WORD O’GRAM TO FORGIVE

To put away,

Omit, passover or leave out,

Forsake, leave behind,

Overlook, lay aside,

Remit, yield up... the sin, offense, stumbling block, trespass, evil deed is

Gone and left behind, I wont carry it any more.

I choose to let go of what offends and fails to meet my expectations,

Valuing my freedom and their liberty more than punishment of both sides...

Experiencing a new heart where angry bitterness once reigned. 

Rom 4:7-8 AMP

Blessed and happy and  to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried.  Blessed and happy and  to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him. [Ps 32:1,2.] 

Matt 18:21-23 NKJV

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 

DEEPER LESSONS ON FORGIVENESS

Recently the Lord asked me if I wanted to bless a particular person.  Because of the circumstances, I understood that the question was related to my judicial choices in spiritual authority and my choice of being a canopy, protection and blessing over someone as an intercessor.  To be an intercessor is a volunteer position, to lay one’s life down and serve.  The job sounds heroic but is rarely pristine and glorified on earth.

John 10:18 NLT

No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command." 

I thought about it a long time from various angles of scripture, circumstance and history.  I told Him no, that I could not bless the person or reward that person’s choices.  I found myself in a wrestling match with my soul, the Spirit of the Lord and the devil.  I spent a miserable morning, finally becoming crabby and at that point I realized I was angry.  Because I was angry, I suddenly wondered if I had truly forgiven this person because a certain personal offense surfaced and I was not able to overcome it in my wrestling match. 

I decided to do a thorough study on what the scripture promises us about forgiveness and intercession.  I found several surprises about what it really means to forgive, the choices we make to remit or retain sins as intercessors and the difference when we are personally offended.

So on the way to church that night I prayed, let go of the offense, and released the person from having to suffer the penalty for having willfully committed it. 

SERMON:  Pastor preached on the Word of God being sharper than a 2 edged sword.  He talked about how it divided between spirit and soul and showed us how they took the necks of animals back and slit the throats from ear to ear with filet knives that are flexible and able to skin fish from its meat.  It was very graphic. 

REVELATION AND CONFIRMATION:  When I got home, the following had come out and I “suddenly” realized that the anger and thus scriptural study was the Lord bringing unforgiveness to the surface and I had popped a soul pimple.

{Teaching}  CIRCUMCISION OF THE SOUL  2/16/07

TEACHING: God is dealing with heart issues in ALL of our lives, things that will take us through spiritual circumcisions in our souls, in order to prepare us to move into our promises. 

Each person has their own giants they deal with.  God brings everything into our lives for a purpose, to draw those things that are in our souls that do not become His image, and then He stirs them until they become pimples, and then He pops them.  The pus that pours out of our hearts, mouths and thoughts are exactly what He has been trying to draw out.  He doesn’t want to reward us for those things, He wants to perform surgery until they are gone.  He is not going to reward us for arguing and striving with Him about what we are not getting from Him, He is going to reward us for our deep repentance, brokenness and humility as we bow low before Him and finally SEE what He has been trying to do.

When you read that list of soul giants that He is drawing out of you, you can read the scriptures and the "promises" that happen when those giants are nurtured... and it goes back to reaping what you sow. 

CONFIRMATION:  Just after writing the above, I opened an email response to this Word to Ponder about lancing a wound and extracting the poison.

SHAME IS HOLDING PETER AT ARM’S DISTANCE

There are some of My children who are easily dismayed and have chosen to stay in the outskirts of My love, because of suffering deep shame.  They are willing to hear Me through hand-me-down connections because the intimacy of My Presence brings their buried pain to the surface.  To face it all is too hot, they would rather stay numb and in a cold place, away from My direct touch.

They believe their failures are too great to deserve such an intimate place in My Presence.  They do not know the sweetness of having a wound lanced with My personal Word, the poison extracted, and then delivered in one impacting moment.  They don’t know the relief of such a time before My face.  What took years to embitter can be extracted in one powerful exchange of My loving embrace.  Come, Peter, I know you love Me.  Do not hold back.  Swim speedily to your loving Surgeon and I shall extract your deep sufferings of shame and bring your calling to life again.

 Deut 5:23-27 NKJV
"So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. And you said: 'Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? You go near and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us all that the LORD our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.'

John 21:7 NKJV
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord !" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS, CLICK HERE

DOUBLE WHAMMY CONFIRMATION:  So I clicked on the above link in the post and scrolled down the long list of soul giants, not really paying attention to any one of them.  Suddenly I stopped and my glanced at the following line:

Unforgiveness ..Refusing to pardon. (Matthew 6:14)

I FINALLY got the point of the blade!!!!!

The following is my scriptural study on Forgiveness

UNDERSTANDING OLD TESTAMENT FORGIVENESS

In the OT the Hebrew word for forgiveness meant to carry or lift up and bear the offenses upon their own shoulders.  They took the weight upon their own selves in lui of another carrying weight or penalty of such.  It was the very act of being a mediator, intercessor or someone who was willing to bear the burden and stand in the gap or breach of sin.  I found it interesting that they used the same Hebrew word when lifting up and carrying the ark upon their shoulders.

Ex 32:32 NKJV

Yet now, if thou wilt forgive [5375] their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

Gen 4:13 NKJV

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. [5375]

Gen 50:16-21 NKJV

'Thus you shall say to Joseph: "I beg you, please forgive [5375] the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you."' Now, please, forgive [5375] the trespass of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, "Behold, we are your servants."  19 Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Deut 1:8-12 NKJV

 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. 9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear [5375] you myself alone: 10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. 11(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) 12 How can I myself alone bear [5375] your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

Josh 3:15-17 NKJV

And as they that bare [5375]  the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare [5375] the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.  17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

HEBREW TO FORGIVE

OT:5375 – To lift up and carry

OT:5375 nasa' (naw-saw'); or nacah (Ps 4:6 [OT:7]) (naw-saw'); a primitive root; to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):

KJV - accept, advance, arise, (able to, [armor], suffer to) bear (-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, swear, take (away, up), utterly, wear, yield.

AS IN INTERCESSOR, JESUS BORE OUR SINS

He lifted them up and carried them upon Himself.

Isaiah 53 NKJV

Who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground.\He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne [#5375] our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes  we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked — But with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.   12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered [4487] with the transgressors, And He bore [#5375] the sin of many, and made intercession [#6293] for the transgressors [#6586].

NUMBERED

OT:4487

OT:4487 manah (maw-naw'); a primitive root; properly, to weigh out; by implication, to allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or enroll:

KJV - appoint, count, number, prepare, set, tell.

Mark 15:25-28 NKJV

Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.  27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  

1 Peter 2:22-24 NKJV

"Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";   23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness..

TRANSGRESSORS

OT:6586

OT:6586 pasha` (paw-shah'); a primitive root [identical with OT:6585 through the idea of expansion]; to break away (from just authority), i.e. trespass, apostatize, quarrel:

KJV - offend, rebel, revolt, transgress (-ion, -or).

INTERCESSION

OT:6293

OT:6293 paga` (paw-gah'); a primitive root; to impinge (intrude, impose) , by accident or violence, or (figuratively) by importunity:

KJV - come (betwixt), cause to entreat, fall (upon), make intercession, intercessor, intreat, lay, light [upon], meet (together), pray, reach, run.

WHEN WE ARE SENT AS INTERCESSORS IN THE NT WE HAVE THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS OR NOT

Jesus was given the power to forgive sins.  And when He sent the disciples out to pray for the sick, He gave them the same power.  He said we can forgive sins or retain them.  The choice is ours.

Mark 2:5-12 NKJV  JESUS HAD POWER TO FORGIVE SINS

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven [863] you."   6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive [863] sins but God alone?"  8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven [863] you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive [863] sins" — He said to the paralytic, 11 "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

John 20:20-23 NKJV  JESUS SENT THEM WITH POWER AND CHOICE TO FORGIVE

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."  22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  23 If you forgive [863] the sins of any, they are forgiven [863] them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 

TO FORGIVE:  To let go and leave

NT:863 – To let go and leave

NT:863 aphiemi (af-ee'-ay-mee); from NT:575 and hiemi (to send; an intens. form of eimi, to go); to send forth, in various applications (as follow):

KJV - cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.

TO RETAIN:  To hold on and keep

Krateo – To hold on and keep

NT:2902 krateo (krat-eh'-o); from NT:2904; to use strength, i.e. seize or retain (literally or figuratively):

KJV - hold (by, fast), keep, lay hand (hold) on, obtain, retain, take (by).

Rom 4:6-8 NLT

King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous:  7 "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.  [863] 8 Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord." 

1 Cor 7:12-13 KJV

If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.  [863]  13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.  [863] 

Rev 2:4 KJV

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left [863] thy first love.

John 12:7 KJV

Then said Jesus, Let her alone: [863] against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

HOWEVER WHEN WE ARE PERSONALLY OFFENDED, WE MUST FORGIVE UNLESS WE WANT TO BEAR THE PENALTY

1.  WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN UNLESS WE FORGIVE

Mark 11:25-26 KJV

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive [#863] you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, [#863] neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.  [3900]

Matt 6:14-15 NKJV

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 But if you do not forgive [#863] men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive [#863] your trespasses. 

3900 Trespasses

paraptoma

NT:3900 paraptoma (par-ap'-to-mah); from NT:3895; a side-slip (lapse or deviation), i.e. (unintentional) error or (wilful) transgression:

KJV - fall, fault, offence, sin, trespass.

2.  WE RISK BEING SENT TO THE PRISON OF TORMENT IF WE DO NOT FORGIVE

Matt 18:34-35 KJV  THE FATHER CAN SEND US TO BE TORMENTED

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive [#863] not every one his brother their trespasses.

3.  THE SAME MEASURE WE FORGIVE, THE SAME MEASURE WE RECEIVE FORGIVENESS

Gal 6:7-8 NKJV

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Luke 6:37-38 NKJV

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, [#863] and you will be forgiven [#863] ...  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." 

4.  WE RISK NOT BEING HEALED IF WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN

[Healing and Forgiveness are connected]  Remember we must forgive in order to be forgiven.

James 5:14-16 KJV

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Matt 9:2 NKJV

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." 

John 5:14 NKJV

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." 

Ps 103:3  nkjv

Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.

2 Chron 7:14-15 NKJV

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

5.  OUR ACCUSERS CAN SEND US TO PRISON IF WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN

Remember we must forgive in order to be forgiven.

Matt 5:23-26 AMP  23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you,  24 Leave your gift at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift.  25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way traveling with him, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.  26 Truly I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last fraction of a penny.