Day 2 of TENDER HEART JUNE Solemn Assembly of Prayer

Welcome to Day 2 of TENDER HEART JUNE Solemn Assembly of Prayer

Day 2 Devotions - A TENDER HEART OF FORGIVENESS 

Ephesians 5:31 says, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

If we are going to truly have the tender heart of God we must learn how to forgive. Forgiveness actually means to give beforehand.

Forgiveness, it is to give reconciliation before there is even the knowledge by the other that there has been a transgression.

Forgiveness is to give peace before there is the acknowledgment of an offence. This is what Jesus did for mankind.

Jesus gave to man reconciliation before man had knowledge that there had been a separation. Before we ever came to a realization that we sinned and became separated from God as a result of that sin God forgave us. He gave us reconciliation beforehand.

Why does God forgive us?

Psalm 130:4-8 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou might be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Within these verses are four reasons God forgives his people and what God hopes to accomplish in the life of the believer with the power of forgiveness.

1. The first reason God forgives us is that he may be feared v.4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou might be feared. That word feared is not referring to being afraid, but it refers to worship. God forgives us that we might worship or revere him. Worship, honor and respect are given to those that give what is not warranted and what is not expected.

2. The second reason God forgives us is so that we might wait upon him v.5. I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope. To wait upon someone in the Hebrew text means to gather unto or be reconciled to someone. It means to gather together. God forgives us so that we might come to him and be reconciled to him.

If we know that God is NOT angry with us because of our sins we will be more likely to be gathered together with him. When a child does wrong and his father comes home that child, knowing that he is probably in trouble once daddy finds out what he’s done, does not immediately come to his father. But when the child is able to be extended forgiveness and realize that the father is not mad at him the child is more likely to be gathered unto the father. This is the picture of what takes place when God the father forgives us.

3. The third reason God forgives us is so that we might hope in him. v.7. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. The word “hope” in the Hebrew means a confident expectation of good intended.

When we receive forgiveness from our sins God’s desire is for us to know that there is hope in the LORD of deliverance and redemption from the sin nature. Forgiveness is a sign that there is deliverance imminent. God forgives us so that we might have hope of deliverance and redemption.

4. The fourth reason God forgives us is for redemption from our iniquities. v.8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Forgiveness is a power that brings us into the Godly heritage of God through Jesus Christ and breaks us free from the iniquitous patterns of the Adamic nature.

The word “redeemed” means to buy back. Forgiveness is granted by God so that we might be brought back from the iniquities of our heritage in Adam. The word iniquity is a sin that is a cycle or pattern passed down from our ancestors.

This word iniquity means to be bent toward sin. If our ancestors fell prey to a certain sin the likelihood that we would fall prey to that same sin is greater because of a generational curse called iniquities. Forgiveness is meant to interrupt that cycle andredeem us from that iniquity.

To be Continued.

From the book 12 Dimensions of the Heart of God. To purchase CLICK HERE

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Blessings 

Brondon Mathis 

www.brondonmathis.org