The Landmine of Unforgiveness
Luke 8:43-48 NKJV
43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
- INTRODUCTION
- Forgiveness – Intentional and Voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense.
- Doesn’t mean you deny the person’s offense or minimize the hurt or justify the wrong. What forgiveness does is untie you from the negative emotion (revenge) and allows the Christ in us to wish the offender well
- Shelly Hitz; Author of Broken Crayons Still Color says, To live in a place of unforgiveness is like carrying a dead body around on your back.
II. YOU MUST ENDURE THE PAIN AND FRUSTRATION
A. God Was Sustaining You When Strength Was Leaving You
Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
B. My Let Down Won’t Make Me Let Up
- They Test the Authenticity of Your Relationships
- They Test the Revelation of God’s Word in You
- They Test Your Resilience
II. YOU HAVE TO GET IN POSITION TO FOCUS
We must stay focused on the love of God, and we must remember He does not give us what we deserve. Each one of us deserves to be punished for our sins but Jesus Christ was punished in our place.
Ultimately we suffer the consequences of unforgiveness. Darkness and light cannot inhabit the same place.
Evil actions such as anger, jealousy, envy, resentment, and unforgiveness cannot remain in that place where God abides through the presence of His Holy Spirit.
Many of the emotional and physical problems that we struggle with today is a direct result of unforgiveness, bitterness, emotional stress. Many Counselors have reported that pent-up feelings of hostility, anger, disappointment, and bitterness result in feelings of depression and anxiety along with a host of physical problems.
A. Don’t Let Your Hurt Prevent You from Hearing
1. When you have been hurt, how do you handle your emotions?
2. Ephesians 4:30-32 ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ^31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
B. Handling the Hurts We Feel
1. Before you can really begin the healing process you must come to a point where you acknowledge that God is aware of every struggle and hurt you encounter. He knows the intensity of those hurts. He understands that you need to grieve, heal, and be restored.
2. He also knows if you drop your guard and allow bitterness, anger, and resentment to set up in your life you will suffer greater emotional and physical pain.
3. From God’s perspective forgiveness is necessary for you to choose to heal and continue with life.
a. That includes giving up resentment toward someone else, along with the right to get even
b. 3 parts to uncovering the landmine of unforgiveness
1. Choose to let go of every feeling of resentment.
2. Lay down your right to get even. (You don’t have a right when it comes to God’s obedience)
3. Allow God to Deal with the Matter that hurt you instead of You. We don’t have the right tools to repair sorrow or brokenness. Only Jesus can reach deep into our souls and heal the shattered trust and horrendous wounds. Only God can heal and restore what sin has so deeply damaged.
C. 4 Areas That Are Impacted When God Speaks to You
- Revelation
- Location
- Elevation
- Situation
D. Where I Am, Is Tied to What I Know
- It Affects Your Attitude
- It Reveals Your Ambition
- It Makes You Audacious
E. You Must Be Willing to Press Past Your Fear
F. Overcome the Perception of The Crowd
IV. I NEED TOO MUCH TO BE DENIED A TOUCH
A. When You Need A Touch:
- You Have to Overcome Pressure (Being Right)
- You Have to Change Your Posture (Admit that you have a problem)
- You Have to Get in Proximity (Where His will is and where you are)
B. You’ve Got A Promise of a Better Future
V. AUTHENTICITY GETS THE LORD’S ATTENTION
A. 3 Groups of People in Every Crowd:
- People That Want to See
- People That Want to Be Seen
- People Who Are Sincere About Seeing Him
B. Your Diagnosis Will Not Be Your Destiny
- The Reminder from The Father: If you never been hurt, you will not understand the concept of forgiveness. To forgive you must suffer, and you must also receive forgiveness for the wrongs you have committed. What do I need to Forgive Myself from?
- The Recognition of Her Faith: Whatever has your attention has you. What has your attention?
- The Restoration of Her Future: The Peace Forgiveness Brings
- Confess what you have done
- Lay down your anger
- May a commitment to pray for the person who is the object of your unforgiveness.
- Ask for forgiveness from God and the Person for your unforgiving Spirit.
- Trust God through the Healing Process.
- When You Trust Him
- He always works things Out for His Best
- He is never caught off guard by the circumstances.
- He uses your sorrow and pain for a greater purpose.
- He has a plan for your future.
Conclusion
Even when we face horrendous issues and trials, we can trust God to bring good out of every circumstance. Never forget the shortest distance between your sin (issue of blood) and God’s forgiveness is the distance between your knees and the floor.