Lessons for Living (Audio)

The Bible has been talking about the physical as well as the mental and emotional effects of unforgiveness for thousands of years. The modern medical and mental health communities have finally caught up in their observations to see the same damage unforgiveness does to our whole being. Pastor Mark is teaching, using the story of Joseph, of our need to take advantage of the act of forgiveness. The people Joseph interacted with – his brothers, his masters – treated him horribly, yet God still blessed Joseph’s life. The blessing was a direct result of Joseph’s willingness to forgive.

The Bible has been talking about the physical as well as the mental and emotional effects of unforgiveness for thousands of years. The modern medical and mental health communities have finally caught up in their observations to see the same damage unforgiveness does to our whole being. Pastor Mark is teaching, using the story of Joseph, of our need to take advantage of the act of forgiveness. The people Joseph interacted with – his brothers, his masters – treated him horribly, yet God still blessed Joseph’s life. The blessing was a direct result of Joseph’s willingness to forgive.

We all have difficulties, which we handle with varying degrees of success. The idea that God would keep us in an unpleasant situation because we haven’t learned to depend on Him is one that we are reluctant to contemplate. This goes against the popular teaching that God wants you healthy, wealthy and wise now. Pastor Mark is reminding us that God looks at the entirety of our lives and has in mind who He wants us to be when we get to the end of our lives. It’s important for us to remember God’s love for us and His desire that we become useful ambassadors for His kingdom.

We all have difficulties, which we handle with varying degrees of success. The idea that God would keep us in an unpleasant situation because we haven’t learned to depend on Him is one that we are reluctant to contemplate. This goes against the popular teaching that God wants you healthy, wealthy and wise now. Pastor Mark is reminding us that God looks at the entirety of our lives and has in mind who He wants us to be when we get to the end of our lives. It’s important for us to remember God’s love for us and His desire that we become useful ambassadors for His kingdom.

When we’re under attack by Satan, whether it be temptation to sin or an accusation based on our past behavior, we don’t usually have time to logically put up resistance. He is a master of attacking when our defenses are the weakest. Pastor Mark is teaching us about our need to become more attentive to the devil’s attacks, and to understand our standing in Christ. We must remember that Jesus took our place in receiving the punishment for everything we have done and will do. Because of that, when God looks at us He sees the penalty for our sins paid in full.

When we’re under attack by Satan, whether it be temptation to sin or an accusation based on our past behavior, we don’t usually have time to logically put up resistance. He is a master of attacking when our defenses are the weakest. Pastor Mark is teaching us about our need to become more attentive to the devil’s attacks, and to understand our standing in Christ. We must remember that Jesus took our place in receiving the punishment for everything we have done and will do. Because of that, when God looks at us He sees the penalty for our sins paid in full.

Unforgiveness is so deceptive. We think we’ve given hurt back to the one who hurt us, when in reality they’re unaware of our animus towards them. in addition to that, our attitude begins to act on us like acid in our veins, corroding the happiness we once had and replacing it with bitterness and cynicism. As Pastor Mark is teaching, we need to understand the damage that unforgiveness does to us as well as how it displeases God. We need to repent of our sin, forgive our transgressor in the same way God has forgiven us and allow God to heal us and repair our relationships.

Unforgiveness is so deceptive. We think we’ve given hurt back to the one who hurt us, when in reality they’re unaware of our animus towards them. in addition to that, our attitude begins to act on us like acid in our veins, corroding the happiness we once had and replacing it with bitterness and cynicism. As Pastor Mark is teaching, we need to understand the damage that unforgiveness does to us as well as how it displeases God. We need to repent of our sin, forgive our transgressor in the same way God has forgiven us and allow God to heal us and repair our relationships.

One of the hard things about being a Christ follower is grasping the concept of faith versus our feelings and fears. It’s tough to jump off that cliff and simply trust God to keep us safe. Our sense of self-preservation many times prevents us from reaching God’s best for us. Pastor Mark, in teaching about our need to forgive, is showing us that the thing we can’t comprehend – God’s redeeming power – is what awaits us if we’re willing to trust God. As we learn to trust God more in the difficult areas of our lives – like healing hurts and extending forgiveness – we’ll find more freedom than we’ve ever known.

One of the hard things about being a Christ follower is grasping the concept of faith versus our feelings and fears. It’s tough to jump off that cliff and simply trust God to keep us safe. Our sense of self-preservation many times prevents us from reaching God’s best for us. Pastor Mark, in teaching about our need to forgive, is showing us that the thing we can’t comprehend – God’s redeeming power – is what awaits us if we’re willing to trust God. As we learn to trust God more in the difficult areas of our lives – like healing hurts and extending forgiveness – we’ll find more freedom than we’ve ever known.