How to Forgive Yourself A Summer Series, Day 7

10 Reasons you should forgive yourself.

Reason 4

The degree to which you forgive yourself will directly relate to your usefulness in your life.

When I am wallowing in self-pity (victim mentality), I am of little use to others. Not forgiving is paralyzing. It will stop you dead in your tracks. How can you help encourage others when you are consumed with your own failures?

When you are in a state such as this, the enemy has placed cement shoes on you preventing you from moving forward in what God has for you — freedom! If you don’t feel free, then in essence you are bound and when a person is bound, they live in their own prison in their minds. Depression, anxiety, hopelessness and negativity sets in and you live in despair.

When you live like this, it will prevent you from sharing Christ with others successfully. Why would the world want what you have when all they see is that you are in shackles and chains? The Lord cannot use you in the fullness of His will when you CHOOSE to remain bound by the enemy. Let it go! Let it all go and receive His forgiveness so you can forgive others. Freedom awaits you!

Susan Bolinger - Bloom Ladies Ministry

Bloom - A Process to Achieve Complete Forgiveness

How to Forgive Yourself A Summer Series, Day 6

10 Reasons you should forgive yourself.

Reason 3

You will receive inner peace and freedom from guilt.

Stop listening to the enemy. There is nothing to compare with the peace and freedom that comes from total forgiveness. 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” There is complete peace and freedom waiting for you when you forgive yourself. You will feel like a bird released from its cage that has been set free. You will wonder how you allowed the enemy to keep you in bondage so long.

I can’t stop thinking about how Peter felt after his betrayal of Christ, how Jesus forgave him. Jesus totally let Peter off the hook. When that moment happened, it released Peter to continue growing in the Lord and he was completely sold out for Christ. It set him free on the level to where just 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was in the Upper Room along with 150 others and they were all praying and seeking the Lord. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking with other tongues. And then it happened… Peter felt a boldness come upon him and he PREACHED the gospel of Jesus Christ and over 3,000 souls were saved that day!!! If he had continued to allow Satan to keep shame, guilt and regret on him, then he would not have felt the freedom Christ gave him. Peter would have never had the courage to boldly proclaim the gospel of Christ like he did and the church would not have been birthed that day if he had stayed in the mentality, “I don’t deserve to be forgiven. I’m just going to sit here in my pity party instead.”

Come on Saints! There is too much work to be done for the Kingdom of God. Embrace the forgiveness Christ gives so freely to every single person and live boldly like Peter!

Susan Bolinger - Bloom Ladies Ministry

How to Forgive Yourself A Summer Series, Day 5

10 Reasons you should forgive yourself.

Reason 2, Part 2

Satan doesn’t want you to forgive yourself. He whispers lies into our ears SO MUCH that we begin to BELIEVE him and then WE begin to whisper LIES INTO OUR OWN EARS!!!

• I must pay for my failure.

• What I have done is so horrible that I do not deserve to be set free from guilt.

• It would be irresponsible to forgive myself totally and not look back.

• I must see that I get justice.

That is actually the same “mentality” we have in forgiving others – we want justice and want to see them pay for it. To forgive them sets them free and therefore means they may not get punished. The world does not work the same way as Heaven. The world’s system is to get what you can (selfishness), run over those who get in your way rising to the top (pride), crush those who hurt you and make them pay (revenge) where Jesus tells us to be a servant, show humility and let Him take care of the revenge against those who hurt you. He is a God of justice and He will make those pay for the hurt they have done to you. Trust Him to do that but also remember how much He loves you.

Even if you look at this from the standpoint of a Father and his child… when a child does something wrong, the Father may reprimand the child or even spank the child for the offense to show him his wrong and give him correction. But once that spanking is over, it’s over. The Father does not love the child less, he is trying to train the child up to do the right thing for their own protection. The Father doesn’t keep spanking the child over and over and over. No! He loves that child and our Heavenly Father does even better towards us. He may reprimand or spank you for your sin, but He is doing that to show you correction to keep you safe from the enemy. He loves you more than any one ever could with a perfect love that only He has. Stop believing the lies Satan whispers into your ear and more importantly stop whispering those same lies into your ear. Here are some scriptures that may encourage you to dismiss those lies and do what the Bible tells us to do.

Philippians 4:6-8 ESV

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ephesians 4:23 ESV

And to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

Susan Bolinger - Bloom Ladies Ministry