FORGIVE GOD! (Part 5)

“When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone” (Psalm 32:3-5 NLT).
This is the concluding part of this message. To say that there are no evil or life challenges is like hiding behind a finger. To say that people are not angry with God when such evil or life challenges occur is even worse. People do get angry with God, even the most religious or spiritual people, when they are faced with unpleasant side of life. The best thing is to admit this fact and “forgive” God. “You see, if you harbour anger against your God and do not confess it, guess what; you are the one who suffers.” In spite of the fact that God has not done anything wrong and He does not need our forgiveness as we need His. However, since we have been treating Him as if He offends us, we have to do some things.
“The many Biblical terms translated in English as ‘forgive’ reflect an assortment of meanings: to cancel debts; to lay aside or to cast away sins; to spare, to cleanse, to rescue or to free a sinner.” To “forgive” God means to be reconciled with Him by removing the barriers that separate us from Him, especially from trusting Him for who He is.
The first barrier is the barrier of silence. Do not remain silent when you are going through any life challenge. Communicate it to God. Express to Him how you feel about it, and ask Him to help you pass through the situation successfully.
The second barrier is the barrier of bitterness.>>more