A Distorted Heart - Unforgiveness & Revenge: Destroying Them Does Not Heal You - Part 2

I see so many people who spend the majority of their lives in unforgiveness, filled with anger and vengeful.  Some are driven by revenge; some are weighed down by it.  Some use revenge to obtain success, some as an excuse to wallow in self pity.  Whichever way it’s used, it will eventually destroy people - spirit, soul and body. 

There is a program on television about a unforgiving, vengeful young lady.  I started to watch this program and became intrigued by how the main character went to great lengths to exact revenge on those that had hurt her and caused her father’s death.  She is cold hearted, murderous, bitter, resentful, calculating, a liar, cruel, hateful, deceitful, I can go on and on.  Week after week this show had me riveted to the television to see what she had planned for each person on her list.  Her father made provisions for her financially before his death, she was a wealthy young woman.  The father left her with instructions to enjoy life without revenge; he had forgiven those that wronged him and wanted her to do the same.  However, she did not heed his advice.  As she was plotting and carrying out her revenge, she dismissed every opportunity for happiness, hurting and dragging others into her madness.  I was getting frustrated with this chic, so I just stopped watching.  Enough was enough.  I know, I know ........ its television and "revenge" is what drives the ratings.

Ask yourself these questions:  Are you driven by anger and unforgiveness to the point of seeking revenge on those that have hurt you?  Do you secretly plot their destruction, want to make them pay or worse - want them dead?  Are you willing to carry out revenge at any cost?  Cost to family, friends, the innocent? How about your very soul?  What has unforgiveness and revenge accomplished?  Did destroying them heal you?    Jesus came so you can have abundant life, not a dead, cold life weighed down by unforgiveness and revenge.

STOP! You are opening yourself to the Devil.  Revenge and unforgiveness are controlling spirits aimed to carry out Satan's agenda - to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) - to deceive you, to separate you from God.

FORGIVE   FORGIVE   FORGIVE   FORGIVE   FORGIVE   FORGIVE   FORGIVE   FORGIVE

Abortion: Are You Ready to Minister to a Contrite Heart?

There is another side to abortion that is rarely mentioned .... the suffering of those who made the decision to terminate their pregnancy.  There are plenty of post abortive women out there who are hurting.  From teens to the elderly, there are women  AND men, who are grieving and struggling over their abortion decision.  My Christian brothers and sisters, are you ready to minister to those with a contrite heart?  Do you have any prejudices toward those who chose abortion?  What is your attitude towards them?  A number of these people have sorrow over their decision.  They're spirit is broken.  Help them to accept God's forgiveness.  Offer them the mercy, love and grace of God.

Ps 51:17 - The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit, you will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God

Ps 34:18 - The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed

Is. 57:15 - I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

Your Heart

I often hear people talk about moving to the next level in God and wondering how in the world you get there!  That “new level” or “new thing” starts with you.  Are you ready for what God has prepared for you?  Have you developed an intimacy with God that warrants your trust?  Have you given your heart to God?  I’m asking you the same questions that I’ve been asking myself.  I have learned that God doesn’t open doors until my heart is open to Him.  That requires me trusting in Him and believing that He is.  This requires me to allow God to expose every sin in my life.  Does God have your heart?  Are you willing to allow God into your innermost being?  If the answer is yes, I invite you to ask God to clean your heart.  Every day I ask God to do the following:

        Ps. 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me.

Ps. 139:23-24 – Search me Lord and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything that offends you and set me on the path that leads to everlasting life.

God will show you some things that you are not going to like.  Owning up to them is the hard part.  Just know that if God points it out to you, its for your good.  In Psalm 51:12 David asks God, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you”.  God wants you restored to Him.  Will you give Him your heart?