Forgive and Forget? Who says that?!?!!

 

Episode 9 Forgive and Forget

For your listening enjoyment head over to the JesusRx Prescription for Life Podcast available on spotify, apple podcast, and other sites click here.. podcast

How many times have you heard someone say the words “Forgive and Forget” or a version thereof?

Is a side effect of God’s prescription for forgiveness forgetting?

Martin Luther King Jr said:

“Mistakes are always forgivable If one has the courage to admit them. If you cannot forgive and forget pick one.”

Mahatma Gandhi said:

“Forgive and forget but never forget to forgive.”

Phrase by Miguel de Cervantes in 17th-century book Don Quixote :

“Let us forget and forgive injuries.”

John F. Kennedy:

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”

I wonder if forgetting is a required outcome of forgiveness. What are your thoughts on that? If so, email me at evapopekJesusrx@gmail.com, and I'll be happy to share.

In earlier podcasts, we learned to move forward in God’s love and not return to where we were. In Philippians, Paul spoke of pressing forward to win the prize.

Some memories can make us stall and flood our lives with resentment and sorrow over situations we may have been in. If you bring God's truth into those memories, showing how you have been made new, how His grace is sufficient, and how His mercies are new every morning, that is when you can move forward. Go forward with Him, staying focused on the future. It is okay to recall the times you had no strength, and God was your strength. Recall how he lifted and protected you from many things as you looked to Him. Know he’s ready to lift you as you move forward in His love and forgiveness.

Let's check out that prescription for forgiveness and see if you need it today. This one may not go down easily, but oh, how it heals and helps one’s mind, body, and soul.

So many of us can’t forgive ourselves, let alone anyone else. We may constantly bring up a past situation and throw it in our own face or others. This is plain wrong. If you have asked God to forgive you, and He will, it’s time to submit yourself to God and receive His forgiveness. When you don’t forgive yourself, are you not saying you are superior to God? Please email me at evapopekjesusrx@gmail to explain why you cannot forgive yourself if God can.

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; And I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25)

He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the seas. (Micah 7:19)

To say He subdues our iniquities means He deals with our sins completely and permanently.

No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother saying, “Know the Lord, for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin, I will remember no more.  (Jeremiah 31:34 and Hebrews 8:12)   These words are said in the Old and New Testaments. The New Testament shows how the Old Testament words were fulfilled. For a better understanding of the New Covenant and how our forgiveness in Jesus happens, read Hebrews 8:7-13

 

When Jesus stated, “It is Finished “ on the cross, done, taken, all our sins enabling us to be raised to a new life in Him. Your life being in Jesus improves because your security is in Him. With forgiveness, refreshing comes. It allows you then to forgive and often forget the offenses done to you.

In Acts, Peter talked about how times of refreshing come. Peter said these words to those who marveled at the healing of a lame man:

Repent therefore and be converted so that your sins may be blotted out so that TIMES OF REFRESHING may come from the presence of the Lord. The onlookers did not believe who Jesus was. Peter let them know it was not his or any human power that enabled this man to walk. He reminded the people how they had denied the Holy One and the Just One and wanted a murderer released to them. They did not want Jesus, the innocent One, to be freed. They killed the Prince of Life, or so they thought!!  But God raised Him from the dead, and there were witnesses to this.

Are you like those who marvel at the miracles you see or hear about today yet deny what was done for you on the cross? Are you in need of forgiveness? Do as Peter says, repent therefore and be converted that your sins be blotted out. I love that when we do this, REFRESHING COMES. May times of refreshing from the Lord be yours!

This prescription has helped me and others in how we react to others, especially our families. I have been married 35 years; side note: there’s a prescription for marriage and a prescription for children in the JesusRx prescription for life workbook that is very helpful. You can go to my website, evapopek.com to find where to purchase

Over those 35 years, there have been some things my husband has done that I was furious about, even saddened about. Can I tell you what those things were? Many I can’t recall; I’ve forgotten what they were. I’m sure I’ve done a few things he wasn’t too happy about either. We talked about scars in a previous podcast. I guess I can say the deeper the scar, the harder it is to forget, even after forgiving.

Forgiveness and trust go together. As I say, does God trust us? I know that in order for us to accept God’s forgiveness, we must trust HIM, but God, do you really trust me? Actually, God has entrusted His people with much …His prescription for finances—we learn a lot about that. You can fast-forward to that chapter in the JesusRx prescription for life workbook or wait until those episodes get published.

Here are a few “family” situations that I have had to learn from, be forgiven, and, at the same time, forgive. When my girls were teenagers, I would forgive them for their actions but sometimes throw it back in their faces. I realized how bad that was when one of my daughters wrote me a note on how she was trying so hard to do better, but I would constantly bring up how what she did was not good enough, making her not want to even try. It was hard on our family. I would remind her that I did not just wake up one morning and say, “I’m not going to trust her.” Her actions over time lead me not to trust her. It’s hard being a parent, and it’s hard being a teenager. I praise God we made it through. You stay on God’s prescription and will be able to praise God as you keep your heart open to receive God’s forgiveness and give it. God gives us so many examples of forgiveness. I have a prescription for speech on how God desires us to use our words to help, encourage, and build others up…especially when we stumble.

What about the person who does not come to you and ask for forgiveness when they have hurt you? I used to say, well, they haven’t asked for forgiveness, they aren’t even sorry for what they have done, and what a bad attitude they have, so I don’t need to forgive them. WRONG. Well, actually, I always have a choice. Even if they are not sorry and I’m holding unforgiveness in my heart, it is and will affect me over time. I will not be refreshed. I know I need to forgive them because I want to live in the forgiveness of Jesus daily. A person who will not ask for forgiveness is full of pride that goes before a fall. Unfortunately, they are also affecting their health.

God’s forgiveness is available 24/7. I need to go to him with a humble heart, and He forgives and forgets. The forgiveness I receive and give brings health to my mind and body as my  Spirit begins to thrive.

You can forgive someone, but never is it okay to put yourself in a harmful

situation. I’ve known several people who were abused, whether that was as children or married adults. It’s so sad, and they, through Jesus' forgiveness, have been able to forgive. Never is it okay to continue in an abusive relationship, as it is obvious the abuser needs help as well. I do have a story about a lady who is now in the presence of the Lord, who, unknown to many, stayed in an abusive relationship. I learned about this after she passed. She was a sweet, loving woman I had met in a Bible study, and she was part of a prison ministry that would write letters to encourage prisoners to have a better life. She had a group that would meet and write the letters. When she died, I heard that she had stayed in an abusive relationship for many years because that was her “cross to bear” and to be a witness to her husband so he would come to know the Lord. She was so focused on being a witness for God and continually forgiving, and it made sense that she would write letters to prisoners, as she felt captive. I think of Paul when he talked about suffering in prison for the cause of Christ. This woman was doing just that. Do I recommend that? I wouldn’t, but that is probably why she never said anything; I know we would all get her out of that situation. Her love for Christ was so great, and her love for that man, not wanting him to suffer eternally without Christ….and he found the love, which means he saw the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ.

In our next episode, we will talk about Freedom in Forgiveness, but I would love to hear your thoughts on forgiveness and forgetting…please email me at evapopekjesusrx@gmail.com. If you are interested in receiving the JesusRx prescription for Life workbook, please go to my website, evapopek.com