Having an understanding of the ways of God makes it much easier to live His way, in His Kingdom. Like forgiveness —it is not always so easy to forgive because when we get hurt, it hurts. What someone did to us hurts, which is why we hold a grudge. The grudge is like having a bandaid to protect ourselves from that hurt again.
But, in the kingdom of God there are no bandaids to be had. God's way is to love, thus we have to resolve to love.
God showed me this just a few days ago. That what Jesus said was exactly what He meant and why we as His, should forgive just as fast as He did that day.
Luke 23:34 And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them. AMPC
If someone is not God’s they really don't know what they are doing, and they don't know they are being used by the enemy. That person without God does know what they are doing so if confronted, you will even hear them reply, I didn't do anything.
God was showing me in this kind of situation, that we can know ahead of time not to confront, but to love instead. Love as in let it go, let it drop, because they don't know Jesus thus they just don't get it.
If we confront a person who does not know Jesus, that person won’t get the love thing we have with Jesus. Thus we are to just forgive, drop it, and let it go as the amplified Bible describes (Mark 11:25-26). The only return we owe them is —to love them (Romans 13:8).
Before a few days ago I just forgave because God tells us to forgive. Each time I was hurt and decided to forgive —God healed me. As well, with that healing He gave me insight as to why the person did what they did —which helped me to have compassion for them as well as forgive.
It is the most painful when the person who hurts you is someone you love and have trusted all your life — then suddenly has betrayed you. It is a hard thing to do on our own. We need God to be healed of that pain and then to forgive. In that, He has always been there for me to heal me and help me to go on.
Recently in being hurt again by someone close to me, God showed me that because of their not knowing Him the situation doesn't need confronting words —but love. What He said to me was that I didn't need to confront the person, just love the person. He said in fact that person should never even know that you were hurt by you showing bitterness toward them—but that I should come up to His level of forgiveness and just know they don’t get it.
Corinthians tells us that our warfare is not against flesh and blood but that spiritual darkness (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). The person is not the one trying to hurt you—the enemy is. It is his ploy to bring evil upon you, to try to get you in un-forgiveness so that you are in disagreement with God. God's law is love and so being in un- —is disagreement with God
The person hurting you maybe doesn't know that they have hurt you, and that they are being used by the enemy. As a Christian —unlike a non-believer, we should be aware of the enemies ploys and be sure we are sensitive to other's feelings being sure —not to offend.
I liked what I heard God say to me because with that comes not only healing, but the fact that God thinks that much of me to correct me and expect—that I can be like Him.
What I mean is if I am told to forgive others because they don't know what they are doing, then I am at the place of spiritual maturity where God is showing me more than I could see before. Understanding that my warfare is not with that person I love —but that the enemy has butted in to my business to mess up my relationships is a revelation I need.
I was thinking if we had this revelation in our marriage relationships, our warfare would not be against each other. If we would grow up spiritually we wouldn't be arguing back and forth, but we would be loving each other. In our revelation knowledge of knowing the enemies ploy, thus in our love actions, we would be taking authority over the enemy if we loved with purpose. In that —showing the world that God's way of love indeed does not fail (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Knowing what the enemy is up to, that revelation knowledge —is the defense we need to overcome his wiles.
So, remember the next time you are hurt, it is not the person, it is the enemy using the person to get to you. He is trying to not only mess up your relationships, but he is trying to keep you in un-forgiveness. If we don't forgive, God does not forgive us (Mark 11:26).
lovelee<3