Harvest of Asher
Akko, Israel
In the last month the Spirit of God breathed into my spirit to emphasize forgiveness – God forgiving man, and man forgiving man. We are living in a world where people find it easy to offend and take offense. The reason is that they are selfishly focused on their own pain more than that of their neighbor.
We are in the end times, and the Scriptures say that the time before Yeshua’s return will be a season of great crisis. When man looks toward his own challenges and pain with an unforgiving spirit, he brings death upon himself, and wickedness grows. We must find ourselves in the One who overcame offense, fear, pain and anger: Yeshua, who took it all to the cross, and said: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
There on the cross, the lowest point in Yeshua’s life was the highest for all mankind. It reminds me of how God provided the bronze snake for the people of Israel to look upon and be healed from deadly poison (Numbers 21). He made a way then and now to rid ourselves of the poison of unforgiveness and resentment – by looking to Yeshua, not our ego and pride.
Yeshua prophesied that He would be “lifted up” and offer His life on the cross (John 3:14). All of humanity must look toward Him, the source of all forgiveness. Even if the world turns upside down, when I have Yeshua in my heart and am focused on His sacrifice, His lowest point; then the place where everything looks impossible, becomes the place where He provided me with forgiveness. There I am reconciled to the Father and forgiveness flows from within me and out towards my neighbors (2 Corinthians 5:18).
Beloved, this is our time to find that forgiveness in Him. Let us become the priests He has called us to be, interceding for the eyes of mankind to be turned to Yeshua. We are living in times when the wickedness in the world is growing, times of gross immorality, when bad looks like good and good looks like bad. But be strengthened in the knowledge that Yeshua came and we have been freely given the gift of forgiveness to cover our sins: past, present and future.
In order to unconditionally forgive another person we must expect nothing in return. Their actions are between them and God. Only God can help us set our ego aside and seek the release of the other person into God’s hands, praying “Father, forgive them” over those who hurt/offend/annoy us. This is not an easy or natural thing to do, but it is a big key to life!
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Messiah. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the principalities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)
