Whispers of God . . .
Musings on God in Life
Published monthly columns
by Mark P. Gonzales
Cherry Picked America
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT GOD & COUNTRY
As we prepare to celebrate the founding of our beloved United States of America this month, my heart goes out to those who seem to be struggling with whether they view it as their beloved country or not. And I get it. We, like every other country in our weary world, have some serious issues. And things can get very confusing and adversarial when we talk about such things. But let’s give it a shot to hopefully help us celebrate our nation . . . together . . . in heart. I start with my Avalon.
My last four car purchases in the last twenty years or so have been Avalons. Why? Because I really don’t like car shopping, and those were the cars my dad had been buying in his latter years. In short, if my trusted dad thought they were the best, that was good enough authority for me. Hold that thought.
And once I bought my first Avalon, I began seeing them all over town like I never had before. Wow! They must have been talking to my dad, too! Uh, no. I just had Avalons on the brain for the first time in my life. Let’s hold that thought, too.
Now, I must tell you that being a grown man when it came to car shopping in those years, I did look at other vehicles and even bought a stray Dodge, a stray Pontiac, and a stray Buick as second cars, but never a Ford. Dad had a bad experience with a Ford purchase in the sixties and banned them from our family when I was about eight years old. That, apparently, got stuck deeply in my craw and has stayed there, even in the face of irrefutable evidence that Ford has made many excellent models since then.
My Avalon saga is just one of tons of examples of how logical fallacies and cognitive biases impact what we do and believe in heart about everything in life from our cars to our country. For example:
Appeal to Authority. Believing something is right only because a selected (cherry picked) “expert” says so. In my case, my dad.
Cherry Picking. Choosing sources, quotes and evidence that support a premise, argument, or conclusion while sometimes ignoring or belittling alternate evidence and views.
Attitude Polarization. Entrenching ourselves in a viewpoint we’ve openly committed to and even doubling down in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary.
So, when anyone is asked, or you ask yourself to what degree you truly appreciate living here in the United States of America, what gets stirred up in your gut? Really?
This is where cherry picking, appeals to authority (parents, teachers, schooling, historians, Founding Fathers, and founding documents, etc.), attitude polarization (due to wounds, indoctrination, prejudice, etc.), and so many more biases come into play. And that would be in all of us, my friends.
We all have attitudes and perceptions on real issues that get stuck in our brains that we tend to see everywhere like my Avalons. Varying degrees and acts of political corruption, social injustice, financial inequity, healthcare and election fraud, gender bias, systemic racism, ethnic exclusion, humanist indoctrination, and conspiracy theories are a few obvious examples. When we cherry pick and focus on any of those, then our hearts cannot help but conclude that America is not so great and certainly not so beloved.
On the other hand, if we cherry pick and focus on our country’s founding ideals, designs, hopes, and honest efforts to live out and even die for those designs as a nation since our inception—even in the midst of our inevitable struggles, complexities, and inequities (real life)—then our hearts can be grateful for a country that strives to be the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Some of our Founding Fathers put it this way:
“All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. . . And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? . . . We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this.” – Benjamin Franklin
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large…” – George Washington
“I hold the precepts of Jesus, as delivered by himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to man.” – Thomas Jefferson
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.” – Abraham Lincoln
Cherry picking our serious issues to define us as a nation is not any more valid, useful, or compassionate than defining our families, friends, and even ourselves by our problems. We are much more than that.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
God Acknowledgement was our Founding Fathers’ middle ground between their rejected premise of God Establishment (establishing a state religion with a particular God like England did) and the rejected premise of God Exclusion (the idea that there is no God or that He is not involved in nation building and protection).
This was an incredibly wise, balanced, and gracious foundational concept on which to build “One nation under God.” And this is why we do have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to pursue opportunities, and freedom to cherry pick—the good and the bad— to cultivate a humble love and loyalty for our country (or not), especially when we have many problems to solve. My hope and prayers are that we can find a way to do it together. Shall we?
Very grateful for our God and country,
Pastor Mark
Jello Hearts
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT FLARED TEMPERS
Well, it’s summertime, school is out, and the kids and/or grandkids are probably more underfoot at home. How fun! But we all know this also means that things are most likely getting a bit noisier and spicier around the house, right? Okay, maybe a lot more. From testy fussing to feisty arguments, disagreements of all types can sometimes get out of hand, and tempers can flare. So, how can we navigate these normal life blowups?
As I think back to when Lindy and I were raising our three sons, and as we now watch them and their lovely wives raising our grandkids, we get to watch them do many of the things we tried to do back in the day. Like this.
When our little guys had their flare-ups, it was like two superballs bouncing off each other and ricocheting everywhere. So, first we calmed them down enough to share that word picture with them (the distraction or re-direction principle at work). “Okay, guys. You know those superballs we were playing with the other day? What if they were bouncing off each other in a glass house?!!? What would happen?” Answer: “Break a lot of glass?” “Right! Well, that’s what you guys are doing to each other’s hearts right now.”
Next, we’d ask them to think about what would happen if one of them decided to let their hearts and actions become more like a wall by not fighting back, and just let the other one do the bouncing. Answer: “Half the bouncing?” “Right again. Getting better.”
Then we’d have a little fun and ask them to think about what would happen if one of them decided to let their heart and actions soften into a glob of Jello—any flavor they like! Answer: “No bounce!” “Yup. Even a super-ball can’t bounce off Jello!”
Finally, we’d challenge them by saying something like: “Hey, why don’t you both be Jello-hearted!? What flavor do you want to be?” This usually helped them settle down to be able to settle the dispute in a softer way. Why? The Proverbs puts it this way: “A soft answer turns away wrath.”
In short, to be “Jello-hearted” is to simply be patient, kind, humble, and soft. Life is not really a matter of winning and losing. Nor is it about fighting to get your way at any cost. It’s about loving and serving each other. It’s about learning that people and hearts are far more important than power and things.
Speaking of which, sometimes when our boys started to fight over a toy or something, we had another component to add to the Jello-heart principle. We’d casually walk in with a Jello-heart and calmly ask what they were fighting about. If it was a toy, we’d just softly say: “Okay, well why don’t we give you guys a couple of minutes to think of a way to share it, and if you can’t, we’ll just throw it in the trash? Because brothers are much more important than things, right?”
Ten seconds later, they usually had a solution. This top priority principle, done softly and regularly, can work wonders.
Now here’s a bonus. If you do this type of thing regularly, the role modelling principle will also kick in as they reflexively remember to be Jello-hearted just like you. Of course, that works with negative role modelling as well.
Lindy and I were about to enter a store one day when a mom was storming out, screaming at her young teen: “I can’t believe how rude you were in there, you little #*#*#*!! Who do you think you are!!?!! Get in the freaking car!! I can’t see how in the world you got to be this way!!!” (Uh, we do).
So, why not put a box or two of Jello around the house to remind each other that softer is better, and sharing is sweeter. Not only that, but being the first one to switch to a Jello-heart response in a feud makes God smile– and most others as well. Sweeeet!
Thin Ice Faith
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT REAL FAITH
Growing up in central Texas, we saw very little snow and ice. There was the blizzard of ’64. Almost two inches. That was huge for us as kids! What did we know? Not enough to make a snow man for sure, but we were happy that it was enough for snowball fights and making a few snow snakes!
We also didn’t know much about winter ice, though we heard some crazy stories about how people up North could actually skate on frozen lakes—LAKES! How does that work? How do you know if the ice is thick enough to hold your weight? Is it enough to just conjure up enough faith before you get out there? Quick answer: not if it’s early winter. That ice is far too thin. It doesn’t matter how much emotionally based inner assurance you muster up to try and believe it will hold your weight. It won’t. You will get very wet and very cold.
Ah, but if you do the same thing in midwinter, then the ice will hold you up. But it won’t be because of your seemingly great faith. It will be because of the facts of winter ice and timing, and probably by the wise steps of checking with the local park ranger or safety notices before you lace up.
In short, emotionally based faith can feel trustworthy, but it isn’t. It is unreliable. It is unpredictable. It is self-deceptive. In fact, it can be downright dangerous. And yet, that is what many people think faith is. Some kind of inner assurance that will trump the facts or realities of this life and the next. But that would be thin ice faith. You’ve heard it:
“You can do anything you want and make your dreams come true—you just gotta BELIEVE!” (Okay, true for ONE out of 64 basketball teams or 128 tennis players that win the championship, right? But what about everybody else?)
“It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere.” I know that sounds good and feels good, but it is not good. We can be sincerely wrong. And people get hurt.
Biblical faith is very different. Hebrews 11 tells us: “Faith is the reality of things hoped for,” not the fantasy of things hoped for. It also says: “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”
So, what does this look like in real life? Well, here’s what I’ve been learning over the years. There were times when I really felt, sensed, and believed that God was about to do some very specific and special things in our lives. I thought I was building my faith life to trust Him to do the things my heart was set on.
I’m guessing that you have as well. Maybe regarding a promotion, or a new job, engagement, or pregnancy, or windfall, or healing, or “Yes” answers to prayers that you’ve been praying for a long, long time.
Did God deliver for me? Well, sometimes yes. But sometimes no. Hmmm. Maybe my faith wasn’t strong enough when things didn’t go like I hoped. Maybe I just needed to work on having a “great faith in God!” But that didn’t work either. So, after a few years of that roller coaster ride of well-intentioned faith, a deeper truth began to emerge.
“Hey, wait a minute. I’ve been trying to muster up great faith in what I thought God was going to do—my projections—my hopes—my dreams.” And when some of them didn’t happen, I blamed God! I thought He was messing with me. Holding out on me. Cheating me. But it was my projections that were often wrong. That’s when I heard this whisper from above in my heart:
“Son, the faith that pleases Me is the faith you have in Me, not in your projections.”
Oh. Wow. My projections were the thin ice where I focused my faith, rather than focusing my faith on the love, wisdom, character, goodness, and heart of God Himself— “the reality of things hoped for.”
It’s not about “having a great faith in God.”
It’s about “having faith in a great God!”
In fact, He said all we needed was faith about the size of a tiny mustard seed. He will take care of the rest, even if we don’t understand it at the time.
This is where we find the deepest kind of peace, joy, and rest, my friends. Why? Because we can pray for anything we like at any time and always know that however those prayers – not our projections– are answered by our God of the Ages, they will always, ALWAYS, be the best possible answers for our lives.
Even when He says “No,” like a loving parent says to their beloved child who wants to play with bright and shiny razor blades, right?
The Father knows best. I like it that way. I trust Him. That pleases Him. I believe that.
Faith is “acting on what we say we believe—everything else is just religious talk.” So there it is! Trust God’s heart, my friends. Skate on!
Road Caps
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT TRANSFORMED LIVES
“Oh no, not again, Dad.”
“I think I just saw one. It’ll just take a couple of minutes,” he reminded his kids as he pulled off of a lonely highway. He loved taking the roads less traveled on their family vacations.
“Honey, would you hand me a plastic bag?”
As he stepped out to walk back a bit to find his treasure, the kids couldn’t help themselves this time: “Mom, why can’t dad have a regular hobby like everybody else?”
“Yeah, like sports, or working on cars, or gardening or something? It’s embarrassing when our friends come over and ask us about the gazillion caps on the walls of our garage.”
“Well, this is a hobby that means much more to your dad than you think. Maybe it’s time you hear why. Look, he’s about back. Why don’t you ask him?”
“Yup! I’ve got another good one!” he said as he waved the carefully sealed baggy.
“Dad, that’s one of the most disgusting ones yet. Who knows how many cars and trucks have run over it, or animals gnawed or peed on it!? Why in the world do you collect these filthy caps off the road and take forever to work out the stains and clean them up? Just order some new ones online!”
“You really want to know?” he asked as he pulled out to start down the highway again.
“Yes!” they said in chorus.
“You think they’re ready to hear it, honey?” She nodded.
“Okay. Well, way before you two were born and before your mom and I even met, I was a road cap.”
“What do you mean you were a road cap?”
“Well, without getting into the gory details, I got into all kinds of trouble with drugs and alcohol with some friends who were just as messed up as I was. Then we got into breaking into places and stealing things to pay for our multiple addictions, until we finally got caught.”
“Caught? Uh, did you have to go to prison?”
“Actually, yes. For a little while. I was angry. Wounded. Broken. In painful bondage. Feeling totally forgotten and left to rot in prison then, and on the streets later. And that was when I began to realize had badly I had trashed up my life. I was a road cap.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“But then I began to think about a couple of other friends who would invite me to go to some kind of church thing with them every now and then. They did it for years and I’d just laugh them off. But they weren’t into drugs and crime and prison, or anything close to that. So I decided to find them and ask them for help. They were delighted to see me, shocked that I was finally asking for help, and they began to walk with me, encourage me, and tell me about their walk with the Lord Jesus. And to make a long story short, the more I got to know the Lord, the more He cleaned me up.”
“So, the caps?”
“The caps are a reminder of what I once was, but how the Lord loved me enough to pick me up, clean me up, and still work on my messy spots. He never gives up on me, and I never give up on the dirtiest cap I find. Those aren’t caps on our garage walls. Each one is a constant reminder to me, of me . . . a trophy of the loving grace of God, not just for me, but for anyone. And that’s why I collect road caps.”
Grace Space
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT PATIENT LOVE
So I was heading out for work the other day when I noticed a service van two doors down that said “Lint-Out” with a phone number. I’d been meaning to call a service company to clean out our dryer vent which was waaay overdue, so I pulled over to take a picture of the name and number. But just then, the two service techs were coming out of my neighbor’s home to load up, and when I asked, they said they could do my dryer vent right then because it would just take 15 minutes. Yeah!!
They were quick and savvy, so when they finished I just had to ask: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad was my blockage?” Very gently, they replied: “Actually, about 9.5 . . . or maybe 9.9, dude.” Wow. There was little to no space for air flow and lint disbursement. Not good. Dryer stress. Fire hazard. Whew!
A few days later, a couple of knot-in-your-stomach issues came up at work. You know the feeling. Your mind starts spinning, your breathing gets shallow, muscles tighten, jaw clenches, and eyebrows get furrowed as you think through a host of options and possible impacts. In short, we get clogged up. And if we don’t deal with these reflexive responses to people or problems that stress us out, that clog can get bigger, harder and even dangerous as the years roll by. We need to get it cleaned out. We need get and grant “grace space.”
Grace is one of the most powerful and supernatural forces in both the visible and invisible world. It is that rare God-given attitude and act of being loving, kind, patient, and forgiving of the people that have and may still be hurting us. Like Jesus does when we hurt Him. But that is not our natural reflex. Our reflex is typically getting clogged up with anger, frustration, exasperation, accusation, revenge, and bitterness. And this will burn us up if we do not cultivate the humble art and reflex of receiving God’s grace space, and then channel that grace space to others. . .
Grace space to be works in progress.
Grace space to make big mistakes.
Grace space to be wounded souls.
Grace space to be misinformed.
Grace space to be venting anguish.
Grace space to be totally disoriented.
Grace space to have bad days.
Grace space to have blind spots.
Grace space for so much more.
Yes, this can be hard to cultivate and do, but here’s a thought that might help. . .
WE, need that same grace space from others for every one of those things as well. It’s a two way street, my friend. Always.
The Lord has a way of reminding me of that when I start clogging up about someone or something. And because He is indeed a God of amazing grace, He can clean out all of us on the spot, though sometimes gradually, to create plenty of grace space in our hearts to settle down and take a deep breath or two . . . so that we can also grant that grace space for others. Listen for those whispers from above, my friend. Life is too short to stay clogged up.
Let’s give each other lots of grace space.
Simple Complexity
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT GETTING CLARITY
So here’s a quote from famed scholar, physician, poet and humorist Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. I ran across that really got me thinking:
“I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
Wow. Woah. Hmmm . . . what readily comes to my mind… and/or heart… and/or soul… and/or spirit . . . is a little epistemology and existentialism; generous portions of theology and rationalism; spicy sprinkles of philosophy, sociology, relativism, pragmatism, and reductionism (think Occam’s razor); dashes of hermeneutics, exegesis, eisogesis, cognitive biases, logical fallacies – okay, wait — my head is already spinning. Let’s start over.
Uh, once upon a time, back when I was a small boy, my mom and dad taught me how to cross a busy street. Simple task, I thought. Just step off the curb and walk straight. Okay. Great. See you at the hospital.
So that is simplicity on the front side of complexity. I had no idea how complex it actually is to cross a street . . .
Look BOTH ways before you cross, not just one way. But that’s not all. Then look down for puddles, potholes, gutters, etc. And look up for traffic lights, signage and pedestrian signals that are there for a reason. And look for speeding bikes in the bike lane (I almost got hit twice in Amsterdam). And walk, don’t ride your bike across the street. And don’t jaywalk, use the marked walkways. And watch for cars zipping through center turn lanes. I didn’t do those last three things when I was 12, hit a moving vehicle with my bike, and was thrown across the road! Not good.
At this point, it may be tempting to adopt a seemingly simple solution: “Gee, then let’s just not walk across any street if it’s going to be this risky – let’s drive.”
Oh, so now you want to drive a high speed vehicle across those streets, eh? Now we’re really going to see what complexity looks like! But not here. Get your own driver’s handbook. No simplicity there either.
So, where’s the simplicity on the far side of complexity in dealing with life’s perpetual issues, challenges, and crossroads? At the risk of falling prey to a bit of reductionism myself, I’d like to crystallize my answer to that question with one word: humility.
Humility readily admits:
None of us have all the answers.
None of us understands all things fully.
None of us see every hidden factor.
None of us swim through all the layers.
None of us really have the bottom line.
None of us have a handle on life.
None of us are all-knowing.
Only God is.
Good news, right? Just breathe it in. Let Him in. “Be still and know that I am God.” Walk a little slower. Ask a few more questions. Be gracious with those who see and do things differently. Be a team player. Be grateful for tips along the way. Laugh when you mess up. Just say “whoops” when someone else messes up. Smile when you offer suggestions. Be secure enough to say; “I don’t know.”
This makes us a lifelong learner.
Someone who is easy to talk to.
A friend with a heart full of compassion.
A fellow traveler who loves to help others.
A pleasant soul who listens for His whispers.
Simplicity on the front side of complexity is most often naïve, insecure, hasty, and one-dimensional – looking only one way before crossing a busy street, yet still making confident assertions. Like the Pharisees. Very dangerous and hurtful.
Simplicity on the far side of complexity humbly sees the layers of complexity but can still keep walking… with simple help… simple trust… simple gratefulness… simple patience… simple kindness… and simple love.
For you see, true wisdom unfolds a layer or two at a time, and it is not always now. God loves to whisper just the right things at just the right time. Just keep listening.
Watchful Shepherd
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT RESTING IN HIM
Have you noticed how the 23rd Psalm is one of the most often used passages of Scripture in funeral services to remind us of the comforting heart of God? Rightfully so. It is a beautiful passage with poetic depth and breath. But it also gives us a marvelous portrait of God as our “Watchful Shepherd,” which can be such great comfort in the midst of all the confusion and chaos we experience at every level of life. But there’s a problem . . .
Depending on our upbringing, the idea of God watching our every move may have been spoken to us as a threat with a “You better be good, or else!” kind of vibe. How sad. But I have great news for you. The verses in Psalm 23 clearly paint a “I’m watching so that I can protect you” vibe that is the exact opposite of the scowling supervisor image of God that so many people mistakenly have. No, my friend, He is our Watchful Shepherd . . .
He makes me lie down in green pastures. Why? Because we run ourselves ragged with crazy schedules, ridiculously long “do-lists,” and frenzied decisions we have to make in our fast paced, over-choice world. Plus, as one speaker put it: “Human beings are the only species that when they get lost, they run faster.” But these are the times when God whispers: “Come away, My son, My daughter. Let’s find a meadow to eat and rest a while. Ahhh….”
He leads me beside still waters. When our hearts and minds turn into boiling seas from life’s frequent storms, that is the time to let Him lead us to still waters, to still our souls, to better hear His guiding whispers. As the Lord says in another Psalm: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
He restores my soul. These quiet times above are when the Lord restores and heals our ravaged souls which are constantly under attack by so many angry and damaging remarks, accusations, arguments, betrayals, solicitations, seductions, and philosophies in our graceless world. These are the tragic consequences of selfish and sinful hearts that not only impact our lives, but the lives of those around us. Which is why we need a Savior.
He comforts me in valley shadows. Whether it is in the multiple valleys of our lifelong journey and even in the “valley of the shadow of death,” He is always with His own . . . right beside us . . . inside of us . . . to calm our fears and take us through to the other side of our struggles, and the other side of our transition from this temporary life on earth, to an eternal life in heaven, to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
With a Shepherd like that, I am totally good with being a lamb, always under His watchful eye and often nestled in His caring arms. I don’t need to know everything He’s doing or even understand His ways . . . because I am learning to trust Him . . . and learning to cherish being on a “need-to-know” basis so that I don’t have to carry all the extra weight. That’s not my job, anyway. It’s His. So, I can rest in Him and be sent out to do things in Him. Whenever He says. Whatever He says. And all the while He’s keeping watch. Because He loves me. And He loves you.
Captive Hearts
HEARING GOD’S HEART ABOUT FORGIVING OTHERS.
In my forty years of pastoral ministry, I have noticed that most of us don’t quite understand how forgiveness actually works. We give it a shot by saying things like: “Well okay, I’m sorry,” or, “If I offended you in some way, please forgive me.” The first is a lame statement, and the second is just a masked way of saying, “If you were so overly-sensitive to be hurt by my little thing, then I’m sorry.” Just doesn’t work, does it? So, let me see if I can get you started in seeing what forgiveness really is . . .
“To forgive is to set the captive free, and discover you were the captive!”
“What!?” you may ask. Okay, hang with me here. In Matthew 18, Jesus stunned Peter by saying we are to forgive people “70 times 7,” (a figurative way of saying, “all the time,” and “every time”). Then, after telling a story, Jesus also says that if we don’t forgive, the heavenly Father will allow us to be metaphorically tortured like the unforgiving servant in the story. Wow. So, let’s crystalize the point:
When we fail to forgive people (“I will never forgive ______”), the Lord allows the natural consequence of bitter blaming (an emotional cancer) and resentful gossip (a toxic gas) to hold our hearts and lives captive in what the Bible calls “the snare of the devil.” We are so blind to this; we actually think we are holding the other person captive with our disapproval or even hatred until they come to repent first. Wrong.
If that were true, then you would remain in captivity until the other person got their act together, right? But God has a better way:
First, we are to instantly forgive like Jesus did: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (“Wounded people wound people.”) Second, and harder, is to forgive like Joseph forgave his brothers (Genesis 50) for intentionally selling him into slavery! This can only be done on the supernatural level, for sure, and in a nutshell, that can only come from two confessions in this sequence:
Confessing to God personally. I John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Starting here is crucial as we let the Lord reveal to what degree we may have contributed to the wounding circumstances. When we own it and confess it vertically first, He cleanses us, leads us to forgive the other person, and settles our heart to then humbly confess that to one another. If we approach another without this, we make it worse.
Confessing to others privately. James 5:17 tells us: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” Being set free and healed from unforgiving bitterness comes when we start with fervent prayer, and THEN in the resulting spirit of humility, we ask for, grant, and receive each other’s forgiveness in His mercy and grace. When we do, Jesus smiles, Jesus heals us, and our captive hearts are set free! If we don’t, we will stay chained in tortured bitterness
That’s a quick peek at the subject, but if you want to hear more, check out my website at markpg.org. Life is too short to be bitter!
Getting set free with you,
Pastor Mark
Elephant Bonds