SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

Identifying with Christ unlocks your freedom to forgive...

Have you ever struggled with forgiveness? Struggled to give it or to know if you have truly forgiven someone. Forgiveness has everything to do with our identity and very little to do with who or what caused the pain. True forgiveness can be boiled down to one simple truth…identity in Christ.

When it comes to hurt, disappointment, and betrayal, we tend to allow it to become our identity. Emotionally we protect the damage that was done and claim it as part of our story. The problem is that unforgiveness will always come back and produce a harvest, but never a good one. For example, someone who was abused can label themselves as a victim of abuse. At that point they identify with that label and start to view themselves only one way… as a victim. The truth is that no past or present hurt or wrong done to us has anything to do with who we are in Christ or how the Lord views us because of Him. Everything the Word tells us about our identity has everything to do with what Jesus did for us, not what someone did to us. We are relating to the wrong thing if we find ourselves struggling to forgive.

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"Your freedom to forgive is waiting at the cross in the same place your forgiveness was provided."

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Discovering who you are and how the Lord views you opens you up to live in freedom in Christ instead of living with a victim mentality. There is only one way to discover your identity, and it’s by getting into the Word of God and allowing it to change the way you think. You must view yourself through His lens in order to no longer identify with the hurt. I stress the point of what we relate to and identify with because I believe it’s the thing that keeps us in the chains of unforgiveness. Galatians 2:20 says I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives within me. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are made new. Once your mind is renewed to the truth of who you really are, what someone did or didn’t do does not control you. You start to agree with truth as opposed to sitting in the judge’s seat.

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Matthew 18:21-22 - Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone that sins against me? Seven times?" "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!"

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Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:14-15 that we must forgive others in order to be forgiven. So, forgiveness is actually obedience in the Lord’s eyes. It’s choosing to agree with His ways and system. Forgiveness requires a humility that doesn’t come easy to our flesh nature. It requires us to lay down our right to be right. I was once told, “You can be right all day long, but it's not getting you anywhere”. That truth pierced my heart. Identifying with and holding onto hurt or betrayal is a tactic the enemy uses to keep us in bondage. It hardens our heart, and that will keep us from receiving the good things God has provided for us. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart above all else, because it determines the course of our life. It’s much easier to blame someone for where you are in life instead of taking responsibility for your own heart, but that will never produce desirable fruit. It will be quite the opposite. I know this truth can sound a little harsh but trust me its freeing and life changing if you are dealing with hurt and unforgiveness. You can be right and feel completely validated in your feelings, but if those thoughts and feelings aren’t producing life and peace, then they aren’t of the Lord.

Jesus has purchased our complete freedom…He bought back our true identity. Allowing this truth to be your focus will make room for forgiveness and healing in your heart. Our focus really is such a huge part of how our life goes and how healing is able to flow in our lives in all aspects. Because our complete healing has already been provided, its up to us to receive it. I’ve shared in previous blog posts about receiving my physical healing in much of the same way. Receiving a healing in your heart is really no different. It comes down to the same fundamental truths. You have to value and exalt what the Word says above everything else. In the case of forgiveness, you value His Word and commandments above your pain and disappointment. You choose His ideas above your own concerns. This is honestly the best way to guard your heart. Sometimes it’s a matter of guarding your heart from your own negative thoughts and emotions and we do this by looking to the Word and the cross. We all know the cross is a representation of Christ’s forgiveness towards us, but its also the answer to how we can forgive others. Ephesians 4:24 talks about putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God. Your freedom to forgive is waiting at the cross in the same place your forgiveness was provided. The cross becomes your starting point and the place of new beginnings and identity. It’s the place where you stop identifying with anything that isn’t from Him. At this point what He did for you becomes the only thing you can see…your new focus. This yielding and obedience to forgive others opens you up to receive His goodness and your healing! Access your identity at the cross and through the Word and experience the freedom of walking in forgiveness!!!