In Part 1 and 2 we discussed a girl who was raped and although being forced by her boyfriend and parents, she chose to keep the baby, who was born looking just like her. We addressed the issues around such a traumatic event and how difficult and painful experiences, when placed in God’s hands, can lead to forgiveness, healing, and new beginnings. By not allowing our challenges to control us but to take a STAND in Christ and allow Him to take our difficult situations, will turn our sorrows into joys. Part 2 focussed on bringing it closer to home, touching on the same kind of difficulties that we face daily and how we can either choose to ignore them, thus resulting in us becoming prisoners of our pasts or by taking a STAND to give it over to God and allow ourselves to be healed and restored by Him. To get the full articles on Part 1 and 2, please visit our website at www.jesustomyrescue.com.
With so much hurt going around, many people blame God. Saying, “if He is the God of love, how can He allow such terrible things to happen?” Let us answer this question with a question. Did God not give us an incredibly special gift in life, which is a free will/choice? You see, people take that special gift and choose to not obey and listen to what God says in His Word (the Bible) on how we should use it. Instead, they choose to hurt others. You might be saying that it is one thing when a person chooses wrong, but it is wrong that it is allowed that an innocent person is hurt through those wrong choices. What we must realise here, is that it is not God who hurts us, but people hurting people.
That is just it! If God takes His gift of free will/choice away from one of us, it means that we, because we all sin, should loose that gift as well. I think, that is why God looked at humankind and saw the great need for Him to send His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to come and set us free. You see, God never turns back on His Word (Isaiah 55:11), so why would He take back such a special gift? Therefore, He sent His Son to help us. Reflecting on Part 1 of our article on STAND, it was the voice of God, that the girl who was raped heard, telling her not to abort but to trust Him. It was the Holy Spirit of God speaking into her Spirit heart, and because she was saved in Christ, she heard His voice above the voices of those around her, giving her the wrong advice.
You see, the storms and fires are the things of the world impacting us, inclusive of the impact of wrong choices, whether made by others or ourselves. The question here is, who are we listening to when the storms rage and the fires burn very close to us? Do we simply know of Christ or is He living inside of us? If He lives inside of us, it means we are in a relationship with Him and should be hearing His voice as we seek Him with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:12 – 14 and Jeremiah 33:3). When it seems like He is not responding, continue to STAND firm in your faith (Isaiah 7:9) for He says in Hebrews 10:35 that when we keep our confidence in Him, it will be richly rewarded.
Yes, we are human, and we fail. That is an undeniable fact, but to blame God is not fair nor right. Daily, we make wrong choices and yet every time we go back to God, who forgives us and through His Holy Spirit guides us into healing and restoration. Therefore, He expects of us to do the same to those who hurt us. We are expected to love, forgive, and set free, unconditionally.
To forgive and release is tough; ask me, I know! Remember, Jesus Himself had to do this by forgiving those who tortured and crucified Him. Remember He never sinned against any of us, yet He felt all the pain and received all the punishment of sin. He gave His life and died for our sins! So, you see, only through Him, can we STAND up in and after a storm and forgive and release people, so that we are set free from any form of bondage that satan wants to use against us.
If you struggle to forgive and set people free, make a choice today, just like Jesus on the cross did, to forgive and release those who want to hold you back. If you need to speak to someone or need someone to pray with you, please visit our website at www.jesustomyrescue.com or contact us on WhatsApp at +27 66 468 3635.
Love in Christ
Princess K