The Power of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is an important issue with immense relevance to our relationships, it impacts on our relationship with God and our relationships with other people. I have also come to understand that it is one of the most difficult topics for many people to understand, not in terms of a lack of understanding of the definition of the word but in terms of fully grasping and embracing the depths of its significance.

Some ancient cultures did not even have a word for forgiveness because it was foreign to them. Their cultural considerations did not conceive that such a thing like forgiveness could occur. Even till now, the human mind recognizes that forgiveness is not a natural human action, hence the saying ‘to err is human, to forgive is divine’. Forgiveness is even sometimes considered a sign of weakness while retribution and revenge are normal in human life and thinking.

I remember growing up in South West Nigeria in the 80s and the most popular movies among the younger generation were “Chinese movies”. We loved the movies for the choreographed fighting movements but I realized that the basic story line of most of those movies was about a hero or heroine exacting revenge on the villain who had probably perpetrated some evil acts earlier on in the story. It was more or less an exaltation of unforgiveness.

However, the Scriptures reveal that God is a God of forgiveness.

“But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.”

Psalm 130:4 KJV

“To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him”

Daniel 9:9 KJV

The words used for forgiveness majorly in the Bible mean to pardon someone; to send away someone’s guilt; to release someone from the punishment for wrong doing. However, there are some other descriptions of the concept of forgiveness in the Bible as we find in the following passages:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12 KJV

“…for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.”

Isaiah 38:17 KJV

“Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Micah 7:18, 19 KJV

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…”

Acts 3:19 KJV

Authors John Nieder and Thomas Thompson in their book “Forgive and Love Again” point out that there are at least 75 of such word pictures of forgiveness in the Bible. Here are a few more of them:

·         ‘To forgive is to write in large letters across a debt, “Nothing owed.”’

·         ‘To forgive is to shoot an arrow so high and so far that it can never be found again.’

·         ‘To forgive is to turn the key, open the cell door and let the prisoner walk free.’

·         ‘To forgive is to relax a stranglehold on a wrestling opponent.’

·         ‘To forgive is to smash a clay pot into a thousand pieces so it can never be put together again.’

All these descriptions capture in some facet or the other the magnificence of God’s gracious act of forgiveness extended toward you and I. Through the sacrificial work of Christ Jesus, we enjoy this wonderful release.

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins”

Colossians 1:14 KJV

None of us could in any way ever earn God’s forgiveness. No personal penance, no matter how grave could ever be enough. No self-determined or self-directed restitutionary action would ever be enough to impress God so much that He would then decide to forgive us. God’s forgiveness is predicated on Christ’s work of redemption.

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”

Ephesians 1:7 KJV 

God’s forgiveness is not about how you may or may not feel. Some of us assume that there will be a special emotion that accompanies God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness is a spiritual reality that must be accepted by faith. 

This week, I encourage to meditate and fix your thoughts on the magnitude of God’s forgiveness extended to us in accordance with the riches of His grace through the redemption in the blood of Jesus. I pray that as the reality of this truth dawns upon you, you will experience its life transforming power. Amen.

My song for the week is "That's How You Forgive" by Shane and Shane.

That's How You Forgive 

To be continued...

Ways To Care For The Inner Man

Last week we highlighted the importance of the inner man to our lives as believers in Christ. There is an unseen part of your being that actually directs and determines almost everything you do externally. This is your inner man, the real you. I must reiterate again that we must pay careful attention to the inner man because many situations or circumstances in life pressurize us internally and could be so distressing that they weaken the inner man. A weak inner man will cause doubt, disillusionment, fear, anxiety, sin, frustration, emotional and spiritual imbalance. If you are experiencing any of these things listed, it is a pointer to the fact that your inner man is weakened and needs to be strengthened.

This week, I’m sharing 3 main scriptural ways in which we can care for the inner man. These are:

1. Prayer: In Ephesians 3:16, we find Paul praying for the Ephesians to be strengthened in the inner man. Jude verse 20 also says “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” KJV. See also 1^st Corinthians 14:4.

The phrase ‘building up’ in Jude verse 20 above is from the field of construction. A building is constructed through the process of laying one brick on top of the other till the whole edifice is completed. Such is the picture of the process that goes on in the inward man as we pray. There is an active strengthening of the inward man when we pray. We are built up internally as we engage in communication and communion with the Father of Spirits. James 5:16 talks about the powerful effects of the prayers of the righteous and this, to me is one of the effects of prayers in the life of the believer in Christ. Spend time in prayers communing with God.

2. God’s word: Consider the following verses of the Scriptures:

 “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 KJV

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” 1^st Peter 2:2 KJV

Both of the verses above teach us that the nutritional sustenance for the believer in Christ is the word of God. We need to recognize that God’s word is meant to be the staple diet of the inner man. Many of us plan our meals and are much disciplined with our diets. We ought to even give more earnest attention to ensuring that we take in God’s word to feed our inner man.

In Acts 20:32, Paul while encouraging the elders of the Ephesian church said “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up…” God’s word contains the right blend of nutrients for your inner man. Read and meditate on the word of God daily.

3. Avoiding negative influences: I have come to notice that many of us believers allow too many negative influences weaken us. We often forget the injunction in this verse of Scripture:

“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23 KJV

1^st Peter 2:11 also warns us about things that wage war against our souls. There are different things that have negative influences on the inner man. For some of us, it is a devotion to entertainment that draws our hearts away and weakens the inner man. Other common negative influences include exposure to wrong teachings, sensual images and lewd musical lyrics.

1^st Corinthians 6:12 and 1^st Corinthians 10:23 both teach us that not everything is beneficial for us. This is applicable to the health of the inner man. If you are sincere with yourself, you would have noticed the different things that actually weaken your inner man. Just as you would avoid things that could be dangerous to your outward man, I implore you to also avoid negative influences on your inner man.

This week I pray for you that 2^nd Corinthians 4:16 will be your personal experience: that even though your outer physical body may be getting older and weaker, your inner man will be renewed day by day. Amen.

Caring For The Inner Man

Many times as human beings we remember only the externals. Some of us are very particular about our appearances. Worried about our faces, our hair, our dressing, our clothes, shoes and many other items that only deal with the external part of us. Most of us know the importance of good or healthy diet and even the role of physical exercises, all with a focus on ensuring that our bodies are in a good condition. As a Medical Doctor, part of my role in clinical practice is to help people identify different factors that could be impacting their health negatively, as well as recommending appropriate lifestyle changes, which may include diet and exercise, to help them improve or maintain their health.

Sadly, many of us believers in Christ are almost completely fixated on the externals that we forget about the inner man.

 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man” Romans 7:22 KJV

We sometimes forget that there is more to us than just our physical bodies. Man as a being is made up of physical and non-physical aspects. The inner man is the unseen aspect of our beings in contrast to the external part of us, our bodies. Described by some as the soul, this aspect of man is also referred to in many Bible passages as the heart; not the blood pumping muscular organ present in your chest cavity but the center of one’s moral, spiritual and intellectual life.

In 2^nd Corinthians 4:7-9, we find Apostle Paul describing how in spite of so many contrary circumstances outwardly, they were able to withstand all the pressures and maintain their stand in God:

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” 2^nd Corinthians 4:7-9 KJV

Further down in the same chapter, he then gives us the reason for their strength:

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2^nd Corinthians 4:16 KJV

The state of the inner man is very critical to your life. A strong inner man makes you overcome adversity, stops you from giving up in the face of challenges.

It is important that you pay attention to the inner man. Just as we feed the outer man, and pick our clothes and dresses to look good, we ought to be more intentional about ensuring that the inner man is well cared for. The Apostle Peter wrote in a section of his epistle addressing women:

“Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes” 1^st Peter 3:3 & 4 HCSB.

The Holy Spirit through Peter is not banning our women from wearing fine clothes or gold or braiding their hair as some have concluded. This is rather a call on us to shift our focus from the external or outward appearance to the inner or inward man.

How well are you taking care of that aspect of your being? How well are you caring for your inward man? This week I pray for you in the words of Paul that God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16).

To be continued...

Our Compassionate, Gracious and Ever Loving Father

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love. He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love towards those that fear Him”
Psalm 103:8-11 HCSB

Some passages in the Scriptures leave me astounded. This section of the 103rd Psalm is one of them. I am often speechless in my attempts to take in the entire scope of this wonderful truth expressed through the penmanship of the Psalmist. This Psalm reveals an important aspect of God’s personality that we sometimes are not cognizant of and this makes us develop a warped image of who He is and how He relates with us His children.

People often picture God like some great Cosmic Judge who is constantly angry and needs to be appeased. In fact, the understanding many people have of Him does not rise beyond that level. He is to some people like a fearful ogre or mysterious being with an unquenchable thirst for execution of judgment. Unfortunately, many people including some believers in Christ live their lives with this sort of view about God. But such a view of God is very far from the truth we see revealed in this Psalm.

Compassionate. Gracious. Slow to anger. Rich in faithful love. Those are the terms the Psalmist used to describe God’s character and none of these communicate the picture of an invisible vengeful monster with a whip in hand or blazing fire from his nostrils to consume everyone.

The truth is that God does not even deal with us according to the demerits of our sins. As another Psalm says:

“..If You considered sins, Lord, who could stand?”
Psalm 130:3 HCSB

The description of God's love being “as high as the heavens are above the earth”, is usage of the furthest known or largest conceivable distance to man. It is almost equivalent to saying that His love is infinite. His love is boundless and unending.

The complete spectrum of this revelation of God’s personality and character is seen in our Saviour Jesus Christ who as Scripture says came to the earth to reveal God to us:

“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son…The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature…”
Hebrews 1:1-3 HCSB

 See John 1:18 and John 14:9 also.

In His Son Jesus, we see an unmatched display of the full extent of God’s compassion, grace and faithful love toward us:

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1st John 4:9 & 10 HCSB

“…God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!”
Romans 5:8 HCSB

Muse with me on this Psalm this week and view God correctly as your compassionate, gracious and ever loving Father. It is so comforting to know that our God is like that. It is even more comforting to know that this is His unchanging stance towards us His children. No matter the circumstances and situations around you dear one, always remember that our God is rich in His faithful love toward you.

I pray even further (in the words of Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:18) that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love. Love so high that made Him leave His throne to take the form of man. Love so deep that He reached into the depths of sin and depravity to rescue us. Love so long that He is able to bridge the vast gulf between sinful men and the Holy God. Love so wide that we are completely surrounded by it and we are never able to stray outside of His reach.

My song for the week is “Think About His Love” by Don Moen.

Think About His Love

2016 In Perspective 2

Welcome to 2017.

Here is the second set of salient points from my blog posts last year 2016:

22. Since we have been recipients and beneficiaries of God’s grace, we should also extend the same grace to our fellow believers.

Grace In Action

23. Grace has brought you and me into a new existence in which it is our responsibility to bear other people’s burdens. That is also a facet of grace in action. As we do this, we fulfil God’s directive, God is pleased, we will be fulfilling the reason for our existence and people’s lives will be touched by our lives.

Bearing Each Other's Burdens

24. God holds us responsible for our actions in our lives and since you are responsible for your matters, there is no reason to compare yourself with anyone else. Evaluate your life in the light of the word of God. That is the kind of appraisal God expects of us: sincere self-examination devoid of deception. Proper self-appraisal is one of the processes God uses to make diamonds out of us as He refines us and helps us identify areas of improvement.

Proper Personal Appraisal

25. Sowing and reaping is a reality of life, a divinely instituted principle that remains perpetually in operation. It has implications in time and eternity and emphasizes to us the weight of our choices. Learn to sow the right seeds. Sow to the Spirit and you will reap a bountiful harvest of life.

More About Responsibility

26. We need consistency in sowing the right seed. A proper season of harvest is coming. God has perfect timing. He ensures that things fit into His plans accurately. So don’t give up and don’t let anything dissuade you from carrying on in sowing the right seeds. Remain consistent in sowing the right seed.

A Little More On Reaping

27. Don’t merely wear the cross as a pendant on a necklace or use it only as a piece of art hung up in your house. Draw confidence in life from what the cross of Jesus Christ represents to you-God’s love displayed, God’s grace in operation, God’s eternal plan brought to fulfilment, full payment for our sins, eternal redemption for our souls, newness of life as liberated sons of the Most High God. Let that be your ground and foundation for life.

The Cross My Confidence

28. We have a God who is Almighty and All Powerful. He is not agitated or disturbed by the efforts of adversaries. His plans cannot be thwarted. His power cannot be withstood. Even when an assorted conglomerate of opposition forces aggregate against Him, God laughs!

The Heathen Rage, God Laughs

29. A) There is a deep void in man that only God can satisfy. There is an emptiness is man’s soul that only God can fill. There is a “God-sized hole” in every human being that only the living God can fill.

b) For believers in Christ Jesus, at salvation we enter a wonderful love relationship with God which needs to be nurtured in deep intimacy and longing. Rise above complacency, busy schedules, distractions, entertainment and other pleasures to an increasing experience of intense desire and longing for the living God.

Longing For God

30. God wants His people to excel both in inward character and outward behaviour. He has not called us to simply drift through life. God desires that we abound in our lives. He has not called us to a life of mediocrity or lethargy. Whatever stage you are in life, God is calling you to abound. God’s desire is for you to excel and He has given us resources to enable us achieve just that.

Strive For Excellence 1

31. The biblical perspective of striving for excellence is different from the secular perspective. Striving for excellence is not a desire for superiority over others. It is not about competing with other people. It is about being the best that God has called us to be utilizing all that God has given us. Never be satisfied because you appear to be better than others. Don’t settle for the status quo or set the bar so low when God wants you to abound much more. Strive to be the best that God has called you to be.

Strive For Excellence 2

32. While striving for excellence, adopt a disposition that views excellence as a direction and not a final destination. Always remember, you have not “arrived”. You are not at your final destination yet. Focus on the process (excellence) and then the product (success) is assured. Go on striving for excellence and God will bless the endeavor with success.

Strive For Excellence 3

33. The springboard from which you should reach for excellence as a child of God is an understanding that God has already placed His seed of excellence in you. You have a divine enablement that should propel you in your pursuits in life. Go ahead and give expression to God’s seed of excellence in you. I say to you just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians and Thessalonians, “Go ahead and excel!”

Strive For Excellence 4

34. Striving for excellence requires some crucial internal attitudes:

a. Determination: Desire alone many times is not enough to sustain us as we strive for excellence. Talent, ability or giftedness is also not enough. Education and training alone are also not enough. It requires determination.

Strive For Excellence 5

b. Faith in God: Our determination must be alloyed with faith in God for us to walk in excellence. In fact for the believer, it is our faith in God that should fuel our determination. Faith in God enables us to look forward to the endless possibilities no matter our current or even past circumstances. God is who He says He is, He can do what He says He can do and you are who He says you are. You have to accept all these realities and walk in excellence by faith!

Strive For Excellence 6

c. Humility: True humility is an attitude of not having any exaggerated opinion of one’s self but accepting God’s estimation. Humility keeps us teachable. Humility makes us seek to improve and abound further as we walk in excellence.

Strive For Excellence 7

35. Only a practice of personal communion with God helps us build confidence in Him and ensures that we have no other recourse but God Himself even in our great trials.

Assurance In Troubled Times

36. Believers in Christ Jesus ought to have a settled assurance of God’s blessings and favor. We should have the divine perspective that God’s blessings and favor are ours already. If God has blessed, no one can reverse it! No hordes of hell or human machinations can change that. You can say in the words of the Psalmist: "I am blessed, blessed by the Lord; His favor surrounds me like a shield"

Surrounded By God's Favour

37. God created man with the ability to make choices. Every choice has its consequence. This is the reality of life as God has designed it. You are where you are in life today as a result of choices you have made in the past.

Choices 1

38. Simple choices when repeated become patterns that form character. We are usually in control before we make choices but sometimes once choices are made, those choices then control us. Eventually our choices go a long way in determining our successes or failures in different aspects of our lives.

Choices 2

39. Factors that influence us to make wrong choices include uncontrolled emotions, physical conditions like hunger, anger, loneliness and tiredness, pressure from others or peers, impatience/hastiness, the trap of instant or immediate gratification and Substance use.

Choices 3

40. 5 practical steps in making right choices: Choose to follow explicit commands of Scripture, Choose to follow clear promptings by the Holy Spirit, Choose to follow principles from the Word of God, Choose to approach the right people for advice, Choose to pray.

Choices 4

41. Along with acceptance, security and purpose, identity is a basic human psychological need. Identity developed from childhood into adulthood guides the future construction of adulthood. The choices we make are usually determined by our sense of identity.

Who Are You? 1

42. Your true identity is not about what you do, how you look, what you have or do not have, or what other people say about you. Your true identity is in who God has made you and how He sees you. Your true identity is not based on feelings but on spiritual facts and realities. This true identity of God’s children is clearly elucidated for us in the Scriptures and confirmed to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Who Are You? 2

43. Our spiritual union with Christ should form the basis of the believer’s identity. Rather than follow people’s opinions or the perceptions of culture about our identity, we should focus more and more on who God says we are in Christ Jesus. You are more than just how you look. You are more than the things you own, or what people say or think of you. You are who God says you are. So, dear child of God, fill your mind with the realities of your union with Christ and let these facts form the basis of your sense of identity.

Who Are You? 3

As we begin this year, I seize this opportunity to remind you that our God is unchanging in His unending grace and everlasting love toward you even in the midst of life's uncertainties. I have chosen "All He Says I Am" by Cody Carnes as my song for the week. May our hearts be drawn in passionate pursuit of God as His Spirit floods us with the knowledge of His will and may we walk in abundance as He leads us into greater depths and richer experiences of His grace. Amen.

All He Says I Am