2 Corinthians 2:10-11 ~  ¹⁰ If You Forgive Anyone Anything, I Too Forgive That One; And What I Have Forgiven, If I Have Forgiven Anything, Has Been For Your Sakes In The Presence [And With The Approval] Of Christ (The Messiah),  ¹¹ To Keep Satan From Getting The Advantage Over Us; For We Are NOT Ignorant Of His Wiles And Intentions.

For We Are Not Ignorant Of d—Evil One’s Wiles, (Schemes), And Devices; (1 Corinthians 13:8).  Notice The Previous Verse Just Before We Are Told That We Are NOT Ignorant Of d—Evil One Schemes & Plans.

I’m Saying That AS FOR YOU, You Need To “ForGive” Them.  Either You Are Giving Them “ForGiveness”, (“ForGiving” Is “For Giving”), Or You Are “Taking An Offense”.  Look Closely At Luke 17:1-4.  Offenses Are Going To Come.  Occasions Of Stumbling Where You Get ‘Tripped Up’ Are GOING TO COME And Woe To Them Through Whom They Do Come.

And [Jesus] Said To His Disciples, Temptations (Snares, Traps Set To Entice To Sin) Are Sure To Come, But Woe To Them By Or Through Whom They Come~!

 “Woe” Means A Variety Of Things, (NT:3759 Interjection Of Grief Or Indignation, Of Denouncing Misery And Pitying It.  Woe, Alas~!, {From The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament © 1992 By AMG International, Inc. Revised Edition, 1993}).  But We Use This Same Word Today, Like When You See Or Cause Something To Happen That You Don’t Desire, Such As When You Are Carrying Too Many Groceries And You See That The Eggs Are About To Fall, Or You See Your Daughter Wearing A Dress Too Revealing.  {Maybe We Should Think Of “Whoa”, And Remind Ourselves To Slow Down Before We React, (James 1:19)}.  We All Know The ‘They Done You Wrong ‘Song, But Inspect Luke 17:3 ~ “Take Heed To Yourselves”, That You Don’t Get Snared By The Trap.  Don’t “Take” The Bait Because This Will ‘Trigger The Trap’, (Usually An Avalanche Effect That Just Escalates And Seems To Keep On Going And You Can’t Seem To Stop It ~ However, You Cause This Rebounding Sequel To Cease By Getting Back In Love, (And An Apology Probably Is The Right Thing To Do)~!

Folks Don’t Just Spontaneously Become “Pardoned”.  You Have To “Give” Them “ForGiveness”.  In The Same Manner, Offense Is Not Just Inherently Done And Suddenly You’re Offended.  You Do Have To, “Take” Offense.  You Might Be Presented With An Opportunity To Be Offended, But Ultimately, It’s Your Decision.It’s Like You’re Standing On The SideWalk And A Vehicle Drives By And Runs Into A Mud Puddle And Splashes Water And Mud All Over You.  You Have Been Done Wrong.  Maybe, They Didn’t See The Mud Puddle Or Didn’t Know That It Would Do This To You.  Or Maybe This Was Intentional.

You’ve Probably Seen On TV, Someone Will Say, “No Offense Intended” And The Reply Might Be, “None Taken”.  So To Be Offended, You Will Have To “Take” Offense.  You Have To Make A Choice To “Take” Offense Or To, “Give” Them Mercy And Grace, And, “ForGive” Them.  One Is Taking And One Is Giving, {Clue: The Word, “ForGive” Has, “Give” In It}.  James 3:16 Says ~ “For Wherever There Is Jealousy (Envy) And Contention (Rivalry And Selfish Ambition), There Will Also Be Confusion (Unrest, Disharmony, Rebellion), And All Sorts Of Evil And Vile Practices”.  You Have To “Give” Them “ForGiveness”.

“Talking You Into Offense Is A Major Strategy Satan Uses To Get You Dig Up The Word Seed.  When The Word Is In Your Heart, Satan Has No Authority To Get It Out Himself.  He Has To Convince You To Cast The Word Out Of Your Heart.  If He Can Get You Offended, You Will Destroy Your Own Harvest. When You Choose To Become Offended, You Stumble And Make False Steps In Life”,
(Olga Hermans).

The Purpose Of An ‘Offense’ Used By d—Evil One Is To Get Us To Separate Ourselves, To, “Feel Wounded”, And To “Put The Focus On Ourselves And To Put Up ‘A Fence’, ‘A Wall’”, And To Separate Ourselves From The Very Ones That We Are Supposed To Be Linked Up With~!   From The Greek, The Word Offense Means ‘That Which Causes To Trip, Or Stumble Or Fall’).  In Our Day And Time, We Would Say That Which Causes Us To Get ‘Tripped Up’.  Or You Might Hear Someone Say, “Man, You Tripping”, (Which Is Exactly The Same As Saying You’re Giving Me An Occasion To Get ‘Offended’).

(See Matthew 13:20-21; Mark 4:16-17; Luke 7:23)

‘Tribulation’ Means To Crush, Press, Compress, Squeeze.  ‘‘Offended’’ Means To Become Indignant, Resentful, Annoyed Or Repelled Or Made To Stumble And That Which Causes Us To Feel Displeasure, To Get Angry, Hurt, Mad, Bent Out Of Shape, Or That Which Shocks Us Or That Which Causes Us To Disconnect, To Cease To Trust Or To Believe In Whom We Should Trust And Believe In.  And Persecute Is To, “Drive Away” Or To Separate, (To Put Up Walls).  The Basic Purpose Of Offense From d—Evil One Is That Which Causes You To Separate And To Lose Faith, To Become Skeptical And To Doubt, To Cause Us To Separate, Putting Pressure On Us, And Harassment, So That We Are Tempted To Go By Our Feelings To Be ‘Driven Away’ And To Enter Into ‘Strife’.  ForGiving Is For ‘Giving’, And As Of Today I Choose To ForGive All Those That Have Offended Me And I Choose To ‘Fore’ ‘Give’ All Those In The Future~!

“ForGiving” Is For Giving …”
{Not For Taking}

Okay, Offenses Are Going To Come.  That’s For Sure.  Opportunities For Stumbling Will Present Themselves, ( Warnings Be Issued Out To Those Whom The Offenses Should Come), But That’s Them.  What’s Going To Be Our Response?  How Do We Just Buck Up And Walk In Love At ALL Times   We All Know That They The ‘Done You Wrong Song’; But Inspect Luke 17:3 ~ “Take Heed To Yourselves, That You Don’t Get Snared By The Trap.  Don’t Take The Bait~!

The Disciples Wondered The Same Thoughts.  These Disciples Followed Yahoshua And Watched The Dead Being Raised, The Blind See, The Deaf Hear, And The Lame Walk, But That Never Garnered Them To Ask Yahoshua To Increase Their Faith.  However, What Did It Was This… How Do We Forgive Someone That Much?  Lord, GIVE US MORE FAITH~!

Luke 17:1-5
¹ AND [Jesus] Said To His Disciples, “Temptations, (Snares, Traps Set To Entice To Sin), Are Sure To Come, But Woe To Them By Or Through Whom They Come~!
² For It Were Better For Them That A Millstone Were Hanged Around Their Neck And They Were Cast Into The Sea, Than That They Should Offend One Of These Little Ones.
³ Take Heed To Yourselves.  If Your Sister Or Brother Trespasses Against You, Rebuke Them.  And If They Repent, ForGive Them.
⁴ And If They Trespass Against You Seven Times In A Day, And Seven Times In A Day Turns Again To You, Saying, I Repent, You Shall ForGive Them”.
⁵ And The Apostles Said To The Lord, “Give Us More Faith”~!

Are You Giving d—Evil One The Bullets?
My Wife And I Were Raking, And She Would Rake Differently Than I Do, And I Would Get Mad.  I Went To Abba Father About It, And Yahweh Told Me I Was Giving d—Evil One The Bullets.  So, I Decided Right There On The Spot That From Then On, My Wife Can Do Whatever It Was That She Did, {See, I Can’t Even Remember What It Was, Honestly}; And That I Purposed In My Heart To Forgive Her Ahead Time, And d—Evil One Just Had An Empty Gun.

Bonus: Sometimes We Verbally Commit To Forgive A Person, And We Think That’s That~!  One And Done~!  But, Then Later On That Day, We’ll Run Across A Thought {Again} That Reminds Of Just What The Other Person Did That Hurt Or Offended You.  So, You Have To Forgive Them Again.  You Thought That It Was Over… But, Apparently Not.  You Might Have To Do This Over And Over All Day Long For Weeks Or Even Months At A Time.  I Think This Is Part Of What Yahoshua Was Talking About When He Said, They Trespass Against You Seven Times In A Day.  It’s Obviously The d-Evil One Bringing Up And Reminding You Of These Past Hurts, (Philippians 3:13)… Trying To Start A Fire, (James 3:6). {Bonus: Trespass Means To Step Across Boundaries}.

Proverbs 17:14 ~ {AMPC}
“The Beginning Of STRIFE Is As When Water First Trickles [From A Crack In A Dam]; Therefore Stop Contention Before It Becomes Worse And Quarreling Breaks Out”.

If d-Evil One Can Get You To Take A Thought, Then He’s HalfWay To Having Victory And Creating A Diversion And Can Keep You “Entertained” {Detained From Entering In And Interceding For The One Used To Cause This Hurt}.  While You’re Rehearsing The “Somebody Done Me Wrong” Song, He Is Causing Turmoil Some Place Else.  Now, If the Enemy Can Go One Step Further And Get You To Take A Thought, Saying, Matthew 6:31; Then He Can Create A Cascade Of Havoc In Your Life And The Ripple Effect With Also Touch The Lives Of Those In Your Sphere Of Influence.

Hebrew 12:15 ~ {NKJ}
  “Looking Carefully Lest Anyone Fall Short Of The Grace Of God; Lest Any Root Of Bitterness Springing Up Cause Trouble, And By This Many Become Defiled”.

The Living Translation Says, “See That No One Misses God’s Loving-Favor. Do Not Let Wrong Thoughts About Others Get Started Among You. If You Do, Many People Will Be Turned To A Life Of Sin”.

Causes Of Bitterness
Feeling Hurt, Misused, or Abused
Internalizing Hurt
Not Dealing With Problems
Falling Short Of God’s Grace

Consequences Of Bitterness
Anger, Wrath, Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, And Ill Speaking
Broken Relationships
Division In Organizations
Job Drama
Mental Illness, Emotional Instability, And Disease

How To Deal With Bitterness
Recognize That You Have Hurt or Pain That Needs To Be Addressed
ForGive Others
Let Go Of Disappointments And Hurts
Replace Bitterness With Joy And Peace
Extend Grace To Others As You Have Received It From God

Love Never Fails, (1 Corinthians 13:1-8)

“How To Restore Friendly Relations~!”

Expect Them Not To Be Forgiving, But Hurt And “Hurt People Hurt People”, And They’re Going To Tell You What You Did Wrong.  Just Be Quiet.  Don’t Say A Word.  Have “A Way Out” For Them, (Provide “Grace” To The Hearer), {But, “Speak Only Such Speech That Is Good And Beneficial To The Spiritual Progress Of Others, As Is Fitting To The Need And The Occasion, That It May Be A Blessing And Give “Grace” (Yahweh’s Favor) To Those Who Hear It", (Ephesians 4:29)}.  When They Complete Their Railing, Just Politely Tell Them, “I Just Wanted To Call, And Say I Apologize For Hurting You And Hope That Out Of The Kindness Of Your Heart That You Can Forgive Me”.

Where Can They Go?  They’ve Already Railed, And They Might Repeat Their Railing.  Wait For Them To Stop And Repeat, “I Apologize For Hurting You And Hope That Out Of The Kindness Of Your Heart That You Can Forgive Me”.  This Works.  Read And Believe Matthew 18:15, (“If Your Brother or Sister Sins Against You, Go And Tell Them Their Fault, Between You And Them Alone. If They Listen To You, You Have Gained Your Brother or Sister.”).

Go Alone As Matthew 18:15 Says To Go Between You And Him Or Her “Privately”.  I Would Recommend Following This Verse Down To The Dot And The Tilde, And That Would Mean More Than A Phone Call, You’ve Got To Go See Them In Person Where They Can See Your Facial Expressions~!  And Most Definitely Do Not Apologize By Way Of Text Or Email~!  They Can’t Hear The Softness Of Your Voice Or See The Kindness In Your Eyes, Or Hear The Voice Inflections Or A Physical Touch And All They Have Is Themselves And If They Read Into Things Or Have A Bad Self Image, Texting Will Backfire, (Ask Me How I Know).  Aside From My Voice Inflections, Or Facial Expressions, Or The Softness Of My Voice, I Might Touch Someone Gently To Convey The Love Intended, Or A Nice Fragrance That They Can Smell Or The Color and Texture Of Clothes.

There Is Also Matthew 18:16-17.  I See These Scriptures As A Backup Plan And Hopefully, “Plan A” Will Work.  But “Plan B” Includes Bringing Another Christian Sister or Brother Along Maybe To Act As A Buffer. Could Be Two Hardheaded Opinioned Folks And Having Someone Else There Can Reduce The Friction. And “Plan C” Is Drastic And Hopefully Never Comes To That… But The Only God Can Not Forgive And Out Is If They Won’t Repent.  This Severe Punishment Could Be The Catalyst That Makes Them Reevaluate Themselves.

Matthew 18:16-17
 ¹⁶ But If They Will Not Hear Thee, Then Take With Thee One or Two More, That In The Mouth Of Two or Three Witnesses Every Word May Be Established.
 ¹⁷ And If They Shall Neglect To Hear Them, Tell It Unto The Church: But If They Neglect To Hear The Church, Let Him Be Unto Thee As An Heathen Man And A Publican.

Matthew 5:23-24
 ²³ “Therefore If You Bring Your Gift To The Altar, And There Remember That Your Sister Or Brother Has Something Against You,
 ²⁴ Leave Your Gift There Before The Altar, And Go Your Way.  First Be Reconciled To Your Sister Or Brother, And Then Come And Offer Your Gift.”

Provide For Them “A Way To Save Face” ~ {“A Way Out”}.  Give Them “Grace” So That They Can “Save Face”.

Ephesians 4:29 {Amplified Bible Classic Edition):
 ²⁹ “Let No Foul or Polluting Language, Nor Evil Word Nor Unwholesome or Worthless Talk [Ever] Come Out Of Your Mouth.  But, Speak Only Such Speech That Is Good And Beneficial To The Spiritual Progress Of Others, As Is Fitting To The Need And The Occasion, That It May Be A Blessing And “Give Grace” <NT:5485> To Those Who Hear It", (Ephesians 4:29).

Grace NT:5485~ Cháris;
 To Rejoice.  Grace, Particularly That Which Causes Joy, Pleasure, Gratification, Favor, Acceptance, For A Kindness Granted or Desired, A Benefit, Thanks, Gratitude.  A Favor Done Without Expectation Of Return; The Absolutely Free Expression Of The Loving Kindness Of God To Men Finding Its Only Motive In The Bounty And Benevolence Of The Giver; Unearned And Unmerited Favor.  God’s Grace Affects Man’s Sinfulness And Not Only Forgives The Repentant Sinner, But Brings Joy And Thankfulness To Him.  It Changes The Individual To A New Creature Without Destroying His Individuality.  {From The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament © 1992 by AMG International, Inc. Revised Edition, 1993}.

ServPro Says, “When Fire And Water Take Control Of Your Life, We Help You Take It Back ~ Like It Never Even Happened”. 

Grace And Mercy Are Yahweh’s Overwhelming Desire To Treat You As If Sin Never Happened.

Romans 2:4 Says It This Way, “Or Do You Despise The Riches Of His Goodness, Forbearance, And Patience, Not Knowing That The Goodness Of God Leads You To Repentance?”

But Yahweh, Being Rich In Mercy,Because Of The Great And Wonderful And Intense Love With Which He Loved Us, Even When We Were Dead In Our Trespasses, Made Us Alive Together With Christ—By Grace You Have Been Saved~!, (Deuteronomy 4:31: 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 3:1; Ephesians 2:4-8, 12)}.

Blessed Be The God And Father Of Our Lord Jesus Christ~!  By “His Great Mercy” He Has Given Us New Birth Into A Living Hope Through The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ From The Dead, And Into An Inheritance That Is Imperishable, Undefiled, And Unfading, Reserved In Heaven For You, Who Through Faith Are Shielded By God’s Power For The Salvation That Is Ready To Be Revealed In The Last Time, (1 Peter 1:3-5).

If Yahoshua, Who Is Our Example, (John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21),
ForGave Us, Shouldn’t We Also ForGive Those That Trespass Against Us?

Be Ready For Them To Rehearse What You Did Wrong And How It Hurt Them So ~ By Having Something To Say Such As, (“Well, I Can See How That Hurt You, And I Genuinely Apologize, And If You Can See It Out Of The Kindness Of Your Heart To Forgive, I Would Be Indebted To Your ‘Graciousness’”, Proverbs 17:1, 9, 14, 19, 27-28).  (See Also Proverbs 26:20-24).  Re-Evaluate Your Actions.  Examine Yourselves And Ask Yourself, Could I Have Said, Or Probably, “Not Said”, Something That Would Have Made The Situation Or Outcome More Pleasant?  Perhaps, The Situation Wasn’t All Your Fault, And You Tainted The Apology By Tossing In A “Barb” About Something That They Did That Also Contributed To Your Actions.  Was It Absolutely Necessary For Me To Have To Have My Say?  Well, Just Repent, (Repent Means To “Change Your Mind”).

Don’t Omit, “If You Can See It Out Of The Kindness Of Your Heart To ForGive, I Would Be Indebted To Your ‘Graciousness’”.   Speak Only Such Speech That Will Give “Grace”To Those Who Hear It, (Ephesians 4:29).

“What Stops Faith?”

Let’s Read On Some More In Mark 4:14-17.
 ¹⁴ The Sower Sows The Word.
 ¹⁵ And These Are Those By The Wayside, Where The Word Is Sown.  And When They Hear, Satan Comes Immediately And Takes Away The Word That Was Sown In Their Hearts.
 ¹⁶ And These Are Those Likewise Being Sown On Stony Places; Who, When They Hear The Word, Immediately Receive It With Gladness, (‘Joy’ ~ Greek Word Is Cháris ~ Strong’s Concordance #5479, And Is Translated 51 Times As, ‘Joy’, And Only 3 Times As, “Gladness”; This Word Probably Should Have Been Translated As, ‘Joy’ Here Also).
 ¹⁷ But They Have No Root In Themselves, But Are Temporary.  Afterward When Affliction Or Persecution Arises For The Word’s Sake, They Are Immediately ‘Offended’, (Strong’s Concordance #4624).

Here’s Some Key Points.  Persecution Arises For The Word’s Sake.  But That’s Not The Word That d—Evil One Was Coming After.  I Was Preaching And Teaching How We Are To Be Kind One To Another, And Become Useful And Helpful, TenderHearted (Compassionate, Understanding, Loving-Hearted), ForGiving One Another [Readily And Freely], As God In Christ ForGave You, (Ephesians 4:32) ~ {AMPC}.

If d—Evil One Can Get You Off The Word Of Yahweh, (Mark 4:15), You Will Not Reap The Rewards.  “And Let Us Not Grow Weary While Doing Good, For In Due Season We Shall Reap If We Do Not Lose Heart”. (Galatians 6:9).

One Of The Most Advantageous Results Of Doing Things The Way That Yahweh Outlined It In His Word Is So That Later On When The Infirmity, (Or d—Evil One), Is Talking To Us Or Them; We Can Say, “Hey, Look-A-Here, Devil, Did Not The Word Say, And Then Name Such-n-Such With ‘Chapter And Verse’, And We Did That—So There”.  We Or They May Have To Make This Stand, And Will Probably Have To Take This Stand Over And Over More Than Once A Day, (Having Done All To Stand, Stand ~ Ephesians 6:13).  Doing These Procedures As Outlined By Yahweh Gives The Recipient Of These Prayers Something To Hang Their Hat On~!  They Can Say,

Being Anxious For Anything WILL NOT Change The Matter One Ounce, And Only Weighs Us Down, As We Are Not Properly Built To Endure That Anxiety.  However, Yahweh Is, For He Said In (1 Peter 5:6-7; James 4:6-7), Cast ALL Your Anxiety / Worries On Him, Because He Cares For You.  Yahweh Is The “CareTaker”, So Let Him, “Take Your Cares”~!

You May Have To Continuously Roll This Over On To Yahweh 490 Times A Day.  So, That When The Evil One Brings Up And Tries To Get You To Take A Thought, You Can Say I Have Rolled The Care Of This Matter Over To Yahweh, And Devil If You Want To Talk To Someone, Talk To Him About This Because It’s His Concern Now, {He’s The ‘Caretaker’, So I Let Him ‘Take This Care’”}.

Not Willing To ForGive And Holding A Grudge Is The Root Of An Offense, Which Escalates Into Strife, So UnForgiveness Is A Show-Stopper For Effective Prayers: (Mark 11:25) ~ And Whenever You Stand Praying, Forgive, If You Have Anything Against Anyone, So That Your Father Also Who Is In Heaven May Forgive You Your Trespasses.

The Power Of Forgiveness Is The Same Power To Heal. Jesus Said, “For Which Is Easier, To SAY, ‘Your Sins Are Forgiven’; Or To Say, ‘Get Up, And Walk?’ ” (Matthew 9:5-7; Luke 5:23-25).  Notice How Many Times In The Scriptures That Forgiveness Is Mentioned With Healing~!

Psalm 103:3:
“Who Forgives All Our Iniquities”,
“Who Heals All Our Diseases” …

Ephesians 1:7; & Colossians 1:14 Both Tell Us That, “In Him WE HAVE Redemption* Through His Blood, The Forgiveness Of Sins”, And Ephesians 1:7 Adds, “According To The Riches Of His Grace”.

The Bait Of Satan By John Bevere; Should Be Required Reading To Every New Believer.  You Can Use The Mouse’s Left Top Button To Click On This Link Below And The Video Will Start The First 30 Minute Sermon In A 12-Part Series.  The Next Link Will Be On The YouTube Video, (On The Top Right Hand Corner After The Video Completes).

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