Category Archives: Prayer

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – 3

Prayer, ,

The story that follows Jesus’ transfiguration, the disciples’ failure to dislodge a demon, poses the question, “What is authority”? 

“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus had just had an altercation with His disciples. While He and His three closest companions were up the mountain, the other nine were tussling with a stubborn and rather nasty demon. On His return, He soundly rebuked the nine disciples for their unbelief. 

In a quieter moment, they asked Jesus why they had failed to budge the demon. His reply was mystifying unless we begin to dig deeper. 

In our modern context, I think the “deliverance ministry” is badly misunderstood. It is, therefore, misapplied, by “taking authority” over demons and ordering them to go, even if they are not demons but manifestations of “the flesh”, such as anger, rage, jealousy, etc. 

Jesus did not tell us to take authority over anything simply by speaking it. Demons take no notice of such foolishness. Having authority comes from something far deeper. 

Jesus claimed to have authority but how and where did He derive it? He said, “By prayer!”

Now let’s check out a story that clearly teaches us the source of authority and by association, the meaning of faith. 

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This story is loaded with information about authority and faith. Did you notice how Jesus connected the centurion’s source of authority with his faith? Let’s unpack it. 

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

The centurion’s authority was derived from his submission to higher authority. This kind of authority demands humility. His role was never to act presumptuously or independently of his superior authority. His role was simply to relay instructions, trusting that his word would be obeyed because of the authority under which he spoke. If his underlings trusted the source of his authority, they would obey him. 

The centurion recognised Jesus’ authority under God by the results of His words. So, he declared his faith by saying, “Just say the word…”

What a simple explanation of the meaning and purpose of prayer! Prayer is first, settling the issue of authority. Who is in charge? When I, in prayer, surrender myself to the absolute authority of Jesus, when I listen to Him instead of babbling about myself, I recognise and authenticate my partnership with Him. 

An incident in King David’s life perfectly illustrates this principle. David was determined to build a temple for God. He expressed his desire to the prophet Nathan who encouraged him to carry out his plan. That night, God spoke to Nathan. David was a man of war. God did not assign to him the task of building the temple. His son, Solomon, would have that honour.

Instead, God made David a promise…He would build a house for him, a dynasty that would never end. Unlike the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, who were wicked and whose dynasties were repeatedly cut off,  David’s descendants would reign in one continuous dynasty that would culminate in the eternal reign of Messiah…the son of David. 

David was overwhelmed by this promise. He went into his sanctuary to commune with God,  first expressing his unworthiness for such a great destiny and then worshiping the Lord. 

“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ” Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ….“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬, ‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In his words, “Do as you have promised”, David relayed to earth what God had spoken in heaven. 

The Apostle Paul also reiterated the same thought…

“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now let’s connect all the dots, the process of prayer as Jesus lived it and taught His disciples…

  1. Listen to Him. Jesus takes centre stage in everything. 
  2. Through prayer, we establish and affirm our submission to Jesus as Lord, our Supreme Authority. 
  3. When He gives an appropriate promise or instruction regarding an issue in earth, we are to relay heaven’s will to earth by speaking His word by faith. 
  4. By His authority through us, His will is carried out on earth as it is done in heaven. 
  5. God’s word guarantees that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

Finally, the guarantee…

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God will always do what He says!

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – 2

Prayer, ,

To continue our  question…”What is prayer?”

Since Jesus was in constant contact with His Heavenly Father through prayer, of all people, He is most qualified to teach us about prayer. 

First, He is our teacher by example. 

When we work our way through John’s gospel, Jesus and the Father surface in such close partnership that Jesus said or did nothing without first hearing from the Father. 

“For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Does this mean that even every word He uttered was the word of the Father? Was He relaying the Father’s words from heaven to earth to bring about God’s will on earth? By being in constant contact with the Father in prayer, He was staying connected to “headquarters” from where He received His instructions. 

Jesus taught His disciples to pray…

“…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How do we apply this example to our praying? I think the answer is simple. Let’s connect the dots. God has equipped us with a plethora of promises that express His intention. Whatever the need, there is either an equivalent promise or a pattern that expresses God’s will. 

Two Scriptures clearly declare this truth. 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these, he has given us his very great and precious promises so that, through them, you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, first, God’s promises are His provision for our daily walk which clarify His will in detail, and were given to empower us to overcome our old sinful nature so that we became ever increasingly conformed to the image of His Son. 

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, Jesus has endorsed every promise for us. We, therefore, in partnership with Him, affirm His promises as and where they apply, so that earth joins heaven in bringing about God’s intention. 

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Third, the two ingredients in this process of bringing God’s will to earth are faith and patience. The first of these two requirements take up part of the answer to my next question… “What is faith?”

Let’s fast forward to my encounter with “authority” that will shed light on “faith”. 

To be concluded…

HELP ME TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS -3

The story that follows Jesus’ transfiguration, the disciples’ failure to dislodge a demon, poses the question, “What is authority”? 

“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus had just had an altercation with His disciples. While He and His three closest companions were up the mountain, the other nine were tussling with a stubborn and rather nasty demon. On His return, He soundly rebuked the nine disciples for their unbelief. 

In a quieter moment, they asked Jesus why they had failed to budge the demon. His reply was mystifying unless we begin to dig deeper. 

In our modern context, I think the “deliverance ministry” is badly misunderstood. It is, therefore, misapplied, by “taking authority” over demons and ordering them to go, even if they are not demons but manifestations of “the flesh”, such as anger, rage, jealousy, etc. 

Jesus did not tell us to take authority over anything simply by speaking it. Demons take no notice of such foolishness. Having authority comes from something far deeper. 

Jesus claimed to have authority but how and where did He derive it? He said, “By prayer!”

Now let’s check out a story that clearly teaches us the source of authority and by association, the meaning of faith. 

“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This story is loaded with information about authority and faith. Did you notice how Jesus connected the centurion’s source of authority with his faith? Let’s unpack it. 

“For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

The centurion’s authority was derived from his submission to higher authority. This kind of authority demands humility. His role was never to act presumptuously or independently of his superior authority. His role was simply to relay instructions, trusting that his word would be obeyed because of the authority under which he spoke. If his underlings trusted the source of his authority, they would obey him. 

The centurion recognised Jesus’ authority under God by the results of His words. So, he declared his faith by saying, “Just say the word…”

What a simple explanation of the meaning and purpose of prayer! Prayer is first, settling the issue of authority. Who is in charge? When I, in prayer, surrender myself to the absolute authority of Jesus, when I listen to Him instead of babbling about myself, I recognise and authenticate my partnership with Him. 

An incident in King David’s life perfectly illustrates this principle. David was determined to build a temple for God. He expressed his desire to the prophet Nathan who encouraged him to carry out his plan. That night, God spoke to Nathan. David was a man of war. God did not assign to him the task of building the temple. His son, Solomon, would have that honour.

Instead, God made David a promise…He would build a house for him, a dynasty that would never end. Unlike the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, who were wicked and whose dynasties were repeatedly cut off,  David’s descendants would reign in one continuous dynasty that would culminate in the eternal reign of Messiah…the son of David. 

David was overwhelmed by this promise. He went into his sanctuary to commune with God,  first expressing his unworthiness for such a great destiny and then worshiping the Lord. 

“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ” Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ….“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭11‬, ‭16‬-‭18‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In his words, “Do as you have promised”, David relayed to earth what God had spoken in heaven. 

The Apostle Paul also reiterated the same thought…

“It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now let’s connect all the dots, the process of prayer as Jesus lived it and taught His disciples…

  1. Listen to Him. Jesus takes centre stage in everything. 
  2. Through prayer, we establish and affirm our submission to Jesus as Lord, our Supreme Authority. 
  3. When He gives an appropriate promise or instruction regarding an issue in earth, we are to relay heaven’s will to earth by speaking His word by faith. 
  4. By His authority through us, His will is carried out on earth as it is done in heaven. 
  5. God’s word guarantees that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

Finally, the guarantee…

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God will always do what He says!

A WALK THROUGH THE LORD’S PRAYER – 8

Prayer, ,

Jesus’ model prayer is not intended to be a mantra to be repeated mindlessly like the pagans do, but a framework around which, by allowing its principles to guide us, we build our fellowship with the Father and with His Son. 

Jesus has given us the main principles that should concern us in our relationship with the Father. Of course, life is far more complicated than these considerations. However,  we must never be overburdened by the details that so often are distractions from the real issues that should occupy our attention. 

Let’s summarise what Jesus  taught His disciples to focus on as they grew in their relationship to and fellowship with the Father. 

I use these two words, “relationship” and “fellowship” purposely as distinct from one another. 

“Relationship” refers to a settled state, based on our new birth, through the Holy Spirit. Through God’s grace, we have been moved out of slavery into God’s family as His sons and daughters. Once God has reinstated us, we can never be “unborn”. We can never lose our status as children of God…

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…even if we sin…

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Since we are sons and daughters of the Father, we need not do anything to cultivate our relationship with Him. 

However, our fellowship with Him implies our daily walk with Him in trust and obedience, in honesty and humility. We must keep the lines of communication open with Him by not allowing unbelief to lure us away from our fellowship with Him into independence and sinful behaviour. 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

‭‭Micah‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What can we do to maintain our fellowship with God? 

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The fellowship we share with each other in the body of Christ is based on our faith in Jesus, who He is and what He did.  We share that same common ground with the Father because we all have the same relationship with Him through Jesus. 

So, John says, we must maintain our fellowship with the Father, the Son, and with each other by our shared faith in Jesus and our honest and transparent lives with one another. He calls this “walking in the light.”

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

First, then, we don’t only share this fellowship through our faith in Jesus and all He is and does, but we also have fellowship with one another through our shared our interests and concerns in prayer. 

Jesus taught us how to pray by giving us the guidelines that keep us focused on what is important to Him.   

Praying together is a powerful force in the world. God knew that unity had power when He scattered the people in the ancient world because they acted together in rebellion against Him. 

“Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Second, what are the main issues around which we share fellowship in prayer?

God is “our Father”, we are His family. We approach Him freely as His children. He is Father but He is holy. We give Him the reverence, respect, awe, and honour due to Him. We give our attention to what is most important to Him, His kingdom and His will on earth. We forgive one another to keep our fellowship with each other open and uncluttered by guilt and grudges. We take responsibility for our own wrongdoing and and ask for help in dealing with the sin nature that leads us astray. 

Since the greatest commandment in the New Covenant summarises and simplifies the 613 laws of the Old Covenant…

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

… it stands to reason that our unity be built around our faith in and obedience to Jesus as Lord and our love for one another as fellow members of His family. In this togetherness, we share His heart for the world, His kingdom on earth and our part in administering His kingdom in partnership with Him. 





A WALK THROUGH THE LORD’S PRAYER – 7

Prayer, ,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why is it that the devil draws so much attention when it comes to the issue of temptation and sin?  The translation of Scripture from its original languages is a case in point. When we examine the meaning of the Greek word, “poneros”, translated, “the evil one” in the above verse, we will discover something different from the meaning the translators implied in the translation. 

As we have learned from our studies in the Word, many of the original words get their meaning from the context. In this verse, “poneros”, often translated “the evil one”, can have a variety of meanings.  However, to be true to the whole scope of Scripture, in this verse the devil is not named or even implied because most often when “the devil” is intended, he is named. 

The tendency in our thinking is to blame the devil for the bad things  we think and do rather than to take responsibility for our own behaviour because we have been given the freedom to choose. James tells us…

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In verse 13, James uses the word “kakos” for evil which refers more to character than action. God never tempts us to evil actions because He is not “kakos”. 

In Jesus’ prayer, “poneros” implies the results of our actions which stem from our corrupt “kakos”, our evil nature, including the pain and anguish, not stated here, which are the results of our evil behaviour. 

How different is the implication of Jesus’ prayer from our inclination to shrug off responsibility for what we say and do by palming our “poneros” onto the devil! 

When we work through the epistles in the New Testament, we can never escape the truth that our problem is not the devil but our own fallen nature.  For example, in Romans 8, Paul explains, first, how through God’s grace in Christ, we have been delivered from sin and death. We have a new nature which must be nurtured and obeyed. Then he continues, through the whole chapter, to teach us that there is a mortal conflict between our new and old natures. We are responsible for the outcome of this war. By putting to death the deeds of our old nature and by submitting to and obeying the Holy Spirit who is in us, we can overcome the “poneros” that remains in us. 

God is at work through all our circumstances, good and bad, to restore the nature of His Son in us. The Holy Spirit both reassures us that we are God’s children and helps us, in our weakness, to partner with God in prayer according to His will. 

Yes, we have a treacherous old nature that is always seeking to please self above God. Yes, the struggle is a life-and-death issue in which the devil plays his part. He eggs us on to independence and disobedience but…we have a powerful Helper inside us who gives us the strength to obey the Father instead of the flesh when we lean on Him. 

So, Jesus instructs us to ask the Father not to test us above our limits and to keep us from straying into the evil things that stem from our corrupt natures. He promises, as Paul assures us…

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let us not be deceived into thinking that we are helpless pawns in the devil’s hands. He is a defeated foe. Jesus unmasked and overpowered Him at the cross. He tries to keep us captive by holding us responsible for breaking God’s law. However…

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A WALK THROUGH THE LORD’S PRAYER – 6

Prayer, ,

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The next request in Jesus’ model prayer is pivotal to receiving answers from God. For Him, unforgiveness was not a once-off consideration but an on-going issue between people, that forms a barrier, not only between humans in conflict but also between God and unforgiving people. 

What’s the issues?

God cannot forgive those who sin against Him if they refuse to forgive one another. It’s as simple as that!

Let’s unpack the real meaning of forgiveness. 

When we sin, that is, when we do not believe His Word, we transgress the instructions God has given us for living in harmony with Him and with one another…we incur a debt which must be paid before we can be reconciled. Our debt is first to God and then to the one we have offended. 

The sin-debt we owe God is unpayable because sin’s consequence is death. 

“The one who sins is the one who will die…”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18‬:‭20‬a NIV‬‬

Our debt to God is so huge that God’s forgiveness is the only way we can escape death…that is, eternal separation from God and all that He is. 

Jesus said…

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?””

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And so, through Jesus, God has provided forgiveness so that He can acquit us from all our guilt and treat us as perfectly righteous. 

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Once our debt is paid, it is erased from God’s record. It would be illegal for God to demand payment a second time for a debt He Himself has paid. 

Now, let’s see how this applies to forgiveness between people who have wronged and been wronged.

Since, through the death of Jesus, God has erased the guilt of all people for all time, the debt of sin  incurrred when one person sins against another, has already been forgiven. 

God always acts within His own legal system. This means that when one person withholds forgiveness from another, he/she is acting illegally and automatically cancels God’s forgiveness. 

What is the solution? Forgiveness is not about emotions. It’s about doing the right thing within the framework of God’s justice system. Since the sin of the wrongdoer has already been forgiven, all the offended person must do is to release the offender from guilt by looking the person in the face or in the heart and saying, “You owe me nothing!”

If our attitude is hard and judgmental, we may elevate ourselves above our offender, reducing our expression of forgiveness to a hypocritical, hollow; and meaningless exercise. Jesus’ example will help us to overcome a bad attitude and replace it with compassion, which is the heart of forgiveness. 

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭34‬a NIV‬‬

In answer to Peter’s question …Jesus told a parable which perfectly illustrates forgiveness and the consequences of unforgiveness…

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed….”

…ending with the solemn warning…

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Can you see, then, how important it is that we include this consideration in our communication with the Father? All our interactions with God are automatically cancelled if we entertain barriers between ourselves and others. 

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ…If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬