Hey Forever GodGirl, I'm your host Iz and welcome
or welcome back to the Forever GodGirl Podcast.
In today's episode, we are going to talk all
about forgiveness. So forgiveness means to cancel
a debt or to stop feeling angry or resentful
towards someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake.
And the reason it's important to forgive quickly
is because unforgiveness will sit and fester
in our hearts, and then it will become a hatred.
And in 1 John 4 verse 20, it says we cannot say
that we love God and hate another person at the
same time. So, I have to become friends with a
bully?! No, that is definitely not what I'm saying
because forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation,
and it does not mean giving someone permission
to hurt you again. So, if someone is dangerous
to be around, yes, we should forgive them. Pray
for our enemies, but God (JESUS) isn't saying to put
ourselves in a situation where we can get hurt
by them, physically or psychologically. Forgiveness
is necessary, but so are boundaries. Alright,
now that we've unpacked that little disclaimer,
now let's get into what Ephesians 4 verse 32
says. It says, I mean, when I think about it,
God forgives me - And I know that sometimes it's difficult
to forgive and love others because let's be honest,
our flesh wants to do the complete opposite.
But once we're saved, we have the Holy Spirit
living inside of us. And the Holy Spirit enables
us to love and forgive others just as God has
loved and forgive - Okay, I forgave them once,
but they keep doing the same thing. How many
times am I supposed to forgive the same person?
Well, what you said actually reminds me of a
parable in Matthew chapter 18. Basically, Peter
came to Jesus and said, this person keeps wronging
me so many times. I already forgave them seven
times. Now what should I do, Lord? And Jesus
says to him, I tell you. Don't just forgive him
seven times. Forgive him seven times 70 times (7x70),
which equals 490. Oh, well, this person has sinned
against me 54 times, so now I only have to forgive
them another 436 times. Now, Jesus isn't giving
us an exact number. Once this person sins against
me 490 times, I stop forgiving them. But the
point is to say, extend grace to the person just
as God has extended grace to us. So, what's the
parable that you were talking about? Oh, let
me get back on track. So basically, there was
a king who decided to collect his money from
his servants who owed him. And the king began
to collect his money, and one servant owed him
several thousand pounds of silver. He was not
able to pay the money to his master, the king.
So the master ordered that he and everything
he owned be sold and that his whole family be
thrown into prison. Oh my gosh. I know, right?
But the servant fell to his knees and begged
the king, be patient with me. I will pay you
everything that I owe. So the master felt sorry
for him and he told the servant that he did not
have to pay. He let the servant go free. Wow,
that is so great. That's such a great story.
We're not at the end of the parable though. The
same servant found his personal servant who owed
him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him around
the neck and said, pay me the money you owe me.
Yeesh, that sounds like an assault. The other
servant fell on his knees and begged him, be
patient with me, I promise I will pay you everything
I owe. But the first servant refused to be patient,
and that servant was put in jail until he could
pay everything he owed. Another servant saw what
happened, felt sorry for the man, and told the
king. And then the king called his servant in
and said, you evil servant, you begged me to
forgive your debt, and I said you did not have
to pay me anything. So you should have given
that other man who serves you the same mercy
I gave you. In verse 35 of Matthew chapter 18,
Jesus gives us a moral to the parable. He says
this king did the same. Oh my gosh, am I going
to hell? Let me straighten this out. No, this
does not mean you're gonna go to hell. It simply
means that we're not gonna have the peace of
God. And that is why Jesus wants us to forgive
each other. In Colossians 3 verse 13, EASYEnglish
Bible, it says, do not become angry with each
other. If you think someone has done something
wrong against you, forgive them. Remember that
the Lord has forgiven you, so you should also
forgive other people. This scripture is telling
us that if we have a complaint against someone,
if we feel offended by someone, if we feel angry
at someone, we need to forgive, which is sometimes
easier said than done, I'll give you that. But
remember, we have to forgive in the strength
of God, in the agape love of God. We have to
remember that God forgives us every single day
So who are we to not forgive our brother or sister
a lot of times? We don't forgive quickly and
often because we want to hold on to the anger
that we feel or the pride that we feel entitled
to but really, we're not entitled to anything
and once we let go of our entitlement and pride
We can forgive others because we humbly remember
that we sin maybe even more than the other person
So remember that today we can have authority
through Christ over our human nature and choose
to forgive. And whenever I feel like this is
very difficult for me to do, I just remember
Luke 23 verse 34, which says, Jesus said, Father,
forgive them, for they don't know what they are
doing. A lot of the times people sin against
us, offend us, or make us angry because they
are simply ignorant to their sinful nature, just
as we once were. So the amazing thing about this
scripture is Jesus is completely sinless. But
while he was being crucified, while they were
spitting on him, gambling for his clothes, and
making a mockery of him, he was praying for the
same people that were persecuting him. He even
prayed for God's mercy on them. Wow, Jesus really
is the best example. Of course. So the next time
we feel that someone has done something to us
that is unforgivable, let's pray for God to bless
them. Pray for God's mercy to fall upon them.
Ask God to help you forgive that person, and
ask him to change that person's heart. Now it's
time for our special segment, Movies and TV Shows.
In today's special segment, I will be recommending
the movie, The Shack. It is such a sad but beautiful
movie. It shows how our relationship with God
can bloom even out of the most tragic time of
our lives. After suffering a family tragedy,
Mack Phillips, the father, spirals into a deep
depression that causes him to not even believe
in God anymore. Facing a crisis of faith, he
receives a mysterious letter, inviting him to
come to the shack where tragedy happened years
ago. Once he gets to the shack, he has a personal
encounter with God. Mac finds important truths
that will transform his understanding of his
tragedy and change his life forever. This movie
is rated PG -13 mainly because of the heavy topic,
but I totally recommend it, especially for older
viewers. I love this movie and I hope you love
it just as much as I do. That was such a great
special segment, but now it's time to talk about
something even more important and even more exciting,
salvation. Here's a word from Zi. So, if you
have a personal relationship, with Jesus Christ,
then this message will help you. But if you don't
have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
I invite you to give your heart to the Lord today.
To receive him into your heart, go to Romans
10, 9 through 10. It says, if you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. for with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. If you said this prayer
with sincerity, you are saved and now have eternal
life with Jesus. You are saved from all your
sins. Past, present and future sins you may commit.
This truth is not a free pass to sin anytime.
Instead, Jesus gives you power over all wrong
choices and empowers you to spread the gospel
to others. You are saved forever and your name
is written in the Book of Life. Did you just
give your life to Jesus? Because if you did,
give yourself a pat on the back. I am so godly
proud of you. Thank you so much for listening
to this podcast episode. I trust that it helped
you and that you learned something. And remember,
with the Holy Spirit, we have the power to forgive
because God first forgave us through Jesus. Visit
us on our website at ForeverGodGirl.com . That's
how you help us spread the good news. See you
next time. Bye!!!