Mercy Heals

Mercy contains the power to heal. When God sent Jesus to die in our place on the cross, He showed us mercy. When we accept God’s gracious offer of salvation, we give Jesus our sins, and He gives us a clean slate. He wipes away our sins: past, present and even those we have yet to commit. His kindness and ability to forgive is so thorough that He doesn’t hold anything back. The blood of Christ extends grace towards us so thoroughly that we have been granted forgiveness in advance. This is God’s perfect, unconditional love towards all of mankind. All we need to do is to accept the good news by faith, believing that Jesus really did take our sin upon Himself and that His holy sacrifice is sufficient to cleanse us of all unrighteousness and restore the relationship that was once broken between us and our heavenly Father.

The blood of Jesus is absolutely comprehensive and altogether effective at reconciling broken relationships! The good news is, there is so much more that we have been given in addition to mercy for our sins. We have been blessed with eternal life. When we draw our final breath, we are immediately ushered into the presence of the just judge of heaven and earth; yet, those who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and their Father need not fear for they have been rescued from the fires of hell, spared from eternal damnation. Mercy triumphs over judgment as we are welcomed into His presence, comforted by His overwhelming, perfect love.

Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will would be done ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ He also empowered us to walk in mercy and forgiveness towards others, overcoming the momentary personal pain or injustices that we may experience while we live out our time on earth. Jesus did not just take our sins; He empowered us with His mantle of forgiveness so that we would be agents of healing, reconciling relationships, and extending the olive branch of peace towards others.

“You now have the mantle of God’s forgiveness. As you go, you are able to share the life-giving power to forgive sins or withhold forgiveness.” (John 20:23 The VOICE).

The reality for many people is that they live in offense instead of releasing forgiveness. Families and relationships, including relationships between individuals and God, are broken because of pride. We think we have the right to stay offended by God or others, yet we have been bought with a price. Our lives are not our own. God has given us a mantle that enables and empowers us to truly, genuinely forgive others so sincerely that no residue of offense remains.

Do you remember a time when you cried out to God and prayed a prayer like this?

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” (Ps. 51:1-2)

He listened. He drew near when He heard your cry, because God does not disregard the broken and contrite heart. He sent His answer.

“Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph. 2:4-5)

That is why we can say,

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Psalm 103:8) and,

“Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” (Micah 7:18)

If God kept a record of our wrongs, who could stand?

We live in a world where people are at war with one another for ridiculous reasons. Satan has effectively led multitudes of people to pick up an offense and be willing to cause riots simply because they are not in the same political party, of the same sexual orientation, or have a difference of opinion. The enemy of our soul has stirred up hatred, intolerance, anger, and offense so that people partner with him as accusers towards others. This is the result of pride and offenses that have not been healed. If there were nothing to exploit, the enemy would not have a foothold in so many lives, but that foothold allows him to use people as his pawns and puppets. The enemy loves to exploit pride because pride causes strife, (Proverbs 13:10). Peace cannot rule where pride and strife exist. What madness is this, and why have so many people become willing participants to perpetuate offense? Some people seem to thrive on it, and worse yet, some have sunk to the level of benefiting from causing pain, offense or physical harm to others. These things are destroying lives, families, and cities. THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE! Engaging in petty, self-debased behaviors causes people to be covered in shame. I pray that as a nation of people we recover our senses, remember who we are, and in whose image we are created. Far too many people have picked up the mantle of accusation rather than the mantle of forgiveness, but it starts with us.

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray…”

“You are mantled with the mantle of forgiveness.”

The way to walk in total forgiveness is not by keeping a record of wrongs, gossiping to others about offenses, hoping to gain an ally; nor by entertaining suspicion, meditating on anger, hurt feelings or rehearsing what we feel is unjust. When we pray for others, we bring them before God. We enter His courts in the heavenly realm. However, if people allow negative emotions to direct their prayers, then it is quite possible that they may have allowed Satan to lead them into the place where they partner with him as an accuser rather than an intercessor. We do not want to be caught standing before God in His courtroom, standing on the side of the accuser! That sort of thing will cause people to incur God's judgment on their own unrighteous actions!

“And turn from their wicked ways…”

Let us instead be mindful of the enemy’s tactics and humble ourselves before God. Pray unselfish prayers for the best interests of those that have caused the pain, so that your only motive is love. The only way out of the trap of offense is through humility. It is not praying what we want to transpire; because that would have a selfish motive at the heart of our prayers. No, it is about praying what is sincerely best for others regardless of whether or not our desires are met. It is about praying the Father’s heart for other individuals; that they would be free, healed, restored and blessed in every way that GOD wants to bless them. It is the unselfish prayer that God answers. Prayers birthed out of unconditional love are the prayers that change lives and alter destinies. They reconcile relationships, but most importantly, they release us from the bondage of bitterness. A person cannot remain in bitterness when they are truly praying God’s heart for someone else. Injustice shuts its mouth when God’s people pray unselfish prayers from a humble heart.

“Then I will hear from heaven and heal your land…”

Thanksgiving is a time when families come together to share a meal with one another. I urge you, be gracious. Be kind. Sincerely make the choice to forgive others and completely erase the record of wrongs.

“Be kind and compassionate toward one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32)

You have the mantle of forgiveness that empowers you to be free and to set others free through the demonstration of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. True forgiveness holds no record of wrongs. It wipes the slate clean. This Thanksgiving, let mercy triumph. May your homes be filled with an abundance of peace and joy, causing your heart to overflow with gratitude at what Christ has done to reconcile, heal and restore what was broken. What begins in our homes will have a ripple effect into our cities. Forgiveness will put out the fires of the enemy. Love will spark fires of revival. Your kingdom come, Lord. On earth, as it is in heaven!

Father,

Help me to let go of any offenses I have held on to. Give me grace to forgive fully and completely. Help me to pray unselfish prayers that represent Your heart and Your will towards others. Bless me with compassion for those that I have been offended with, so that I can sense Your heart for them, and pray the sort of prayers that will release healing for both of us. I yield my heart to You. Please take out any anger, hurt or desire for retribution. I trust you to do what You know is best. Please let my heart be set free and filled with gratitude and love. In Jesus name, amen.

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

Where the fear of the Lord is missing, there will be injustice. Injustice is a result of people that have no fear of authority or repercussions for their actions. What we see played out in society - anger, hatred, violence and retaliation - come from lawlessness. The remedy then, is the restoration of the fear of the Lord.

God hates injustice. He is exposing a great deal of it so that America will wake up to the lies and deception, and refuse to support those that perpetuate the injustice. Sometimes it can be difficult to know who is able to be counted worthy of our trust, but lean into God for His wisdom.

There is something important that everyone needs to understand about the Black Lives Matter movement and some of the other protests going on right now. They are in a political chess game financed by wealthy political figures that have an agenda to fulfill, and they are using our citizens as pawns. Soros has funded approximately $33 million dollars to these groups to start factions, strife and revolts. They have put more lives in danger and are getting people killed. The leaders have received money to orchestrate chaos. Paid to disrupt the peace and promote violence. Because the bigger picture is a desire to implement martial law and further control, oppress and dominate the American people. The political powers that are afraid of losing their control and positions will stop at nothing to carry out their plans to make slaves of American citizens. I urge people everywhere to put their emotions in check for a moment and consider what they get involved in. Don't let the enemy lure you into his trap!

The reality is none of those wealthy political influences behind all this really care about Black lives, or any lives for that matter. They have no desire what so ever to help anyone except themselves, and yet people continue to take the bait. Hook, line and sinker. Protests, when done well, can be powerful. But, protests that promote lawlessness, anger, racism and murder are simply another form of terrorism. The protests will not correct injustice, end the corruption or level the playing field. It will only add to the problems, keeping the power brokers and corrupt political figures in the very places that hinder real justice. It won't accomplish any of the things that these protest groups are supposedly fighting against. So why are people allowing themselves to get carried away with someone else's political agenda when it won't solve any of the real issues? Wake up, America! There are behind the scenes players that are maneuvering events to suit their desired outcome and they are not for justice. They exploit people's emotions, using the pain of this nation's citizens against them in order to lead them further into captivity and slavery. 

Bitterness has held people hostage but neither side is free until they choose to forgive. Bitterness has made people slaves to the enemy that pulls their puppet strings. Don't rely on your own emotional responses, for they can often be misleading. God's word to all of us is not to take vengeance into our own hands, but to leave room for Him to balance the scales of justice. He will! Remember, even Martin Luther King, who was a minister of the gospel as well as a social activist, did not just march for love and unity. King marched for truth, and truth will always force people to take sides. 

Truth does cause division, but I believe that recognizing the truth and understanding a need for change does not mean that we overlook the issues. When truth is revealed, people must choose what side of it they will be on; what they will support and defend. It is a natural response to feel outrage when corruption is revealed. It is natural to feel as if something must be done to correct things that have gone wrong, but remember that people cannot act as judge, jury and executioner of their own version of justice without taking the side of the destroyer. To think that God overlooks that type of behavior is reckless at the very least and speaks of those that are blind to His ways.

Forgiveness does not mean that we overlook the issues but it does mean we do not take vengeance into our own hands. Let us acknowledge where change is needed and then work together to implement proper measures to achieve the changes that are necessary. Prayer must be an important component in any reformation.

Proverbs 1:7 reminds us that fools despise wisdom and instruction, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding..It is foolishness to heed the words of those that stir up strife and instigate, by their insinuations, that the increase of more darkness over the earth is the right answer. Lawlessness can only produce more lawlessness, which invites the judgments of God on those that partake of it.

Dr. Ben Carson got it right when he said (tonight on the Hannity Show, Fox News) that America is in a crisis of family values. We cannot afford to divorce ourselves from morality. 

We must heal the great divide. There is a chasm of bitterness that separates American citizens from one another and we must find a way to heal it. The enemy will always seek opportunity to rob people of their hope. This is what is happening right now. There are many issues in the news that promote violence, a loss of constitutional rights, prognosticators that predict economic collapse, corruption that seems above the law and much more. We should feel angry about that. But, these things are happening because as a nation people we have embraced lawlessness and rebellion from God's ways. We have rejected the fear of the Lord and demanded our own ways. So, God gave us leaders that promoted rebellion, corruption and lawlessness. He gave us leaders that also rejected God and this is what we have reaped. Where there is an absence of the fear of the Lord, there will always be injustice!

We must turn back before because the path we are on is not good. America seems headed for the edge of a cliff, but God can bring us back and restore hope once again. We must renounce generational bitterness and seek forgiveness from God, for as a nation of people, we have carried it with us far too long. The only way to heal our nation is to do it God's way. It's to divorce that spirit of bitterness, vengeance and unforgiveness once and for all, and make the conscience decision that no real good can come from carrying it forward into the next generation. 

We must make the choice to end it now before it destroys us all. We must make the choice to repent from holding on to bitterness, a desire for vengeance and allowing anger to over rule sound judgment. No good can come from a dark heart! Will you make the choice today? If it doesn't begin with each of us, where does the answer start? I urge you today to choose mercy.

Forgiveness is not for the weak. Forgiveness can only be done by someone with personal strength and integrity. 

Mercy triumphs over judgment. It represents the very heart of God. It does not mean that acts of injustice and corruption should not be held to an account. It simply means that we are trusting God to be bigger than the corruption. Bigger than those who feel they are above the law. Bigger than those who get away with evil. The truth is, God cares very much and will act in perfect justice towards those that warrant it. The timing and the way that occurs is not up to us; it is left in His hands. The decision to forgive opens the door for healing. If it can do it for an individual, it can do it for our nation. Forgiveness restores a nation to right relationship with their Creator. It builds bridges of hope to the future.

Those that side with hatred and perpetuate more injustice in the name of retribution act like fools and terrorists. As a nation of people, is that who we want to become? Is that how we want to be known? Actions reveal the heart of the person. What do we truly identify with? Our nation is being tested. It's a test of character. It's a test of integrity, but most of all, it's a test to see whether we will identify with darkness or light. Goodness or evil. Hatred or mercy. 

Are we going to be found faithful to our true identity as patriots and defenders of truth and justice? Will we as Americans, rise up out of the ashes of our pain and injustice and band together for a greater good, loving our neighbor as ourselves, and honoring God and others in the process? I urge every person to consider more than just social justice issues, but to consider how they want others to truly know them. The law of love is the highest law by which we will all be judged! 

God sees the pain this nation is in and He will come to bring healing. He wants to restore our hope for the future, correct the injustices and corruption and heal our hearts, but it can only be accomplished His way. He will deliver this nation from evil if we will trust Him. Healing will come as a result of forgiveness, love and a restoration of the fear of the Lord. Mercy triumphed over evil at the cross and it can do it again. Love is the only force more powerful than hate and violence. Love never fails.

Father, 

As a nation of people, help us by pouring out Your grace upon us, enabling us to forgive the injustice, corruption and abuse of power that has brought a dark shadow over us for far too long. Help us to forgive those that have sinned against us and caused bitterness in our hearts. Pull up the root of bitterness out of our hearts and please heal our land. Heal the heart and soul of this nation. We cannot do it without You!  We trust in Your divine wisdom to not just expose evil, but to execute judgement and justice on behalf of those that have been treated wrong. Give judgments on behalf of your people that delivers them from the hands of wicked oppressors and those that abuse their power, position and authority. Turn the hearts of the ungodly towards You and convict them of their sin. Give them the desire to repent from their ways that they may be saved. Let mercy and truth never forsake us. Let mercy and truth enter our hearts and guide us in all Your ways. In Jesus name, Amen.