Forgiveness
by Stefan Racz

With extracts from his upcoming book  “Abundant Life For Successful Living”

Forgiveness is a word, which a lot of time has a bitter taste.  It is hard to bow down in your heart and ask forgiveness, even though our actions appear innocent to us.  It seems that this kind of act is childish, weak, none desirable for a true grown up person.  Some times it is easier, because it has no effect on our ego.  It even makes us look good, showing to the other person our superiority, by coming in a way with our apology that the other person feels his or her inferiority, and that makes us feel better.

Here is a true story about an obedient heart.  It happened many years ago in the former Soviet Union, where Christianity was pretty much against the law.  The only recognized religion by the government was the Orthodox Church.  The law forbade any other gathering.  There was a gathering in a house late night in a small village in Siberia.  These people were simple, but they loved the Lord and met every other night.  The Bibles were very limited and virtually impossible to find anywhere.  It was almost impossible to smuggle a Bible into the country.   So they met at this house, not able to invite people, because it wasn’t safe to talk to any individual.  But by the grace of the Lord this group continued to grow.   Some of these people walked miles in the frozen winter’s cruel weather to attend.  They were hungry to hear the true word of God and learn about the Son of God.  Usually they used candles for light, so they would be not be noticed from outside.  The police and KGB were after any suspected gatherings.  In the government's eyes they were enemies to the communist regime.  They came not counting the cost.  Hungry to learn about salvation through God’s grace offered at the cross on the hills of Calvary.  They came with fear in their hearts, knowing the outcome if they were caught.  There was no mercy for their lives from the authorities.  Death was the general punishment for them.

One day at the store one of the young man from the group had a talk with one of his parents’ neighbors.  They were asking him about his life since he had moved out from his parent’s house.  Now married and having a child, he lived with his family at the in-laws house, which was a larger house.  After the man had asked a lot of questions they departed.  Not thinking anything of the man he went home.  The man was an undercover officer of the KGB and he had noticed something unusual in the young man’s character.  He started to follow the young man.  The officer found out more details about the young man and finally found their place of gathering.

At Christmas everybody gathered in the house for the celebration.  Christmas was forbidden in the former Soviet Union in the early sixties.  Only the mother-in-law stayed home being sick with the flu.  In the middle of the Christmas service the police suddenly interrupted the celebration.  That same officer was the one who commanded their violent and cruel end.  He showed no mercy toward anyone.  Everybody, including women and children, were executed.  Only the mother-in-law was safe at home.  Hearing the terrible news of losing her entire family destroyed her.  How could she forgive a person who had killed her children, grandson, and husband?  After years of sorrow, God started speaking to her to pray for that officer.  To pray for that killer she thought?  Crying out to God with anger, she refused to pray for that man’s soul.  She wanted revenge, seeing that man as her life enemy.  She did not want to pray for his salvation, she wanted him dead.  But God kept knocking on her heart, over and over, until, she started to say a few words for that man’s soul.  She knew him, saw him on the streets, at the market place and she slowly started to feel love toward that man.  It started out with feelings of sorrow and later turned into a kind of love.  The Lord showed to her, the willingness of her heart and promised joy for her sorrow.  She began to understand her victory over that bondage of that defeated life she had experienced during those years.  She began to see her way out from that bondage, called Hate, by making herself love her enemy.

After ten years of prayer and intersecting faithfully for the officer, one day she was coming home late from the market place and something amazing happened.  It was a heavy snowstorm, so the visibility was low. All of the sudden she was knocked to the ground by somebody.  She did not see the person who had run into her so suddenly.  She was lying on her back when a man bent down to help her up.  Begging for her forgiveness, he grabbed her by the arm and they started to get up from the icy ground.  The officer had forgotten about the incident, because it was a regular event back then.  The elderly woman thankful for the help looked at the man who had knocked her down.  Her eyes grew large her heart seemed to stop and grasping for air she shouted with a loud voice.  “I know you!  I know you!”  The man was astonished at what he heard, still apologizing for his mistake, trying to explain, but she continued with her loud voice.  “I love you and I have been praying for your soul for years?”  The man did not want to hear that, but since he was now a retired officer and secretly looking for some answers for his life, he looked at this woman with a pale and shocking face.  He thought that the old lady had lost her mind, but he helped her up and started to walk with her, just to make sure of her well being.

For some strange reason that he could not understand, or necessarily explain, he began to tell her his personal problems.  How he had become an alcoholic, his life was wrecked and he was trying to find some true answers for his failing heart.  They came to the place where the Christians still met, but this time they did not meet in secret, because the officials overlooked it now.  They were like an unofficial church.  The man still was puzzled, not really comprehending the happenings around him.  Everything it seemed just moving, including him toward something, like having a dream, or walking on the clouds.  The elderly daughter of the Lord invited him inside.  The man stopped for a moment, looked around, but the brave woman said to him.  “Come!  You’ll see.  Today you will be helped.  Come on!”  She was still holding him by the arm.

Amazingly enough he went in the room with her.  He still seemed to him as a dream so he walked in.  There were many people inside of that relatively small room and he sat down beside the woman in the back.  After hearing a powerful preaching about repentance and hell, the man, sitting in the back, felt fear in his heart.  His eyes were wide opened, looking straight ahead, not even blinking, just seeing the flames in front of him.  He saw his fellow officers shouting in pain from the terrible flames that seemed to be surrounding their bodies.  He even heard them crying out for help.  All of the sudden he felt the pressure of that pain and he saw something from the book that preacher was holding and reading from.  It seemed that a weak light came out from the book and began to approach him.  It came closer and he felt the cooling power over the flames surrounding him.  He felt the comforting love from that light as it pushed down the flames.  The burning fire did not hurt any longer and he felt that something moved him to stand up.  People started noticing the strange look from his eyes.  He was standing there, his eyes wide open, not speaking, only his face showing the happenings.  Next, he started to move slowly, like somebody following an image.  His steps were uncertain as that merciful, guiding light of God drove him.  The preacher stopped preaching and lifting up his eyes began looking at this man, face completely white, coming toward him.  It was obvious to everybody that something miraculous was happening with this man.  The man reaching the preacher fell down on his knees and with a trembling voice asked the preacher for help.  With the preacher’s help the officer, whose heart was covered with darkness all his life, gave his heart to the Lord.

From the back continually weeping was heard.  The obedience of a brave heart just received the peace from her Lord.  Joy began to over take her hurting heart and after many years she finally felt free again.  The chains from around her broke and released her heart.  She received her reward, because she was obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit of God, and started loving and forgiving her life enemy.  It was not easy, but the crown of Victory became her reward for her soul.

To forgive is an act of mercy out of the heart.  Showing mercy is to show love, and in reality, a superior heart.  Only those who have been forgiven can show forgiveness.  For those who recognize God’s superior love toward them and out of obedience to Him can show forgiveness.  Those who can show forgiveness, will, because God’s love is in them.  If we choose to forgive others, the heart becomes lighter, for it makes a person feel better.  Joseph, who was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, now Israel, who was just a teenager, was always telling to his father about his brothers’ evil doings.  His brothers did not like him and one day were especially angry when Joseph told them about his dreams.

Genesis 37:7-9  For behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.  And his brethren said to him, Shalt though indeed reign over us?  or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?  And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said,  “Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

His father and his brothers came against him with harsh words, for his attitudes toward them, acting so proudly, they thought.  His brothers really hated him and at the right time wanted to kill him.  Instead it happened that they sold him to be a slave to some Ishmaelite's for twenty pieces of silver and told their father that a wild animal had killed him.  Joseph ended up in Egypt as a slave, but God was with him.  He went through a lot of turmoil for about thirteen years, but God worked a miracle and brought him to the second highest position in Egypt, having to answer only to the pharaoh.  His brothers came to Egypt looking for food, forced by a great famine in Canaan.  They did not recognize their brother Joseph, now in great power in the most powerful nation on the face of the earth.  When Joseph revealed himself to them, they thought that he would take advantage of his power, and they would die under Joseph’s powerful hands.  Instead Joseph showed great mercy and forgive them, bringing them there along with his father and made a good life for the whole nation of Israel.

Genesis 45:4-5, 20  And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold unto Egypt.  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. Then he added,  Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

  He showed forgiveness from his heart, forgetting the bad things that his brothers committed, failing him.  Jesus said that if we do not forgive others, the Father will not forgive us either, and He will not even hear our prayers, or receive our petitions.  After He showed a patterned prayer He told them this.

Matthew 6:14-15  For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses

If we have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in our hearts, we know that we were forgiven by God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost of God sealed us until the day of redemption.  The same way we have to forgive our fellow man, especially when he recognizes his shortcomings toward us and asks our forgiveness.  Also when is pointed out by the Holy Spirit our shortcomings toward another person, it is our duty to go to that person and ask their forgiveness.  God through His Son, gave us His peace to live a peaceful life in this world, walking in the goodness of God, looking to help others to come to the truth, by showing God’s LOVE and practicing His forgiveness.  If we keep bitterness in our hearts even knowing that some one has wronged us, we still need to forgive for our benefit.  Bitterness only will harm us, not the other person.  By not forgiving, we are yielding to that power over us, and neglecting our submission to God and His provision for us.  He is the One who sees the wrongdoing and will recompense accordingly.  He said that He would bless those who bless us, and curse those who curse us.  We need to walk in a close relationship with Him, not giving place to the dark side in our lives, knowing that our reward is from the Father above.  Taking our right place in His Son Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  Only He has the power to save us from every situation, no matter how hard or impossible it may look to our natural eyes.  Walking after the Spirit not after the flesh, by faith we become more the conquerors.

I John 4:20-21  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

This is a short passage from the book, " Abundant Life For Successful Living".  Also know this, if we are walking by faith in this life, we can have a victorious and an abundant life.  For it is easy to forgive when you know that you are holding the title of the child of the Most High God.  “El Ell yon”  We are over comers of any situation by our faith in the Son of God, by His precious blood covenant and nothing is impossible to accomplish with Him.  Above every name there is Jesus the Anointed One and His Anointing, so it is a privilege to receive His forgiveness, and to owe forgiveness and love toward others.

Colossians 3:12-13  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of  mind, meekness, longsuffering;  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgive you, so also do ye.

You are loved! You are valuable! Precious, in His eyes; a sweet savor in His Son.  Walking by the spirit, teaching the mind to follow, by renewing our mind with Word of God.  This way we can have victory in this world.  God Bless you!

Stefan Racz

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