The Madness of Unforgiveness: God Can Use it for Good!

by David Chadwick

God can use it for good. No matter what has happened to you. No matter what pain you have experienced. No matter what pain has come your way. God can use it for good.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 is a remarkable verse that says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

In these verses, Paul is stating that when something bad happens to us, not only will we become more than an overcomer through Jesus (Romans 8:37), but we are also presented with a wonderful opportunity before us.

What is that opportunity? We are now able to use what happened to us to help someone else who might be going through a similar experience.

Nothing is new under the sun. Most difficulties that someone experiences has been experienced by someone else before – especially when it comes to rejection and/or people hurting one another.

I am certain that there is someone somewhere who is going through something very similar to what you have gone through. Can I make a suggestion to you? Find those people who are experiencing the same pain you once experienced. Seek them out. Offer someone else your greatest gift: your time.

And when you get together, listen. Be a friend who has empathy. Be someone who gives understanding.Then, give them some ideas on what helped you get through the mess that they are now experiencing. Tell them how God walked you through the fire. More than anything, share how you came out on the other side unburned, still intact, still alive and well (Isaiah 43:2)! This is one of the best ways to laugh in the devil’s face when someone else hurts you. This is how to use what you have learned to breathe life into someone else.

God can take anything that happens to us and use it to help someone else.

Remember, Satan means it for evil, but God will always use it for good!

The Madness of Unforgiveness:Imprecatory Psalms

by David Chadwick

As we continue to explore the madness of unforgiveness, there are many questions that pop up. Here is a really important one. What about the imprecatory prayers in the Psalms?

For those who may not know, many of the Psalms have what are called “imprecatory Psalms”, ones where David cried out to God because he didn’t understand why his enemy had been able to wreak so much havoc on him.

One example is Psalm 69:24. David cried out to God, “Pour out your indignation on them, and let your burning anger overtake them.” If you want to explore more of the Psalms that fall in this category, go read any of the following chapters in the book of Psalms – 7, 35, 55, 58, 59,  69, 79, 83, 109, or 137.  As you can see, there are quite a few!

These imprecatory Psalms leave a lot of questions with regard to forgiveness! The seemingly violent pleas of David’s heart are shocking. He leaves no stone unturned with regard to his true feelings toward those who had hurt him.

So, as followers of Jesus, who are seeking to live as he called us to live, what do we do with this? Does this suggest that we should be angry with our enemies and seek God for revenge? Not at all.

The imprecatory Psalms do two things. First, they show the honest pain of the person who has been hurt. And secondly, they show us how the offended person gives the situation to God and lets him resolve the situation. God does promise to do vengeance, both in the Old and New Testaments. But once again, what’s the key here? It’s HIS job to do it. Not ours. He alone knows all the facts. He alone knows the best remedy. Our job is to submit to his wisdom, knowledge, and plan for our lives.

There is repayment to the wicked at the judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:6). Everyone will eventually get what he or she deserves unless he or she receives Jesus’s forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

Because of Jesus, we receive what we don’t deserve – all the eternal blessings and benefits of believing in Jesus!

The Madness of Unforgiveness: No More Pain

by David Chadwick

Do you know what one of the ways is that you can be set free from the madness of unforgiveness? One of the ways you know you’ve truly forgiven? You don’t feel pain when you see your offender!

After you’ve been hurt by someone, there’s a very good chance that you will still hear about them from others. You might even hear that they are doing well or prospering in one way or another. Or you might even run into them in public or at some event. It’s inevitable.

Here’s a way you’ll know you’ve forgiven that person. When you hear their name, or hear of some blessing or success they may have, or you do run into them at some occasion, your heart won’t hurt any more. When this happens, you will know that their life has no more power or control over you. And at that point, you will know that you are truly free.

This truth is at the heart of Jesus’s command to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). While we were still Jesus’s enemies (Romans 5:8), in rebellion against him, he still came to die for us. He didn’t wait for us to become perfect before he went to the cross on our behalf.

Forgiving those who have hurt us or forgiving our enemies is truly hard – especially when the pain is deep and profound. Maybe you had a spouse leave you. Or a boss fired you. Maybe you had a family member speak words of death over you. Maybe someone cursed you publicly. Maybe you even lost a loved one to a heinous crime.

There are many offenses that take place in this broken world, some greater than others. But all require Jesus’s supernatural love in us, flowing through us, to the offender. We can’t do it in our own human strength. But Jesus can! As we allow his grace that forgave all our sins to live in us and move through us, we will become more set free.

The more we know Christ’s love for us, the more we will be able to give that love away to others, yes, even our enemies! You’ll know it’s real when you don’t feel any more pain when someone’s name is mentioned in your presence or even when they are in your presence.

True forgiveness is experienced when the pain no longer holds you captive! You remember the situation, but are now stronger because of it!