The Forgiveness Challenge - Part 1

The decisions we make regarding FORGIVENESS have the power to transform our entire existence. Within our prophetic communities, it's essential to undergo a regular ‘deep clean’  in this area of our lives. This is necessary not only in our individual lives but also within our collective experiences.

As prophetic influencers, we have misrepresented the true essence of forgiveness. It has shifted from a genuine act of wiping the slate clean and offering second and third chances into a tool for exclusion, character assassination, and subtle attacks that can dismantle not only individual reputations but also long-standing friendships and alliances built on faith and love. This distortion has been fueled by secular ideologies that have infiltrated our Christian values, leading us to adopt a self-serving mindset that contradicts the very message of the cross of Jesus Christ, to which we are all called. True forgiveness invites us to relinquish our rights and embrace a path of humility and compassion, mirroring the example set by Him.

Daily forgiveness has become a necessity for me. It's not merely about deciding to overlook an offense, which, while a commendable choice, often serves only as a temporary shield against pain. The underlying hurt remains, stemming from some form of offense. The true path to liberation that I have discovered lies in the power of total forgiveness. It’s not just saying, "I forgive you," but genuinely embracing the sentiment of forgiveness without reservations.

I am ‘old school’ in this area, so I don’t anticipate my views on this matter will hold much weight. However, when I choose to forgive, it’s as if the offense never occurred. It might take some time to restore our relationship, but I believe we can achieve that. Nowadays, forgiveness nearly always comes with conditions. People say, "I forgive you, but..." followed by a list of restrictions on what you can access or be part of. This approach doesn’t reflect the teachings of Jesus. The only instance where Jesus refrained from fully trusting someone was to protect His mission from the Pharisees. Unfortunately, we often misinterpret John 2:24 to justify our reluctance to forgive fully, despite the clear instruction to forgive endlessly. When we assume a 'God-like' position, thinking we understand another's intentions, and claim to forgive while still holding onto judgments that exclude them from our lives, we are mistaken.

One of the most profound examples of forgiveness we can look to is when Jesus washed the feet of Judas. There was a time in my life when I felt deeply wounded by the actions of a woman in a leadership position. Although I said the words "I forgive you" when she apologized, my true feelings, thoughts, and behaviors betrayed me, showing that I had not genuinely forgiven her. The hurt lingered. I faced a decision: I could either cut her out of my life and dismiss everything she stood for, or I could seek Jesus' guidance to find my path to freedom, allowing me to celebrate her life rather than wishing for her absence. Have you never experienced such feelings? If you hold a leadership role and claim to have never faced such challenges, it’s time to reflect on your honesty.

During that challenging period of my life, Holy Spirit spoke very clearly to me, revealing that my path to genuine freedom lay in serving the very person I believed had wronged me. She had apologized to me and so the first step for me was to confront the truth: I was harboring resentment towards someone whose intentions were never to harm me. I had fallen into the trap of thinking that all the blame rested solely on her shoulders. Remember Jesus' words on the cross? "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." I realized I had sinned by presuming malice where there was none, and this mindset had unleashed a torrent of negativity from my heart and my mouth about the situation and the individual involved. 

I realized that holding onto unforgiveness was stifling my growth in every facet of my life, so I knew I had to confront it directly. The act of washing her feet represented a profound call to action: it was a divine invitation to serve her and provide something that would truly transform things. Gathering my courage—which called for significant courage and an extraordinary level of humility—I made my way to her home and offered my help in a specific area. I had discovered she needed something that I was very good at! To my great relief, she accepted and embraced my offer with genuine happiness, and in that instant, the wall I had constructed with my unforgiving heart disintegrated completely. God transformed the situation between us.

I could have easily resorted to labeling that leader with a host of negative terms. However, I have come to understand that such labels, when born from a place of hurt and resentment, can become a curse. I refuse to engage in any form of negativity or witchcraft. My goal is to move forward with a clear conscience, free from ungodly judgments against others and completely liberated from the chains of unforgiveness and the deceptive narratives it spins about self-protection. Does this mean I might sometimes find myself in vulnerable situations that lead me to ‘the slaughter’? Yes, it does. Just as it did Jesus did. And so I choose to follow His way.

There are situations, particularly those involving abuse, it’s natural to put up defenses. Yet, in contemporary leadership, we often label situations as abusive when, in truth, we are merely safeguarding our interests. Witchcraft and New Age practice are becoming more and more prevalent in the church, and when individuals approach life from a new age perspective, gaining supposed revelation illegally, using third eye revelation or other ungodly practices - either knowingly or unknowingly, it’s essential to maintain a distance. However, when someone expresses sorrow for their actions, it becomes my duty to respond to them with the same compassion and understanding that Jesus would extend to me.