Sunday 8 October 2017

Please forgive me

We are all on our own personal spiritual journey and l ask Almighty God to forgive me and to help me to continue to see the best in people, for me to learn how to forgive and to try and change ‘me’

Source: PInterest
A few years ago, l was finding it very difficult, and even today l still wrestle with forgiveness, and it seemed that everywhere l went I witnessed great acts of forgiveness. I recently went to my local church and the fact that the Pastor was preaching on forgiveness really blew me away. During the sermon, the Pastor introduced a visiting Pastor from Rwanda who went onto explain the terrible conflict between the two warring factions, the Tutsi’s and the Hutu’s. The visiting Pastor explained that nine of his family members had been massacred by the opposition and went onto describe the terrible genocide that took place. When our Pastor asked him how he felt he said that he had forgiven those who carried out this atrocity to his family and many others; Colossians 3:13 ‘Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you’.

Eventually the opposition had managed to gain control of Rwanda but they couldn't bring the country together peacefully. The visiting Pastor explained that the leader of the opposition (now the ruling party), ask him to forgive him and to help him to unite the country, which he did. A few days earlier and by a pure coincidence l had watched the film Hotel Rwanda (a fantastic movie for which the two actors should have got Oscars). When the visiting Pastor was explaining his harrowing memories, the film became very raw in my mind. This all happened at a time when my ex-husband was being particularly nasty, needless to say, I was not in a particularly ‘holy’ frame of mind and I definitely did not feel very forgiving to say the least. However, while l sat there listening I felt as if Almighty God was talking directly to me through this Pastor who was giving his testimony.  l sat there and my conscience started to burn. I thought to myself ‘look at this man, he has lost so many family members and he was now helping the man who was responsible and the terrible genocide in Rwanda. He has embraced and forgiven him’. It really bought into question my own understanding of forgiveness.

Source: WordPress.com
To be honest I still find it hard to forgive certain things however l know l cannot do it by myself. l know that I need to be still and hand it over to the Lord; Psalm 46:10 ‘Be still, and know that I am God’. I need to listen to hear His voice. The testimony from the visiting Pastor was an amazing experience that really challenged me. God knew that I would be at that service on that day and at that time, it was no coincidence. He knew I needed to hear that particular message because God loves me and wanted to show me something about myself; Psalm 18:6 ‘In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears’. Praise God for the way He listens and communicates with us. All we need to do is be obedient and be open to hear what He has to say, even though it sometimes might highlight a human weakness in us, it actually helps and addresses a spiritual issue to help us develop our relationship with Him.

We are all on our own personal spiritual journey and l ask Almighty God to forgive me and to help me to continue to see the best in people, for me to learn how to forgive and to try and change ‘me’.

I pray blessings on everyone who reads this testimony. God bless.


Author: Jackie Peacock

May God bless and enrich your life

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5 comments:

  1. I suspect that many people who read this article will relate to their own lack of forgiveness in their lives. The article provides an example of someone who managed to find forgiveness in their heart for someone who had taken away most of their family, which must have been so difficult. Lack of forgiveness can often lead to continually living in the past which disrupts our ability to move on in our relationship with others, but crucially with God. Let us pray that we can always find forgiveness in our hearts. Thank you for the blessing this testimony.

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  2. Thank you dear sister for taking the time to Bless the body of Christ with this message. We are all a working progress and this Blog Blesses us to examine any unforgiveness in our lives, and ask for God’s Mercy.

    The song at the end is painful and jet beautiful. Praise God that the grave could not hold our Lord and Saviour! He rose again!
    “Death where is your sting” Amen

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  3. What an honest and powerful testimony to God's grace an mercy. I believe that the first step to being able to forgive is to admit that you can't or that you find it difficult to, and then ask God to help you, that shows great spiritual strength and maturity. It also shows a willingness to want to forgive, and if God sees that in our heart He will give us the help we need to be able to. The power of forgiveness is that it breaks the hold that the person or persons who hurt us have on us and sets us free from pain. It also stops satan being able to use it against us. I pray that each one of us can walk in forgiveness and know the freedom and peace that it brings. Bless you.

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  4. thank you for this honest article, while I was reading it I could feel the longing on your heart to be able to fully forgive .
    God knows us intimately and cares about what concerns us . God knows the hidden thoughts of our heart , and understands us better than we know ourselfs?
    take heart today and trust in him
    PRAYER
    Dear God thank you for knowing the burdens I bear . Help me to love other people as you do, even though it may be hard at times AMEN

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  5. Thank you for sharing. I had issues with unforgiveness some years ago and it stole my joy. It took several years and a prolonged period of God preaching the message of forgiveness into my life, but when He made it through my stubbon mind, I was determined not to let it happen again. It is hard but I learned 'to forgive others as God forgives me' this is both difficult and humbling, but also the only way to live with forgiveness in my heart, sometimes it is ongoing, repeated forgiving but with Gods help it changes my heart in the end. Again thank you x

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