"A Heart That Forgives"

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

                                                            A Word for Healing
                                                       “A Heart That Forgives”

Let It Go!!!!! Ask God to give you a heart that forgives; I did, not just one time but all the time. It is good to take inventory of our hearts and make sure there is no unforgiveness hiding in there; that we have not taken offense against anyone and allowed bitterness to sit up reign in our heart. Unforgiveness keeps us in a cage; it surrounds us with hate and pain. Unforgiveness cause us to put walls up to keep people out who we thought hurt us. However, if we have walls ups, we are a prisoner and God cannot reach us. We need to let all that stuff go!!! It is not worth living in misery thinking you are getting back at the person who hurt you; they are gone about their business and you are the one can't sleep or eat. Put that stuff in God's hand and let it all go!!!

I know, I use to live my life in unforgiveness and I was miserable!! I would get mad at people and stay mad for years; I had allowed the principality of bitterness to set up in my life. But thank God He has delivered me and torn down the walls that I allowed the hurt to build up. Walking in forgiveness is not easy but I take one day at a time and ask God to help me to "walk in love and stay in faith" as my former Pastor use to tell us.

Now you see why I have to keep a check on my heart, I don't want anything hiding up in there that is not pleasing to God. Sometimes unforgiveness slips in and puts us in denial; we know something is wrong but we just can't put our hands on it. When we come around a certain person, and our insides go haywire, we need to check that; there is some kind of offense and offense that is not dealt with leads to unforgiveness. Think about it: someone says something or does something or not do something, we get offended, then we begin to withdraw from that person or persons, next thing you know, when that person comes around, you shut down around them, next thing you know, you don't even want to hear that person's name; all the time the enemy is feeding your mind with negative thoughts against that person.

After I while, you begin to literally hate that person enough to kill them. Get help from God now; don't let unforgiveness go that far - cut that spirit down in the beginning.

While you are reading this and the Holy Spirit place someone on your heart that you need to forgive, do it! Do it now!!! Tomorrow is not promise to us!!! God said in the day that we hear His voice, that we should not harden our hearts. Forgive others so God can forgive you!!

I will be conducting a forgiveness workshop again because we can never learn too much about forgiveness or refresh ourselves on what we have already learned; I will let you'll know when God let me know - I believe it is going to be soon though.

I pray that God will give you'll the strength to forgive who you need to forgive. Remember, forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a choice to obey God's Word.

Shalom!!!

Dr. Hooks

“A Heart That Forgives” by Kevin LeVar (Video)
http://youtu.be/indCvnD4Ji4

(Lyrics are on the Abused Woman Recovery Group’s web page on Facebook)