LIELA MARIE FULLER - THOUGHTS OF A THANKFUL HEART
  • Home
  • About
  • Books & Journals
  • Honey Child Tees & More
  • Thankful Thoughts (Blog)
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Home
  • About
  • Books & Journals
  • Honey Child Tees & More
  • Thankful Thoughts (Blog)
  • Contact
  • Events
Search

Hold No Offense

7/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Challenge: Forgive
 
Whenever God needs me to get a point, He will repeat it in my hearing multiple times from multiple sources and usually by this time, He’s tried telling me Himself, but I’ve not listened (yes, sometimes I’m hard headed).  By the second or third time, I usually get the memo and move forward in what He’s telling me.  Now, I need you to know that it’s not always like that with God and I because most of the time I do what He tells me the first time but when I am scared, nervous, or feel justified I can be a little stubborn. 
 
A few weeks ago, God dealt with me on a part I played in a very big misunderstanding. I was so upset they could treat me with such carelessness I did not want to acknowledge that I was also careless with how I was treating them.  I decided to pray for this person the way I prayed for so many others who offended me.  But this time was different because I had yet to acknowledge my part in the mess, so even though I was praying to forgive them, it was like my prayers were falling to the ground and dying.  In the entire month I was praying for them, it was like I still had this stronghold and it would not break. 

A week ago I was on Facebook and a T.D. Jakes video popped up on my timeline.  In the video, Bishop Jakes was talking about offense and he used the scripture Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. ~ Ephesians 4:26-27.  I listened and liked the post but never thought it was for me.  A week later I was watching another message by another preacher and he used the exact same scripture talking about offense and I knew God was speaking but I didn’t move because I was stubborn and felt that their offense to me was worse than mine to them - it was a standoff (or so I thought).
 
The next day I was walking in my house and it was like a light bulb went off in my head.   I knew some of the very things I was asking God to fix and change for me were being held up because I was still holding an offense to this person.  It was like God was giving me yet another chance to get it right, so I emailed the person and sincerely apologized for my part in our misunderstanding.  The beauty of it is that once I apologized I was free from the burden of anger towards that person and I knew immediately that the prayers I prayed before were going to be answered now because my heart was clear of offense.  They did not have to ever read or respond to the email, but because I was sincere in my apology, the anger I felt was gone.  But even more significant was that my relationship with God was mended in that moment.  While I was angry and holding onto this anger, I felt a strain in my relationship with God and I did not like it.  I was trying to find out what was going on and all the while, it was because I had this anger in my heart towards this person and once I let that go, I was free in my relationship with my Heavenly Father again and for me that’s the most important relationship I will ever have so nothing can stand in the way of that.
 
The moral of the story is we must not hold onto offense and we must forgive.  I know that forgiving someone can be the hardest thing one can do, but I also know the benefits.  Up until this issue, I thought I was doing well with not holding onto offenses and forgiving, but I realized quickly that I still had room to grow and mature.  If you are holding onto something, make a choice to sincerely forgive today and if you’ve hurt someone make a choice today to sincerely apologize because holding onto that stuff will only cause you harm in the long run.  Let it go and hold no offense.
 
Blessings,
Liela

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Liela Marie Fuller

    Author, Mother, Friend, Believer in Jesus...Really Just Me.

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    2016
    2017
    2019
    30 Day Of Forgiveness
    Answered Prayer
    Balance
    Change
    Changing Your Perspective
    Confidence
    Conversations
    Courage
    Courage To Say No
    Covering
    Diets
    Doing The Right Thing
    Donald Trump
    Do The Right Thing
    Do What's Necessary
    Education
    Encouragement
    Faith
    Faith Journey
    Family
    Forgiveness
    Giver
    Giving
    God's Grace
    Going Through
    Grace
    Harvest
    Heart Prayers
    Honest
    Hope
    Jesus At The Center
    Journey
    King David
    Legacy Of Love
    Lifestyle Changes
    Limitless Faith
    Love
    Martin Luther King Jr.
    Mary And Martha
    Michelle Obama
    Minnesota
    MLK Breakfast
    Moving Day
    New Beginnings
    New Year
    Obama Family
    Paula White
    PDA
    Perspective
    Prayer
    President Obama
    Priorities
    Prudence
    Putting God First
    Recalibrate And Live
    Resolutions
    Saul
    Seed
    Thankfuk
    Thankful
    Thankful For Trouble
    Thankfulness
    The Courage To Be Honest
    Time
    Tough Times
    Tree Of Life
    Trouble
    Trust
    Trust God
    Trusting God
    Turmoil
    War
    Week Two
    Weight Loss
    WIP
    Work In Progress

    Liela Marie Fuller's books on Goodreads
    Life's Reflection Life's Reflection
    reviews: 1
    ratings: 2 (avg rating 4.00)

    Trusting God Trusting God
    ratings: 1 (avg rating 5.00)

    Love Letters of a Worshipper: Prayers, Poetry and Prose Love Letters of a Worshipper: Prayers, Poetry and Prose
    ratings: 1 (avg rating 5.00)

    Don't Stop Knocking, Don't Stop Seeking, Don't Stop Praying, Don't Stop Believing!: A Prayer Journal Don't Stop Knocking, Don't Stop Seeking, Don't Stop Praying, Don't Stop Believing!: A Prayer Journal
    ratings: 1 (avg rating 5.00)

    RSS Feed

Copyright 2015 - Liela Marie Fuller
Photo used under Creative Commons from symphony of love
  • Home
  • About
  • Books & Journals
  • Honey Child Tees & More
  • Thankful Thoughts (Blog)
  • Contact
  • Events