Once there was a minister who was lonely, depressed and feeling defeated in his life and ministry. One night in his despair, he found himself in a bar on the seedy side of town. With his head bowed low in shame, he walked across the dimly lit room and took a seat at the bar. He sat staring into his drink, a drink he had never had before, and pondered his life and his failures.

Suddenly, a man sitting two seats to his right, a man who had obviously been drinking heavily, turned to him, looked at him with piercing eyes and said, “What are you doing here?”

The minister was shocked and thought to himself, “Do I know this man? Does he know me? All the while the man stared at him with those piercing eyes awaiting an answer. An answer he already knew. This minister did not belong there.

Immediately, he rose from the bar stool and left the building. As he sat behind the wheel of his car he thought to himself, “Lord, what has brought me to this low point in my life?” It was as if the Lord had spoken through that man.

As he pulled out of the parking lot he asked for forgiveness. In his beaten and defeated condition, he went back to his home, to his family, and to his ministry. Ashamed of himself, he put one foot in front of the other, and went through the motions, feeling unworthy yet determined to try again. The Lord restored him and he continued his ministry.

There was a man in the Bible, a prophet named Elijah, who also reached a point in his life when he felt defeated and wanted to give up.

“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.’” 1 Kings 19:3-4 (NLT)

“But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 1 Kings 19:9-10 (NLT)

Even the great prophet Elijah reached a point in his life when he felt so defeated that he just wanted to die. The Lord asked him again “What are you doing here Elijah?” Then he was given instructions on what to do next.

There may be a time in your life when you were brought low, a time that only you and the Lord know about. Do not let that define you. Do not let that set your course for a lifetime of defeat. Instead, put one foot in front of the other — and though you feel unworthy, determine in your heart to try again. The Lord will hold you up with his strong right arm. He will set your course and make straight your path. Defeat will humble a person, but with the help of the Lord, there is hope, restoration, and a victorious future.

 

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Gal 5:16)

Have you ever been wronged by someone? I mean really hurt to the core? It’s probably happened to all of us a time or two in our lives. The pain is worsened when someone close to us does it, such as family, friends or fellow Christians.

Natural human reactions can be revenge, anger, bitterness, or even disillusionment. We often protect ourselves by drawing away from the offender. This may lead to isolation from everyone into a self-imposed exile of loneliness.

Waiting for the offender to make things right is usually futile. The offender either doesn’t realize the damage they’ve done through their words or actions, or they just don’t care. Your suffering means nothing to the offender. They couldn’t care less! The injured one carries the hurt.

The Lord Jesus showed us a higher way. He taught us by example to forgive. He said, as He hung on the cross dying,

“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NLT)

I’ve had to forgive on occasion. When I was a young minister living on faith, my prescription glasses were stolen from the dashboard of my vehicle. I believed it was done by some neighborhood teens though I couldn’t be sure. The loss hurt me badly. I asked myself, “Why’d they steal my prescription glasses? They’re no good to anybody but me, and I need them to drive.”

The more I thought about it the angrier I got. I couldn’t replace them at the time so it began to eat at me on the inside. Finally, I took it to the Lord. He told me in my Spirit that I must forgive them.

“Forgive them? I asked. They haven’t asked my forgiveness.” On that day I learned how forgiveness is a one-way street. When Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, they had not asked for forgiveness. Jesus would have never forgiven them if their asking were the prerequisite. No. Not only did He forgive them, He also did not hold it to their account.

So, I had to forgive those boys. I prayed from my heart for Father to forgive them, and then I took the extra step as led by the Spirit. I prayed, “Father, I give my glasses to those boys. The glasses now belong to them. They can’t steal their own glasses, so Father don’t hold it to their account.”

As I released the glasses to them, forgiveness was released, and a remarkable thing happened. The hurt, anger, and bitterness, from which I suffered, were released as well. I was freed from the hurt that was eating me up. Though they never asked my forgiveness and never knew I had forgiven them, in God’s eyes it was official. They were forgiven and I was free! I released the grudge I was carrying.

So if you should find yourself walking down Bitterness Road, or Betrayal Lane, having been wronged, stop and turn right on Forgiveness Way. It will lead you away from the Angry Acres gated community, to the land of peace.

Remember, there is no going back because Forgiveness is a one-way street!

I was watching a television drama in which one of the stars committed a horrible crime due to duress. When the authorities came to her home to make the arrest, her husband stepped forward and confessed to the crime. His love for her compelled him, an innocent man with a good name, to take her place.

Immediately the guilt of the crime was transferred from her to him. In the eyes of the law, all of her guilt and forthcoming punishment was placed on him, and his total innocence was given to her. Did she deserve it? No. Quite simply, he made the choice because of his love for her. He did not want to see her suffer. He helped her when she couldn’t help herself.

The Bible says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” John 15:13

This transfer of guilt for innocence, shame for honor, punishment for freedom, and yes – death for life is the most magnificent expression of love known to mankind. We are all beneficiaries of this great transfer. When the Creator of all things, past present, and future made the decision to rescue His fallen mankind, He knew that there was only one sacrifice that would make the great transfer possible, His Son, His only Son Jesus.

God’s love for us compelled Him to take action when we could not help ourselves. It is written, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”John 3:16

The Bible tells us how that when Jesus was on trial, the crowd was given a choice to either let Him go free or the worst criminal & rebel Barabbas. They chose Barabbas, a man guilty of many crimes to go free. He was the first of us who was guilty of rebellion and many sins, to have his guilt transferred to Jesus, and the innocence of Jesus transferred to him.

The Bible says, “For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus)” (II Corinthians 5:21, KJV).

God transferred our sin to Jesus on the cross, and transferred His righteousness to us. Incredible! What love! As we accept this great transfer of love, we become as innocent, pure, and holy, in God’s eyes, as Jesus. When God the Father transferred us into Jesus Christ, it was a sovereign act.

We didn’t plan it, ask for it, or desire it. But like the guilty woman whose husband took her place, Jesus Christ took our place. Just as we didn’t deserve His righteousness, He didn’t deserve our sin, guilt, shame, and punishment. Yet He took it. If He would do that for us, how much more so should we accept His offer of grace, mercy, and righteousness?

We who have accepted Him and know Him shall praise His name forever. For those who have not accepted Him, His nail-scarred hands, which should belong to you and I, reach out in love. He would say to you with a smile, “Come. Accept me. The great transfer has been made.”

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.             ( II Cor 3:17)