NYI GAUTENG

Day 32 Devotion-Negative LifeChange from Unforgiveness Part One

WHAT GOD SAYS:

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
2 Peter 1:5-7

Each of us has certain routines in our lives that operate on autopilot. For example, NBA basketball superstar Lebron James before the start of every game, will walk over to the scorer’s table, rub his hands in the chalk, clap his hands together, and then toss the residue of the dust up in the air. Others of us are hardwired to grab a cup of coffee every morning even before our eyelids reach half-mast. Such repetitive behaviors are called habits. Habits can either be good or they can be bad. Usually it is not our good habits that trouble us but the bad ones.

All of us know how hard it is to break a bad habit. At times it feels like trying to hammer a nail into a board with our bare hands. A key to breaking a bad habit is understanding the root source that is causing the behavior. One of the ways we can identify the source is to pay close attention to the changes and behaviors that are occurring in our lives. Take unforgiveness, for instance. When unforgiveness is present in our lives, we develop some unhealthy habits that cause our lives to change in a negative way.

For example, when unforgiveness is present in our hearts, it starts a domino effect. When we don’t forgive the first person, it becomes much easier for us not to forgive the second person, the third person, etc. When this habit is fully in place, we will habitually not forgive anyone for anything.

Unforgiveness also nourishes a fear of being hurt in the future. This forces us to build walls around our hearts to keep anyone else from hurting us more. The higher and thicker the walls become, the less relational we become. Eventually, our habit of stacking those internal bricks will make us a lonely, broken and hurt individual. None of us want our lives to change in this negative way. There’s good news. Every bad habit can be broken—even the ones caused by unforgiveness!

Neighbourhood WatchIMPACT COTNNYI AlumniNYI GAUTENG

*Day 31 Devotion-Your Prayers Can Be Hindered by Your Unforgiveness*

WHAT GOD SAYS:

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“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25_

A couple of weeks ago I spoke at the National Day of Prayer in Washington D.C. on Mark 11:25: The Greatest Hindrance to God Answering Our Prayers. Do you recognize Christ’s dramatic connection between prayer and unforgiveness? Jesus makes it explicitly clear, that when you pray, the first thing you do is to ensure you have no unforgiveness or God won’t forgive you—and certainly not answer your prayers!

Years ago a small congregation in our city planned on a church wide prayer meeting. In preparation, the pastor arrived at the church at 6:30 p.m. to open the building. He placed his key in the lock, turned the k**b and pulled on the door. To his surprise, as he tugged on the unlocked door, he could not get the door to open more than six inches. By the time 7:00 p.m. arrived, all of the congregation were milling around, awaiting to get into their church to pray. Finally, the pastor gave the door a huge yank, and the door flung open. But the door wasn’t the biggest problem he would face that night.

Upon entering the building, he discovered there was no electricity. To figure out why, he and a few of the men took a flashlight and went down in the basement and looked at the old power box. What he discovered was one of the circuit breakers had been removed from the box. So that night there was no prayer because there was no power in the building.

Sadly, all of this was the doing of a bitter church member. He had locked the door from the inside of the building with a chain, and had stolen the ancient non-replaceable circuit breaker.

Days went by and the church was without power. Finally, in walks the thief and gives the pastor the circuit breaker. He was remorseful and begged the pastor and others for forgiveness. They forgave. They took the circuit breaker, placed it in the box and power was restored to the church.

The moral of the story: Just like this man’s bitterness and unforgiveness hurt his church—unforgiveness in our own hearts has the power to hurt us. It robs us of seeing the power of answered prayer and experiencing God’s incredible miracles in our lives.

Dube Neighbourhood Watch@followersNYI AlumniNYI GAUTENG

*Day 30 Devotion-How Can God Forgive All My Sins and Yet Not Forgive Me?*

WHAT GOD SAYS:

_“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15
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When we placed our faith in Jesus Christ, God forgave us for all of our sins. This act of His forgiveness resulted in our eternal salvation, meaning through Jesus’ sacrificial death we have been delivered from the penalty and power of sin and death. We were then miraculously transferred from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Our identities were changed, so we are no longer merely God’s rebellious offspring, but now His dearly loved and adopted children, members of His eternal family. Our eternal destiny is heaven and no longer hell.

But the Bible reveals a second type of forgiveness in addition to eternal salvation. This type of forgiveness doesn’t focus on heaven but on our lives on earth. The first type of forgiveness grants us eternal redemption in heaven; the second type of forgiveness grants us an ongoing relationship with God while living on earth. Jesus revealed this second type of forgiveness in Matthew 6:14-15, that God will only forgive us if we forgive others.

To forgive others is something we must do—a work that we must accomplish. Since our salvation is not by works (Ephesians 2:8-10), you automatically recognize a second type of forgiveness is in view. Eternal forgiveness is a gift; relational forgiveness requires our work.

Think about it this way: All of your sins can be forgiven for eternal life; but your sins of unforgiveness will not be forgiven until you forgive the other person. Neither one affects the other—eternal forgiveness grants you heaven while forgiveness of others on earth grants you a restored relationship without any ongoing discipline. Redemptive forgiveness makes us right with God, and relational forgiveness keeps us right with God.

Because we are God’s forgiven children, He expects and commands us to become like Him in all of our ways—especially by practicing forgiveness to all who wound us. Your unforgiveness toward God’s other children is unacceptable, especially when you realize what God had to suffer to forgive us--the death of His own Son.

COTNDube Neighbourhood WatchNYI AlumniNYI GAUTENG

Day 25-Consider Extending Mercy Instead of Vengeance

WHAT GOD SAYS:

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59–60

Deep pain caused by social injustices, such as poverty, racial prejudice, classism, hatred and pride, have fueled the flames of vengeance for centuries. Every culture and race has it’s own lists of wounds and transgressions it has experienced. Many of these infractions happened long ago, but the flames are still burning white-hot, consuming the beauty of life God desires us to experience with one another today.

When you study how different people dealt with their desire for vengeance, you discover three different alternatives: First, many people sought to take out vengeance themselves; Second, others placed their trust in God that He would take out vengeance on their behalf; but Third, and most surprising, some asked God not to take out just vengeance for them.

You see, another choice exists whenever we have been unjustly treated: We can intercede and ask God to grant the person mercy instead of judgment. Stephen requested mercy for those who were unjustly murdering him: “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” What Stephen chose is the same godly virtue that will restore relationships on a personal, national and global level. The choice of mercy instead of retribution! Mercy extinguishes the flame of vengeance that burns within our souls.

Mercy says to vengeance “Move over; there is no need for you in my heart. I’ve settled the issue; I’ve forgiven and granted the offender mercy. The case is closed. I no longer desire payback for those who have hurt me. I have chosen to give them the gift Jesus gave me— mercy, grace, and forgiveness!”

Dube Neighbourhood WatchIMPACT COTNNYI Alumni