Forgiveness, Do You Hold a Grudge?

Sometimes it is hard to forgive others when they have wronged us. When we hold grudges we open the door for the enemy to enter our life. The Bible makes it clear that forgiving others is a command not a choice, (Matthew 18:21-35). We have the choice to obey or disobey the word. But Jesus warns us that our experience of forgiveness from God will be blocked if we are not able to forgive others.

I realize that sometimes the pain may be so deep that it is almost impossible to forgive those who have hurt us so deeply. It is impossible for us alone to forgive. Only with Jesus are we able to forgive and completely turn the hurt over to the Lord. Even at the time Jesus was beaten and nailed to the cross He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,” (Luke 23:34). In Mark 11:25 Jesus tells us, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor or evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

God loves you and wants His best for you. Ask God to help you forgive and pray that the Lord will use you to show the love of God. You will find that God will bring you peace and comfort.

Respect Yourself part 2

Number of Sexual Partners	You have a choice in life as parents to step up and teach your children and grandchildren respect for their bodies. Sin starts with our thoughts, from what our eyes see, and leads to immoral behavior. We as parents and grandparents need to do better in protecting our children. High risk behavior can lead to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted Disease (STD). Check out the chart below and see the risk of having more than one partner. You don't think it can happen to you? God warns us that living our lives carelessly can hurt us. Sexual Exposure Chart  (if every person has only the same number of partners as you) See chart below.	Number of People Exposed to
1		1
2		3
3		7
4		15
5		31
6		63
7		127
8		255
9		511
10		1023
	www.cdc.gov/std