“LIVE IN FORGIVENESS!”
INTRODUCTION
On August 12th of 2013 I got up as usual and entered my “man cave” to get my day started. For the past couple of weeks I had adopted this regimen; I would turn on the computer and bring up the web page of two songs that are very close to me. After listening and singing and worshiping the Lord I spent some time in prayer. My heart was turned towards the Lord and I poured my heart out to Him. But this day seemed different and I altered my usual pattern and lit my candle. When I light my candle it means that all I want to do is have some “me” time with my Father.
At first I was quiet and to be honest I sensed that I should remain silent. The usual “I thank You Father and how much I loved Him” wasn't there. So I stared at the candle waiting and I didn't wait long. Although I didn't speak, the Father had something to say to me! He said. “Live in forgiveness!” While I was trying to process what He had just said He had a follow up statement that hit me down in the depths of my heart. He said, “I had confidence in my love.” Seeing the prodigal son walking towards his father immediately flashed into my mind. At the same time I fully understood what He was telling me. It was like He was saying, “I love you!” His love for me gave me new birth and He was going to complete all that He had planned for my life as His son.
I began to experience great joy and I couldn't stay seated. I was walking around with my hands lifted thanking Him. I knew that I was saved and I even understood that He was my Father. But for Him, God the Father to tell me personally THAT HE LOVED ME was something so awesome it’s hard to describe. This is how Jesus must have felt the day God the Father spoke, “this is His beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
I wondered how many others, children of the Most High God, are not living in forgiveness. To know truly that He loves you to the inth degree. To understand that He wasn't satisfied with just salvation; He wants to complete in their lives all that He had planned for them before they were born physically and spiritually.
There must be more than myself or my Father wouldn't have given me the assignment of writing this book. I never had a desire to write a book. I was the one who bought the books not write them! I don’t have the scholastic background that I can draw on to produce such a book. I use to joke with a braggadocios tone in my voice, “Yes I've got 36 hours of junior college but I don’t like to brag.” What I do have is faith, not my faith but the faith that the Lord has given me, confidence in Him that inspired men to write the whole Bible.
Living in forgiveness deals with us living day by day in His love. Living in forgiveness is experiencing the power of His love so that, as the Apostle Paul gave testimony, “When I do the things I don’t want to do,” (Romans 7:15 NKJV) He still loves me. This doesn't give me a license to sin but forgiveness to learn from my temptation and escape it the next time I’m tempted. It’s one thing to be tempted; it’s another to allow the temptation to rule over you. Living in forgiveness i.e. living in the Father’s love has drawn us into a Father/child relationship and will forever keep us in that relationship.