Ephesians 1:7: "We have redemption through His blood, the FORGIVENESS of sins!"

I John 1:9-10: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrightousness. But, if we say that we have not sinned we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us."

Martin Luther wrote "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" which includes these words:

"God has willed His truth to triumph through us, the prince of darkness' doom is sure, one little word shall fell him."

What is that word that has the power to bring down the evil prince of darkness? FORGIVENESS. If you want to deal a serious blow to satan and his evil work, then out of an awareness of God's mercy toward us, FORGIVE!

Unforgiveness Is A Poison
By Patrick Conaty
www.RadicalforGod.org

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you!" (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Sean Patrick O'Mahoney wrote,
"And who wrote the tune, you dare to ask? You know who wrote the tune! It's the Devil's own music, hot and sweet, and surely damned will be the one who turns an ear to it!"

Satan's delight is to poison everyone with unforgiveness and all manner of sin so he can send everyone to hell, if we let him.

What are the results (fruits) of unforgiveness? Bitterness, strife, envy, hatred, wrath, anger, getting even, retribution, murder, suicide. Galatians 5:21 says that those who do these things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Bible adds in the next verses the fruits of God's Spirit living within us to counteract Satan's spirit of ungodliness (see also Ephesians 2:1-3; 5:3-9; 6:10-18; Colossians 3:5-17).

Unforgiveness is like a poison that begins on the inside and, like cancer, spreads and consumes an individual’s life. They are only one step away from healing, but for some that is a step too difficult to take.

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the offender will get sick from it. The reality is it is making you sick and begins a slow death to those who will not release it.

It is a sad thing to keep score and not forgive others that may have willingly, or in many cases unwittingly, hurt or offended you. The Word is very clear about forgiveness, or the lack of forgiveness ... Matthew 6:14-15 says "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you, but if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

John 20:23: "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

Colossians 3:12-14: "Since God chose you to be the people whom he loves; you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony."

Hardened hearts grow cold when unforgiveness has had time to take root. It begins to grow into bitterness and hatred, to the point that even love that had once warmed the heart, has become cold and distant. Words that were once tender and loving now have become filled with negativity & curses. This poison can affect believers and non believers alike. We need to realize that our own insensitivity or choice to not forgive can keep the healing work of the Holy Spirit from impacting our lives. We need to realize that the license we've given ourselves to judge others can weaken us all.

There is only one cure for unforgiveness and the cure is to forgive. For those who are Christians it is commanded of us, for those that are not followers of Jesus Christ, it is highly recommended. Many ask the question, “What if I do not feel like it?” The Word does not ask us to feel like it, the Word asks us to make a choice to do it. Many times you will not feel like forgiveness can happen until you make the choice in obedience to forgive.

Many unknowingly hold on to their pain from the past. They have chosen to forget rather than to forgive, and there is a difference. Forgetting does not take the poison away, forgiving does. You can forgive and not forget, and that is okay, as long as forgiveness remains. We are a people called and led of the Holy Spirit to remove any obstacles in the way of obedience and intimacy with the Lord. Unforgiveness is a huge obstacle that keeps us from obedience and intimacy with the Lord.

The strength is within us. The power of the Holy Spirit within every sensitive and seeking heart in Christ will reveal the need, and empower us to forgive. 1John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

We must first of all repent for not responding to forgiveness of those who have hurt us. We must repent for harboring ill thoughts and actions that have taken root in our lives from unforgiveness. We must release the person and the pain to Jesus Christ, the Burden Bearer, who continuously desires to carry what we must not.

I urge you to regain the tender heart you once had. Remove the callousness within you by repentance & forgiveness, by a commitment to live the law of love, by a renewed devotion to the Word, and by fellowship with your Father.

Don't allow the condition of your heart to hold back the Spirit of God. Become sensitive again! Do the things necessary in obedience to His Word that release your heart for the Kingdom.

"I Will Remember
Their Sins No More"
The Importance of Forgiveness!
By Dr. Francis Frangipane:

A holy life like Jesus is attained only through an unfolding experience with the grace of God.

Removing the Barriers Caused By Sin Have you ever had a close friend but talked critically about him to someone else? The next time you were together, did you notice something almost artificial about your relationship? You were not as open nor as honest with him. Because of your sin, there was a small but measurable distance between both of you. Though you may have been ashamed of what you did, if you stayed unrepentant, you actually started to avoid the one you hurt - if not socially, at least with your eyes and heart.

You may have shared a world together beforehand, but now the interpenetration of personalities, the sense of being "at home" in one another's soul, is gone. Unless there is repentance, the distance between you will probably widen until the relationship itself is over. Although neither of you may understand why you drifted apart, the love you possessed died because you sinned and failed to repent.

In the same manner that human relationships are sustained by openness and honesty, so it is also with our relationship with God. When we sin against Him, we unconsciously erect a barrier between heaven and ourselves. We may still go to church, but a sense of distance and artificiality emerges in our hearts.

Each of those defenses we have erected to keep God out ultimately walls us in, spiritually imprisoning us in our sins. These barriers degenerate into strongholds of demonic oppression. Eventually, our walls toward God imprison us outside the Divine Presence, trapping the soul in outer darkness. It is possible that our walls toward God are the very substance of which hell is made.

Yet, the love of God is such that He loves us enough not only to release us from our sins but also from the negative effects our sin has had upon our fellowship with Him. Mercifully, He promises, "their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17). Every time we ask for forgiveness, our relationship with Him becomes free and new again.

In one sweeping act of forgiveness - so complete that He promises to not even remember what we did wrong - God has provided the eternal payment for each sin we contritely ask Him to forgive. He loves us so much that, while He continues to perfect our attitudes of heart, He also provides a means to keep our relationship with Him genuine and without barriers.

Jesus Paid the Price
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us" (Ephesians 1:7-8). What is redemption? Redemption is the "payment of a debt or obligation." There were notes, warrants held against us. We are all debtors to God, but Jesus satisfied the warrants held against us by His death on the cross.

And when you were dead in your transgressions . . . He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 (Italics mine)

The moment you accepted Jesus into your heart, all the things you ever did wrong, every evil thought, every angry word and every wicked deed - each of which deserved its own punishment - was stamped REDEEMED: PAID IN FULL by our Father in heaven. Jesus paid for them all with His blood. He is our Redeemer! He paid the price, not just for the sins we previously committed but for every sin that we sincerely ask forgiveness for now. All our sins are forever forgiven and forgotten.

Hebrews 10:14 tells us that "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." And again in Colossians we read, As far as the sin issue is concerned, we must grasp the completed work of Christ. "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). From God's eternal perspective, we are freed from sin. It is here in the realm of time, and specifically in our minds, where sin still has a temporary hold. In His great love, however, God is removing even the barriers our sins have created between Himself and us.

It is important to state here that God has not lowered His standard of holiness. However, He knows we will never become holy if we are afraid to draw near to Him, for He alone is holy! Consequently, He has forgiven and reconciled us to Himself through Jesus. The blood sacrifice of Christ has satisfied the debts of every soul who, through repentance and faith in Jesus, sincerely seeks fellowship with God.

"I Do Not Remember"
How little we understand of eternal redemption! How many times will God forgive you? If you have truly set your heart to follow Him, He will cancel your sins as often as you ask. Will He forgive you of the worst sin you can think of? Yes! You may have to live with the consequences of your misdeed, but the redemptive power of God is such that, even in your sin, there are many things of value to be reclaimed. As for the sin itself, if you deeply and sincerely repent of it, not only will God forgive you, He will blot it out of His memory.

Let me share an experience. A certain man of God had been gifted with revelatory insight into people's lives. During an evening service he ministered toa Presbyterian pastor and his wife. By the gift of the Spirit, he revealed the couple's past, uncovered their present situation and then disclosed to them what was to come. This work of God greatly impressed the couple, and as the prophecies were fulfilled, one month later the Presbyterian minister brought two other pastors, each with their wives, to another service for personal ministry.

The word of knowledge was exceptionally sure that night, and the second minister and his wife marveled at the accuracy and truth in the prophetic word. The third couple stepped forward for ministry and again the word of knowledge was present. The prophet spoke to the husband, revealing his past, present and insight into his future. Then the man of God turned to this third minister's wife. As he began to speak of her past, suddenly he stopped. "There was a very serious sin in your past." The woman, with her worst fear seemingly upon her, turned pale and closed her eyes. The congregation hushed and moved to the edge of their seats.

The prophet continued, "And I asked the Lord, 'What was this sin that she committed?' And the Lord answered, 'I do not remember!'"

The Lord had been faithful to His promise: "I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). Although many times this minister's wife had asked for cleansing, still she could not believe the depth of God's forgiveness. Christ had placed her sin in the sea of His forgetfulness. He removed it "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12). From everywhere but the prison of her own mind, her sin had been paid for and removed. And now, in His great mercy, He removed it from there as well!

Oh, what burdens we carry, what guilt and limitations surround us because we do not accept God's total and perfect forgiveness. In Isaiah we read, "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25).

How great is the God we serve. How wonderful is His love toward us. He is our Redeemer! Our Savior! If you are willing to forgive others and will but ask Him to forgive you, He will pardon your debts as often as you contritely turn to Him. He promises He will remember your sins no more. He who calls us into His perfections, has also provided perfectly for us to approach Him. Holiness is an unfolding relationship with the grace of God!"

"KEEP US FROM TEMPTATION AND ALL EVIL"⁶

Romans 8:5: "For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace!"

Jude 24: "He is able to keep you from falling and to guard you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of His Glory with exceeding joy!"

Ephesians 6:10-18: "My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might! Put on the whole Armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of the rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places! Wherefore, take unto you the whole Armour of God (Truth, Righousness, the Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation, the Word of God (the Sword of the Spirit), and Pray always) that you may be able to withstand all evil!"

2 Timothy 4:18: "The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve and save me unto His Heavenly Kingdom!"

1 Tim.4:10: "We trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." Those who choose to not believe the Truth that Christ paid for their sins will have to pay for them themselves, for all eternity. The choice is ours.

"YOURS IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER"⁷

Our Lord's prayer that He taught us ends with praise, because He is Sharon's Rose and our Morning Star! He's Alpha, Omega, Beginning and The End, and all and in all!

1 Chronicles 29:11: "Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power and the glory, and the victory and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine! Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as Head above all."

Micah 5:4: "And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the Name of the LORD his God and shall abide!"

Hebrews 1:3: "Who being the brightness of His Glory, and the Express Image of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His Power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the Right Hand of the Majesty on High!"

Colossians 1:16-20: "Everything---absolutely everything above and below that is visible and invisible and rank after rank after rank of angels---everything got started in Jesus and finds its purpose in Him!
  He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment! And when it comes to the church, He organizes and holds it together like a head does a body.
  He was Supreme in the beginning and, leading the Resurrection Parade, He is Supreme in the end! From beginning to end He's there, towering far above everything and everyone!
  So spacious and roomy is He, so that everything of God finds its proper place in Him without crowding! Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe (people and things, animals and atoms) get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of His death, His blood that poured down from the Cross!"

Jude 1:25: "To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen!"

"The Lord's Prayer" sung by Sandi Patty