"Importance of Forgiveness" Recovery Program Session 6 Parts 2C, 2C-1 & 2C-2, 2C-2-1 & 2C-2-2 July 26, 2020

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

1. Open each session with prayer; asking God to open your understanding as to the areas in your life which needs to be healed and give you understanding of each session. The goal of each session is to help you to heal everywhere you need to be healed so you can become whole.

 

2. Discussion (30 min):

“Importance of Forgiveness”- Part II

• The Antidote for Bitterness – Part 2C: There are three antidotes for bitterness: First, we must recognize that we are bitter. This is harder than it sounds. God said in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."If there is any evidence of unforgiveness, resentment, retaliation, anger, hatred, violence, or murder in our lives, we have bitterness. If there is any pain in any memory, there is bitterness. If we go to bed at night leaving issues unresolved we will wake the next day with the root of bitterness already having budded in our spirit. Admitting that we have bitterness is the first step to recovery. Secondly, we must repent of the sin of bitterness. Repent means that we fall out of agreement with a thing and turn away from it. And we ask God to forgive us. Thirdly, we must forgive others and ourselves. How do we do this? There are several aspects to consider; we will explore them in the next topic: “How Do We Forgive?”

•  How Do We Forgive? – Part 2C-1: We start with the sure knowledge that every negative thing that ever happened to us was planned in hell. Our parents, spouse, children, boss, siblings, and peers— whoever has inflicted pain in our lives — served as a tool of the devil. Understanding this moves us toward forgiveness. Understanding this allows us to feel compassion toward others and separate them from their sins. God the Father is the giver of every good and perfect gift…if it is not good and perfect, it is from the devil (James 1:17). In Ephesians 2:2, the Bible describes the spirit that is at work in the sons of disobedience. This spirit teaches disobedience. This is what Ephesians 2:2 says: “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (www.biblegateway.com - NKJV). We have a choice to allow the “prince of the power of the air” to work in us or to allow the Holy Spirit of God to work in us. Through the Holy Spirit we can have power and dominion over Satan and his works. The choice is ours.

   

  o Next, we must learn how to intelligently hate the real culprit, Satan. Intelligently directing our hatred toward satan opens a pathway to freedom by allowing us to forgive other. Not many of us have really hated the devil. Instead, we have hated each other. Galatians 5:15 says, "But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you consume one another."

3. Handout: Self‐Bitterness Affidavit & Prayer for 8-2-2020.

4. Pray Against Bitterness: Use Bitterness Affidavit & Prayer for this session that was handed out in S5; it is also here.

5. If you have any questions, email me at [e-mail].

6. Close each session in prayer; asking God to continue to reveal the areas in you which needs to healed and the things you need to deal with.

Click below for the previous teachings and the current teaching:

“Importance of Forgiveness” 6-21-2020 – Session 1

“Importance of Forgiveness” 6-28-2020 – Session 2

“Importance of Forgiveness” 7-5-2020 – Session 3

“Importance of Forgiveness” 7-12-2020 – Session 4

"Importance of Forgiveness" 7-19-2020 - Session 5

Click Here for PDF Version of "Importance of Forgiveness" 7-26-2020...

God bless! Have a blessed week!

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

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