FREE TO BE ME (Part 2)

[Dr. Kay]

THE LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING
There is a spiritual law as binding as the law of gravity. It is the law of sowing and reaping. Jesus said, "If you forgive people their trespasses, that is, their reckless and willful sin, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matt. 6:14 AMP).
In all of life we reap what we sow. If we resent and reject, we are not even capable of accepting forgiveness from God or our loved ones. If we forgive, we are forgiven by both God and men. If we forgive, we are also able to accept forgiveness.
WE HAVE TO DECIDE TO FORGIVE
Forgiveness is a definite conscious act of the will. We say we have already forgiven? If that is true, our forgiveness came out of a heartfelt desire to forgive. We must want to forgive or else this does not happen. We can know we have forgiven others when we have a compassion for them as unfortunate victims of their own resentment...the thing that caused them to say or do the thing that was so offensive to us. Probably they have learned resentment from someone else and are now unwittingly teaching it to others. That's right...resentment is learned and spreads like a cancer in the bloodstream. Also like cancer, it takes many forms and may be difficult to recognize.
"SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART" PSALM 139:23
We cannot really search and know our hearts, but God can. If we ask God to show us our resentment and unforgiveness, He will. If we confess these sins and ask forgiveness, God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
But that is not enough. We have to stop sinning. We cannot really be free to be ourselves until we stip the critical attitude that is unforgiveness. We cannot be freed to be ourselves until our heart attitude says, "I forgive you