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Most of the ground that Satan gains in our lives is due to unforgiveness! 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 tells us “If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven – if there was anything to forgive – I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

We are warned to forgive others so that Satan cannot take advantage of us. God requires us to forgive others from our heart or He will turn us over to the tormentors. (Matthew 18:34-35)

Why is forgiveness so critical to our freedom? Because of the cross. God didn’t give us what we deserve! He gave us what we needed according to His mercy. We are to be merciful just as our heavenly Father is merciful (Luke 6:36) and we are to forgive as we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Forgiveness is not forgetting. People who try to forget find that they cannot. God says He will “remember no more” our sins (Hebrews 10:17). But God, being omniscient, cannot forget. “Remember no more” means that God will never use the past against us. (Psalm 103:12) For us, forgetting may be a result of forgiveness, but it is never the means of forgiveness.

When we bring up the past and use it against others, we haven’t forgiven them. Forgiveness is a choice! It is a crisis of the will! We choose to face and acknowledge the hurt and the hate in order to forgive from the heart.

Since God requires us to forgive, it is something we can do. He would never require us to do something we cannot do. But forgiveness is difficult for us, because it pulls against our concept of justice.

We want revenge for offenses suffered. But we are told never to take our own revenge. (Romans 12:19) “Why should I let them off the hook?” we protest. You let them off your hook, but they are never off God’s hook! He will deal with them fairly – something we cannot do. If you don’t let offenders off your hook, you are hooked to them and the past, and that just means continued pain for you.

Stop the pain! Let it go! You don’t forgive someone merely for their sake! You do it for your sake so you can be free! Your need to forgive isn’t an issue between you and the offender! It’s between you and God!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.33. Live for God, on purpose, forgiving others, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you.

Turning Pain to Gain

As most of us are watching the summer Olympic games, we hear stories time and again of the extreme discipline and preparation of the athletes. They have pushed themselves, even in times of pain, to the very limits, working to achieve what otherwise would have been impossible. For them, the saying “no pain, no gain” is the story of their life.

But, this is not just true of these athletes. It is true for each and every one of us as believers in Jesus Christ. Our life in the Lord is not one of ease and merriment, but is a life filled with good times and hard times, expected pleasures as well as unexpected difficulties. Through it all, we have the confidence of God’s Word that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and He will be an ever present help in our time of need.

Romans 8:28 tells us that ”...we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Are you in pain now? Experiencing a family crisis? Received a bad prognosis from the doctor? Had a financial setback? It is during these difficult times that we not only must rely heavily upon the Lord, but also, we have unparalleled opportunity to turn what the devil means for harm into good!

Just like athletes who know that without pain there is no gain, as a believer, you can know how to turn your pain into gain! In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, the apostle Paul uses the word “comfort” some nine times! You see, he discovered a truth each of needs to learn – if we are willing, the Lord will allow us to not only survive but to thrive and be more than conquerers in the Lord as we reach out to others in the midst of our crisis.

You want to know how to turn your pain into gain? Join us this Sunday here at WFA as we learn to ask ourselves four questions that can help us to be blessed, and be a blessing to others!

I Know

I know He is the beginning, so why do I worry about the end.

I know He is the creator, so why do I wonder who will destroy.

I know He has forgiven me, so why can’t I forgive myself.

I know He is a healer, so why do I speak of sickness.

I know He can do all things, so why do I say I can’t.

I know He will protect me, so why do I fear.

I know He will supply all my needs, so why can’t I wait.

I know He is my strength and my salvation, so why do I feel weak.

I know that everything and everyone has a season, so why when someone’s season is over do I weep instead of rejoice.

I know He is the right way, so why do I go the wrong way.

I know He is the light, so why do I choose to walk in darkness.

I know that whatever I ask of GOD, GOD will give me, so why am I scared to ask.

I know tomorrow is not promised, so why do I put off for tomorrow what I can do today.

I know that the truth shall make me free, so why do I continue to lie.

I know He gives us revelation knowledge and understanding, so why do

I lean on my own understanding.

I know I should live in the spirit as well as walk in the spirit, so why do I choose to live in the spirit but walk in the flesh.

I know that when praises go up blessings come down, so why do I refuse to praise Him.

I know I am saved, so why do I refuse the word He has given me.

I know He has a plan for me, so why am I rushing it because I am eager to do His will, when it is His time not my time.

Flee the Pea!

by Greg Allen

Charles Spurgeon told the story of a preacher who was strolling through a village. As he walked along, he saw a man going down the road with a herd of pigs following in line behind him like sheep following behind a shepherd. This was a very unusual sight, because pigs, ordinarily, are very self-centered, independent creatures that never follow anyone. So the preacher asked, “Sir, how do you get those pigs to follow you like that?”

“Oh, it’s easy,” the farmer said. “I have a sack full of peas in my pocket; and I just keep walking, occasionally dropping a pea on the road behind me. The pigs follow along wherever I drop a pea and gobble it up, never caring where I’m leading them.”

“That’s very clever!” said the pastor. “By the way; where are you leading them?” And the man said, “To the butcher’s shop, of course.”

The devil often follows the same strategy. The Bible warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8; NKJV). But he rarely carries a big sign that says, “Follow me, so I can devour you.” He knows we wouldn’t follow him if he was that obvious. Instead, he works subtly to draw us away from God’s good will for our lives.

Just like the farmer in that story, the devil drops little, fleshly temptations in front of us through the elements of our culture: a suggestive movie or television show here; an off-color story or inappropriate joke there; a seductive advertisement or pop song here; a pornographic magazine or web page there. And if we aren’t alert, we follow along behind, picking such things up and thinking, “I can handle this. This isn’t so bad. It’s just a little pea, after all. It tastes good. Who’s it going to hurt? Who’s going to care? Who’s going to know?” We gobble these tempting little “peas” up, one after another; never realizing that they’re forming a straight line that is leading us down a slippery slope to destruction and loss.

The answer that the Bible gives to such things is summed up in one word: “Flee” (1 Corinthians 6:18).

As followers of Jesus Christ, let’s remember the devil’s strategy; and by His help, let’s “FLEE THE PEA!”

as seen in Laugh and Lift. Read all about Laugh and Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html

What Occupies Your Heart?

by Carole Mayhall

I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, “If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center?

She thought a moment, then said, “My problems.” My friend spoke the truth.

A week later, I sat across the hospital bed on which lay my younger sister, Joye, who had just been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Gray and perspiring, with a swath of bandages encasing her throat from a biopsy, Joye talked to a student nurse who was interviewing terminally ill people to see if there was any way she could help them.

“Oh, Jan, I’m a bit fearful of the pain and process of dying – but I’m not afraid of death! It’ll just be a change of residence for me,” I heard my sister, her face radiant from within, say to this student nurse. And for forty-five minutes, Joye explained the good news of Jesus Christ to Jan.

Afterward, I thought, Both my friend and sister have serious problems. Yet one’s walking I despair, and the other in joy. What makes the difference?

Then I realized what it was. My friend’s heart was occupied with her problems; my sister’s heart was occupied with the Living God.

as seen in “Today’s Christian Woman,” Vol. 20, no. 2

Checking Motives

by Jim Liebelt

“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
— Proverbs 16:2

Craig Brian Larson’s book, 750 Engaging Illustrations includes the following story:

A lady answered the knock on her door to find a man with a sad expression. “I’m sorry to disturb you,” he said, “but I’m collecting money for an unfortunate family in the neighborhood. The husband is out of work, the kids are hungry, the utilities will soon be cut off, and worse, they’re going to be kicked out of their apartment if they don’t pay the rent by this afternoon.” “I’ll be happy to help,” said the woman with great concern. “But who are you?” “I’m the landlord,” he replied.

We all have motives for the things we do. Yet, often these motives operate unchecked, below the surface of our own awareness. Could it be that like the landlord in the story, our motives for doing good deeds are too often layered with self-interest? I believe that all Christians, to one extent or another, struggle with mixed motives for our actions. When we take time to truthfully evaluate, we find that we constantly face the inward tug-of-war between saint and sinner. Like the Apostle Paul, all Christ-followers experience the desire to do those things that please the Lord, but often end up doing something different instead. Or, like the landlord in the story, we bring mixed motives to even our best attempts to serve in Jesus’ name. We serve the Lord, even while pursuing self-interests like recognition, fame, comfort, success, pride, control, money, getting someone off our back, and the like.

What’s the answer to the problem of mixed motives? Honestly, I think this is a life-long struggle we face. We need to be prepared for the battle. We can minimize the effect of our own mixed motives by being honest with ourselves, performing regular self-evaluation combined with confession and repentance. God’s grace is sufficient to help us win the daily battles. We will never completely banish this foe from our lives during this life, but we can gain the upper hand in the struggle by checking our motives regularly and by trusting God to make us more like His Son.

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

Drought Affects Churches

Severe drought is affecting churches in northern Alabama, Tennessee, and northwest Georgia.

Did you know that because of the drought in these areas, church budgets are greatly affected?

Baptist churches are having to sprinkle for baptisms, the Methodists are using wet wipes for their baptisms, and the Catholics are praying that God will turn the wine back into water.

The Last Impression

A new report suggests that being overweight is not as harmful as is commonly believed, and actually confers some surprising benefits.

Being five to ten pounds overweight could protect people from ailments ranging from tuberculosis to Alzheimer’s disease, research indicates. Those carrying 15 to 25 extra pounds are better able to recover from adverse conditions such as emphysema, pneumonia, and various injuries and infections, states the report.

Thirty to forty pounds of flab could help fend off breast, kidney, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancer. And an extra fifty pounds on the scale may improve eyesight, reverse baldness, cure the common cold, and reduce global warming.

In general, the report concludes, overweight people are happier, more successful in business, smarter, and friendlier.

The study was funded by a research grant from McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Domino’s Pizza, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs, Sara Lee, and Krispy Kreme.

Hungry?! Well, I know a great place to get a wonderful meal that is fulfilling, satisfying, and completely calorie free! Come join us this Sunday here at WFA for a delightful meal of worshipping the Lord, and feasting on God’s Word! You will be abundantly blessed!