Taking back power.....

I am so excited for today's blog post because I believe so deeply in the power behind it and what it can mean to someone. Its a topic that I needed to be reminded of this week. I think forgivness is one of the hardest things for us to understand and practice as Christians. I think first of all its so hard because we dont understand what forgivness is and the reason behind it. So many times we think of forgivness as telling the person who hurt us or the situation that its ok, and thats not it at all.

Forgivness isnt about being ok with what happened but instead releasing the person or situation who hurt you from having power over your life. You can forgive but that doesnt mean you forget. You can't change what happened, you can't change how it made you feel in the past, you can't alter the person its made you but you can decide that you will no longer be a victim to the pain and you will take a stand and take back the power its stolen from you. The person who is responsible is no longer thinking of how much its hurt you, they aren't sitting around dwelling on how wrong they were towards you but instead you are the one being affected still and thats not fair. Its not fair to allow the person who hurt you to remain apart of your life and have control over you any longer, its not fair for them to have one more ounce of your energy and to keep you a hostage to the circumstnaces they caused. Whatever has hurt you in the past is just that, the past. The past can only have as much power and role in your life as you allow it to.We think of forgivness as a gift for the person who hurt you but really its a gift for yourself, its allowing you to no longer be tied by the pain that person put on you.

When you give a gift you do it because you want to not because you have to. Forgivness is about giving yourself a gift because you know in your heart you deserve and need that gift, you need to forgive that person in order to allow yourself to heal and to give yourself permission to relinquish that person from having control over your life any longer. Forgivness is about moving from the hurt of the past towards healing and freedom. Maybe a friend, family member, co-worker, someone from church, something from your past or whatever hurt you. Maybe you have held onto the pain its caused for years and in some cases its caused bitterness and deep hurt, maybe its caused you from really experiencing the freedom Christ has for your life. The first step in freedom towards someone thats hurt you is to seek forgivness, your not saying that persons actions were acceptable but you are saying you will no longer allow them to have power over your life. After you forgive that person for the way they hurt you, then you can receive that forgivness, you receive the freedom that God wants to give you because you have forgiven. This allows you to move forward and walk in the freedom that God has given you. Unforgivness only allows Satan to have a foothold in your life and to and a place to cause space and distance from you and Christ. Sanctus real has a song called "Forgiven" and it says this:

Well the past is playing with my head
And failure knocks me down again
I’m reminded of the wrong
That I have said and done
And that devil just wont let me forget

In this life
I know what I’ve been
But here in your arms
I know what I am

I’m forgiven
I’m forgiven
And I don’t have to carry
The weight of who I’ve been
Cause I’m forgiven

Christ never wanted for us to live in prison to our circumstances, the pain and the hurts of this world which is why He sent His only son Jesus to die for us so that we too could be forgiven of our mistakes and failures and be free from the chains that they place on us and live a life free and filled with His blessings. "My chains are gone I've been set free, My God my savior has ransomed me. And like a flood His mercy reigns, unending love, amazing grace." Whatever you are facing or whatever chains have ahold of you I just encourage you to cut the ties, seek forgivness and receive it. Allow God to come in and begin to heal your heart, don't allow your circumstances or the pain to have ahold of you any longer. You were made to be free and blessed and no longer have to be a victim to whoever or whatever hurt you. Take back your power and walk in the freedom God has planned for your life!!!