Unforgiveness; the devil scheme exposed
Living in the Blessing Lesson # 6 Walking in Forgiveness part 2
2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust.
Grace is the divine influence every believer has; peace is the union with Jesus Christ. When both are multiplied by intimacy with God, we become aware of the great and precious promises. When our expectations are raised to the God level, we become partakers of the divine nature. God desires to manifest Himself to every believer; mindsets that raise themselves against this knowledge hinder us from living the blessing. One of those hindering mindsets is not walking in forgiveness.
Ephesian 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Blessed, blessed, blessed indeed. Chosen, adopted, and accepted in the Beloved. The devil already knows he cannot curse what God has blessed. His only alternative is to get the believer to buy into one of his lies.
Hebrews 6:17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath,
If our choice is one of the devil’s lies, or the immutability of God’s counsel, we choose God’s Word. What if one of our mindsets have us deceived and we don’t realize we are stuck in the lie of the enemy of our soul. Not walking in complete forgiveness is one of those mindsets that must come down.
Matthew 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Jesus is teaching about the spiritual authority the believers can walk in. Peter sees forgiveness is important by addition; Jesus see forgiveness much more important than Peter. Jesus spoke of forgiveness by the strength of multiples. Unforgiveness can roadblock the believer’s spiritual authority.
Matthew 18:23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
The king found a servant with great debt and announced the repercussions of unpaid debt. The Amplified bible says it was like being $10,000.00 in debt. The servant humble himself and asked for more time to make a way for payment of the debt. The King moved with compassion, gave the servant more than he requested. The king completely forgave the whole of the debt and set the servant free.
Matthew 18:28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took [him] by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' 30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
The freed servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him $20.00. The indebted servant asked for a little more time to pay off and the freed servant demanded full payment now or to prison. The freed servant had all his indebtedness wiped out by the king, but insisted on retaining the debt of the fellow servant. If we forgive the sins they are forgiven if we retain the sins they indeed will be retained. The story got back to the king.
Matthew 18:32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
The cost of retaining the sin of the fellow servant was much more than the freed servant had realized. The mindset of unforgiveness is way too expensive to maintain. The freed servant was now reaping the ramifications. Retained sins of a fellow servant brings torture to the soul of even a freed servant, like Esau who had gained a bitter spirit and many were defiled by it. So, if we walk in the deceit of unforgiveness we will have the sin of another contaminating our soul. The sin of another retained by us is poison to our soul. Forgiveness is commanded for the health of our own soul. Living in the blessing can be hindered by our soul not prospering properly. We are called to forgive from the heart!
Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast [him] out of the city and stoned [him]. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on [God] and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
The first martyr of the church walked in demonstration of not retaining sins. “Lord do not charge them with this sin.”
Luke 23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."
Jesus Himself is our greatest example of walking in forgiveness. Some of His last words on the cross, “Father forgive them, for they do no know what they do.” Were the words for just the few standing at the foot of the cross or does this prayer include all who need forgiveness even before we know we need it?
Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
The work of the cross brings power to stop retaining the sins of any! The work of the cross wiped out that which was contrary to us. Nothing stands against us because it has been nailed to the cross of Calvary. This is the bedrock and source of us walking in the spirit of forgiveness, and allows living in the blessing to flow freely.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
The mindset of unforgiveness is a stronghold of the enemy in our soul. Every thought and reasoning to continue to retain of the sin of any must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Free to forgive and free to live in the blessing; praise God.