October 12, 2014 – Pastor Tim – “Exhale…then Inhale, there is more for you”
Jesus said in Luke 4:18,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Many things can bring about disappointment and depression. In the case of the infirmed woman who touched Jesus in the crowd, a spirit of infirmity had gripped her life. A spirit can manifest itself in many forms. For some it may be low self-esteem brought on by different types of abuse, bullying or divorce. I realize that these are natural problems, but they are rooted in spiritual conditions. The devil, “has come to steal, kill, and destroy” our lives and he will use natural problems to do it.
2 Timothy 2:24-26, 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Pride keeps us from dealing with the truth. Pride hardens our hearts and dims the eyes of our understanding. It keeps us from the change of heart—repentance—which will set us free. We will never change when we think everything is fine. (both us and others, it takes effort to remain teachable and patient)
Whenever something is torn, it does not heal easily. But Jesus can heal a broken or torn heart. Only the Master can heal these victims in the times in which we live. (sewing… torn vs. Cut)
The definition of restore is: to give back (something taken or lost); to return to a former or normal state; to bring back to health or strength.
Romans 5:15-16, But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
The Holy Spirit can treat the long-term effects of tragedy. One of the great healing balms of the Holy Spirit is forgiveness. To forgive is to break the link between you and your past.
The definition of forgive is: to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; pardon (an offense or the offender.) True forgiveness is to have the power to exercise revenge, but, instead exercises restraint.
Matthew 6:12-15, And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Sadly enough, many times the person hardest to forgive is the one in the mirror. Although we rage loudly about others, often we secretly blame ourselves for our failure or suffered abuse. However, regardless of who we hold responsible, there is no healing in blame.
It has been reported that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal Artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathize with her loss.
After a brief silence, Lee said, “Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it.”
It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, letting bitterness take root, and poisoning the rest of our lives.
Jesus made it very clear that it is impossible to live in this world and not have the opportunity to become offended.
Luke 17:1a, Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come…
Yet, most believers are shocked, bewildered, and amazed when it happens. We believe we are the only ones who have been wronged. This response leaves us vulnerable to a root of bitterness. Therefore, we must be prepared and armed for offenses, because our response determines our future.
When we begin to realize that our past does not necessarily dictate the outcome of our future, then we can release the hurt. It is impossible to inhale new air until we exhale the old. My prayer today, is that God will give us the grace to release where we have been wronged, so we can receive what God has for us now. Exhale, then inhale; there is more for you!
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