Unforgiveness: How to Disqualify Yourself

I have walked through a long journey of learning how to love and how to forgive. The Holy Spirit has indeed taken me by the hand many times and counseled me. It may be true that I have been through more than most, bullied through childhood, spiritual abuse, and divorce to name some big events that psychology would consider traumatic, life altering events.

When I say not forgiving disqualifies you, I mean just that. You can be disqualified from the high call of God. When I speak of the high call of God, please refer to my first article, where I talked about how God had given me supernatural love for a person. I don't want unforgiveness to rule me! God has given me grace to be ruthless when it comes to choosing to let go of offenses and choosing to love. That is the only way one can overcome in this area, and only the overcomers will achieve the high call, according to the book of Revelation. We are to guard our hearts with ALL diligence.

It is true that the more you choose to love and forgive, the stronger you will get in this area, not in your own strength, but God's. Back in by twenties I went through a period of spiritual abuse where the persons I lived with told me I was not saved. Worse than that, it was also suggested to me that if I wanted to be saved it was too late, I was damned and going to hell no matter what I did. These words brought me much emotional torment. Fortunately this situation did not last very long, and I moved out from the family I was living with back into my parents' home.

Living with my parents, I went back to work for the cleaning service that my church ran. I always found that cleaning was a time for me to get wrapped up in my own thoughts. In the first few weeks and months of "recovery" from being told what I was told, I first began to realize that what was said to me was wrong and thoughts of anger and bitterness against those that had attacked me surfaced.

However, the Lord's voice within me at that time told me I had to let go and forgive. It was not easy, but eventually I found healing out of obeying the Lord. After all, forgiving is one of the real tests to proving one's salvation, and I passed the test!!

I have included a poll to ask readers where they personally stand on this issue, please take it and realize the importance of forgiveness!!

Knowing the Pleasure of the Lord

Knowing the pleasure of the Lord is what keeps me going in my daily life. I face the displeasure of man so often and being able to come into the Lord's presence and know His delight in me as a real experience is a wonderful thing. It is the exact opposite of living in failure and condemnation, for only the enemy brings condemnation.

Desiring to bring the Lord pleasure has become a personal measuring stick for me. With Him, since we have been accepted in Christ, if we live in obedience to Him and His voice, we can know we are "good enough." With man, we may not be good enough, but with God, we can be.

I am a single mother, college student, soon to be graduate student, and putting my own daughter through college as well. I have tons on my plate, and to be honest, my house does not get cleaned on a regular basis. But it is picked up and organized where it needs to be. You know what?? I feel the Lord is pleased with how I do things around my house. As far as my college studies, I do not read every word in my textbooks, I have to be selective and pick and choose the best way to study. I have to live my entire life that way and constantly prioritize or else I would get completely overwhelmed very fast. I have to use the measuring stick of knowing God's pleasure.

I have lived so long this way I do not know how to live any other way. What is there to live for otherwise? A set of man made expectations and rules that get told to us at every turn? We can know His pleasure for sure. If you don't know what I am talking about, you can!!

How does one achieve the high call?

There is a high call that we as Christians can attain. This high call is referring to our standing and place in heaven, as not all Christians will be found in an equal place there. There are those in each church who “overcome” as Christ stated in the book of Revelation. Those who overcome are counted worthy to “sit with Christ in His throne.” Just becoming saved does not get you there, one has to live a life worthy of attaining this goal.

This is truly where the last shall be first and the first shall be last. This brings great encouragement to me because I have been regarded as the "last" in the eyes of man most of my life!!! You mean I don't have to set a goal to be a famous Christian, get my works published on the "big" prophetic websites where the "big" names go?? You mean I can be just as anointed as they are and be completely unknown?? Yes, a thousand times yes!!!

What is God's goal, then for us to attain the high call? Quite simply, it is allowing the Lord's image to be formed in us by overcoming our daily trials. When we allow the Lord to form us into His image, we become worthy of the high call. When reviled and betrayed or even misunderstood, do we forgive or hold onto grudges? Do we bless and not curse, even when our flesh screams at us that we should curse?

I received great encouragement from the Lord even yesterday (Sunday 20 Feb) regarding this. As I was walking during a town festival I felt the Lord's love in me for a certain person, someone who does not know the Lord, and there was no reason for me to feel this other than the fact that God was doing a work in me, conforming me into His image and likeness. I looked into the eyes of some of the people at this festival, and they looked so empty, even though most were very well educated and had much as far as the world was concerned. While watching these, I felt like I was being bathed in a pool of liquid love. I did not want the feeling to end.

Understand that I live in constant state of rejection and misunderstanding by the people closest to me, and I must constantly make the choice to love in the face of what is not love. It is not easy, but it is the way of Christ. When the Lord gives me such feelings such as I knew Sunday I know it is Him making me into His image. He wants us to love in the face of hate.

We must always evaluate ourselves and allow to the Lord to search us to see if our love is bright or is getting cold. This is a major way we can know we are worthy of attaining the high call. We have to allow the Lord to search us always as the Lord will always reveal to us if we want Him to what is not worthy of Him. If we set our hearts to attain the high call, He will be faithful to keep us on that path. These, in God's eyes, are the truly great ones. Remember that many with great ministries on this earth will not be great in heaven because they have not chosen to love. Only if you keep your own heart pure can you be someone great in heaven, and be counted worthy to sit with Christ. Don't be one of the foolish virgins, when the potential of so great a call beckons to you!!