deteriorates. Caveat!