Essays on Prayer No 8. by Robert Dean Steel

Essays on Prayer No 8. by Robert Dean Steel

   This essay is probably the most important piece of information that I will be sharing through this series.  This will help you maintain relationships and get along with every body all the time.  Now walking in instant forgiveness is the secret to maintaining good relationships. 
   It is in this time and place of prayer you made the decision that you are going to walk in immediate forgiveness.  Let me give you an example.  A person you respect and love comes to you one day and decides to tell you all the things that are wrong with you.  Now their intention may be right and noble but lets say they get carried away and make the discussion a little too personal and your feelings get hurt.  It is in that moment where your feelings get hurt that you choose to forgive.  You say to yourself, "Lord I choose right now to forgive and forget.  No matter what they do to me I will not do the same to them".  Then you work through the feelings and emotions of being hurt.  When you choose to walk in forgiveness you stay free.  Let me illustrate again.  One day I walked in a staples store.  I walked up to the fax machine to use it.  A man was standing beside it and he was writing and shuffling papers.  I saw that he was not using the fax machine so I went to use it.  Immediately he gruffly said, "I was using that machine."  I replied, "I am sorry it was not my intention to butt in line."  He gruffly replied, "Oh yes, it was."  In that moment I made a decision that I was not going to answer a fool according to his folly.  I simply step aside and use another fax machine next to it.  I got all my faxing done long before he did.  Then I said, "well that was quick, smiled and walked away."  I completely forgot about the incident until the writing of this essay.  I walked in forgiveness and did not let his bad manners ruined or even take away a single moment from the joy of the day.
    Now when people get hurt, it usually looks like this.  You get hurt, immediately you begin a thought process.  It begins with a thought.  "They hurt me, why did they hurt me?  I never did anything to them."  Then comes a strong thought.  "I know why they did that, they don't like me.  Now I don't like them, I will never let them do that again."  Then comes an imagination.  This is where you think and think about it.  You run the situation over and over in your mind.  You make a mountain out of a mole hill.  Then you choose a course of action.  "You say things such as, "I hate them, I will never trust them again, they inconsiderate and hateful."  This begins a course of action that leads to separation and mistrust.  The devil gets in there and speaks his lies and before long it becomes a strong hold.  You have now become so hurt that friendship is broken, mistrust has enter your life and you will look at every one in the same way.  Satan has you right where you are, broken, hurt, walking in unforgiveness and separated from God.
   What you have done is you started by rehearsing the offense, you have gone over and over it again and again.  You have nursed it, "Oh poor me, I am so hurt, No one has gotten hurt like me."  The devil is more than willing to help you in this.  Then you curse them and it.  You curse them, curse your situation and God who allowed it to happen.  When you curse a person or a situation you are really blaming God because you often say, "God how could you let this happen.  You are suppose to be a God of love and you let this happen."
   What you need to do is disburse the hurt and offense to God.  " You say God, I do not know why this happen but I will turn this over to you.  I do not know their motivation behind it but I choose to forgive.  They are yours."  In this way you are turning the situation over to God.  He will be your defense.  When you choose to forgive you are giving up your right for revenge and you let God settle the accounts.  You will not be under the power of the offense or the person.  When you do not forgive you are actually giving that person power over you.  They are in control not you.
   So when you choose to forgive, you actually reverse the situation and the offense.  You and God are in control.  Your forgiveness is immediate.  You are not living under the power of the world, the flesh or the devil.  You are walking in victory and you can get along with every one all the time.  It is a great feeling to be at peace with every one.