THE MESSAGE NOW

Vol 1, No. 4 – Monday, 1^st August 2016

Mark 11:25, Luke 23:34

To forgive, to forgo and to remember with all joy (where necessary) that we have forgiven all wrong is a must, not a choice. But how so easily possible can this be? By realizing two key lessons. First, the unforgiving and the unforgoing of the wrong of oneself and others is chainfully enslaving. The 17^th Century French Philosopher, Jean Jacque Rousseau painfully opined: ‘man was born free; and everywhere, he is in chains’.

The instinctive question is, what could possibly have put that ‘free’ ‘man’ ‘in chains’? Alas! our backgrounds, environments of our formative years, peers especially in early teen-age life, likewise, the attitude of men towards us and those of ours towards others go a long way to redesign our innocent minds which at birth was a virgin garden described as ‘tabula rasa’ (blank slate) by Aristotle. Anger, I agree, is a jailer paving the way to the dungeon. But unforgiveness, I strongly approve, is the dungeon itself.

Men who love the path of folly and hate their destiny entertain this jailer and indeed build their minds’ castle in that jailer’s hopeless dungeon. Such are the sort of men who so much love their chains and who will of necessity perpetually remain in bondage. Are you one of such men? If you envy others as against admiring them, if you are never at peace with other men’s success feats, if you are wishing to be like another and not the best of yourself, then you are one of such men.

Second, it is worth noting that the human soul is a tripartite entity consisting of the Will, the Reason and the Emotion. Except and until our sanctified Will becomes so matured that it controls our Voice of Reason and our Emotion , we continue to remain the slave of our passions. The popular Irish Poet: John Dryden’s aphorism remains apt in this instance. On the subject of proper management of our passions (emotions), Dryden cautioned humanity that: ‘the brain is independent of the will. That is why we forget that which we wish to remember, and remember that which we desire to forget’.

The question is, after reading this message, are we still willing to remain in the dungeon of unforgiveness and bitterness? Is it not shocking that the person with whom we are losing our peace may be somewhere enjoying the best meals or having his/her nicest time ever? Is unforgiveness then worth the deal? Our answer to the forgoing question is certainly not ‘in the wind’. I hear our good godly senses say NO!!!!!!

Dearly beloved, remember that Pastor Mike became blind at the age of 6 as a result of a stone thrown by a young man whom he still prays for and continues to desire good for his wellbeing. Pastor Mike is a mere mortal. If you think Pastor Mike is anything atall, remember the GREATEST of the GREATEST, CHRIST on that gracious but agonizing CROSS. Ah!!!!!! Beloved, forgive and forgo all wrong, gain your freedom and be happy.

In sum, the truth is that bitterness, a direct product of unforgiveness is a spiritual poison far worse than that of the adder. The more complex difference is that an adder’s poison though venomous, yet it will never kill or harm the adder. However, bitterness is a spiritual, cancerous poison secretly and securely harboured in the souls of men, which, if not diffused on time it will destroy the harbourer with time. Is it then worth our effort and time?

Unforgiveness, unforgoing, malice, bitterness, envy, anger, are all products of the same class, phylum and family whose grandfather is the devil spread through humanity by one and only one malignantly producing father called flesh or self. Dearly Beloved, you are not a part of this hell-going class, phylum and family. Are you? Remember that this class, phylum and family are unseen enemies within. The more trouble is, until a man conquers the enemies within, he cannot conquer the enemies without. Further, it means that a man’s victory over or defeat by the enemies within will determine his ascendancy or descendancy in all things of life and godliness.

Pray now:

Read Ps.70, 37:8.

Father, purge me of every enemy within me.

Father, deliver me from the spirit of unforgiveness.

Just as I was concluding no. 3 prayer point now, the Spirit of God indicated to me that we should pray against Pharaoh. So say Father, every Pharaoh holding me and my blessings back perish by fire in the Red Sea of the Almighty.

Father, deliver me from anger and recover back to me every blessing lost through anger.