Thin Again - ch 7

Chapter 7
The Present Not the Past

As I read this chapter I found it interesting how a few verses that had been standing out to me recently were highlighted in this chapter. One of the verses was Matthew 18:21-22 which I had highlighted in my counting my blessings blog.

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'"

Another one was Mark 11:25.

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

And lastly the one that has been on my mind and heart often is 2 Corinthians 10:5.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

I feel God is talking to me about forgiveness a lot lately! I have been reading another book called "The Power of a Postive Wife" by Karol Ladd and once again teaching on forgiveness was taught.....on a particular day when I was having trouble forgiving Jon! Go figure! I'm thankful that God showed me my sin because our marriage relationship was needing a good dose of forgiveness and right relationship was restored as a result:-) Thank you, Lord!

I have felt convicted of the many times my thoughts are dark and mucky and sinful. Oh how I need to take captive every thought for Christ. The problem is that once the thought enters my mind it often gets spoken out loud and another sin gets committed as I gossip/slander or simply am not shining for Christ by letting my conversation always be filled with grace (Col. 4:6). So, I'm working on this one... I have to be on guard and prayerful against that little seed of negativity that creeps into my thoughts.

TA chapter 7 was a pretty heavy duty one! For many people this must be a very tough read. As I read some of the stories of individuals who walked through such deep waters my heart just ached and tears came to my eyes. I pray for each person who has to go through this pain. Here goes a quick summary of the pretty weight things things touched on in TA chapter 7.

What are the stages of the grieving process?
1.) Denial—“denied reality of our painful past” TA pg 118
2.) Anger—“While it is legitimate and necessary to experience the anger in the present, the goal is not revenge or abuse of self or another. The goal is to sweep your house clean, to purify your heart so that new life can dwell within you.” TA pg 119
3.) Bargaining
4.) Depression—“During this stage you may experience the full measure of the loss of food as a friend… As you feel permission to grieve this loss, you may be assured that this is a sign of health, a sign that you are releasing something you have coveted or have clung to—your old eating habits and your image of yourself and your world.” TA pg 119
5.) Acceptance—“occurs when we are ready to let go. It comes when we are fully aware of and honest about the past and have made peace with it.” TA pg 120

Define forgiveness.
“The definition we use is to cease to feel resentment for, as to forgive an offense; to renounce anger; to grant pardon without harbouring resentment.” TA pg 122
“Forgiveness is a process rather than a one-time event, and the resentment and anger may recede only with time.” TA pg127

“Forgiveness is release.” TA pg125

What is resentment?
“Resentment turns our hopes and desires into demands, and perpetuates those expectations and demands in circumstances where it is not appropriate. Binding our present relationships to the unresolved emotions of the past holds us and the other person prisoner, keeps us the victim and obstructs the possibility of genuine love and intimacy.” TA pg124

Why do we hesitate to forgive another person?
"We may think that fogiveness implies we are condoning the behavior of the offender. Or we may fear that we’re saying what happened was really not so bad… We may hesitate to forgive because we think that forgiveness necessarily requires reconciliation…”TA pg 126

What are the four steps to forgiveness?
1.) We begin by agreeing with God.
2.) We choose to forgive.
3.) We do it.
4.) We act out forgiveness and our emotions may follow.

How can we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ?
1.) We can write down our feelings.
2.) We can pray about our feelings.
3.) We can picture ourselves experiencing our feelings cradled in Jesus’ loving embrace. TA pg133

Heavenly Father, I lift up in prayer those who have experienced deep hurts and wounds in their lifetime. We know that the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26). I pray you would bring forgiveness, healing, and restoration to their lives. I pray they would be able to see that all things work together for the good of those who love you (Romans 8:28).

I ask that you would continue convicting me of my sin. Please give me a tender heart to your leading and to your holy spirit's nudging. Help me be quick to forgive. Please help me also be mindful of each thought that enters my head. I pray that my thinking would be surrendered to You. Thank you for your forgiveness, mercy and grace. In Jesus name, amen.