70 FORGIVE AND MOVE ON. Philippians 5:15.

The greater the offence, the harder it is to forgive - But you must. Because whatever you refuse to forgive and let go of, you carry with you. And it will be like an albatross around your neck. Has someone abused you, cheated on you, lied about you, dismissed you, or mistreated you in some other way? Have you failed yourself? Have you asked yourself ‘How can I get past my past mistakes? And become successful again’ Whatever your particular hurt, the solution isn’t either feeding it or denying it. You have to forgive and let it go, or you will continue to hurt yourself with it. Someone once said ‘Choosing not to forgive somebody is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die’ !! In order to move forward, you have to ‘let go’ and be at peace with the past. Paul could have easily allowed the memory of the Christians he put to death (before meeting Christ) to destroy him and rob him of his destiny. But he refused to do that. Instead he wrote: in (Philippians 3;13-14) ‘Dear brothers (and sisters) I am still not all that I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to Heaven; because of what Christ Jesus did for us.’ And in another Scripture: (Mark 11:25) Jesus Himself speaking ‘If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your Father in Heaven will forgive you your sins.’ This is not optional, in fact it is conditional. If we want to have our sins forgiven that is the condition. If we wont forgive, God wont forgive us, and if we do God will forgive us. This is a God-made Spiritual law and it’s not negotiable so think seriously about it. Your soul could be at stake. In (Luke 9:62) We read, ‘No one who looks back is fit for service’ In the light of this Scripture we need to be wise. Here are four thoughts we need to take on board. :-- 1. Focus on the road ahead.:- By looking in the rear-view mirror instead of the road ahead of you, you could miss the next turn and end up in a ditch, or worse, in an accident. Focus on the fact that you survived, and hopefully you have learned from your experience; God kept you around for a reason; find it and pour yourself into it. 2. Stop looking for easy answers :-- Visit any Bookshop and you will find shelves lined with books with titles promising ‘Ten easy steps to financial achievement, Five trouble-free keys to success, or twelve simple strategies for health, wealth and fulfilment in life. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Life is hard, and deep inside we all know those simplistic approaches don’t work. But, note this, the fact that your life is difficult doesn’t mean you are on the wrong path. As the old country preacher said “If you don’t come face to face with the devil sometimes, you must be going in the same direction as he is.” Think about it!! 3. Stay on your path:-- Not everybody will go with you, some of your closest friends are people who will never change, and they don’t like those who do. Your decision to change doesn’t mean they will change too. Nevertheless, you must be committed to growing, expanding your knowledge and experience and moving on to the next level in life. 4. Believe in yourself:-- God believes in you. So when someone tells you that you will never amount to anything, Just smile and say this short prayer, “Lord you know my potential and with your help I will make it” God alone knows your potential and if your willing to trust Him and work hard, He will help you to fulfil it. In the final analysis, success is an argument your enemies and critics can’t refute. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this difficult subject. It will not always be easy to do, BUT, when and if you achieve the art of forgiveness, it will be one of your greatest assets in this life, and a tremendous assurance of your eternal happiness, because Jesus said “If we forgive others God will forgive us” We cannot enter Heaven with a backpack full of unforgiven sins . So forgive!!!. God bless us all. Phaline.