Ephesians 4:14  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting

One of the biggest issues I see among Christians is that they don’t “manage” their mind.  I speak from firsthand experience.  The world focuses on how to obtain others’ resources, mostly money, rather than focus on how Our Heavenly Father wants us to prosper.  This world view is one of scarcity, fear, and death.  The mind will convince you something is scarce and that you must focus on obtaining it, then hoard it for some future time.  That time never arrives for fear keeps pushing the date out further into the future.  There are all sorts of cunning and crafty plots to keep us focused on anything but Our Heavenly Father’s voice.  If you always focus on fear and lack, you will live a life of fear and lack, drowning out the Word of THE LORD for you.  Jesus never lacked any resources and was never sick.  HE is our standard.  Your mind would steer you away from that truth and rationalize why you are in the shape you’re in.  In order to change, you must change your thought patterns… and that is not such an easy task.

2 Corinthians 10:5  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Are we to only take some thoughts captive and let other thoughts go where they may?  All of our thoughts must be managed into conformity of Our Heavenly Father’s will and plan for each of us.  When we study to show ourselves approved, we are managing our thought patterns to come into alignment with the Character and Will of Our Heavenly Father.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Can it be any clearer than the above passage?  We must change our thought patterns in order to mature as Sons of GOD.  How many of you have spent so much time, energy, and focus on some area that has yet to produce one iota of result in your life?  Be honest.  We are called to be fruitful and multiply.  Observe your fruit and assess whether your current thought patterns line up with your gifts and calling.  What are you waiting for, a lottery win?  We must cast down vain imaginations that suck the life out of us.  What are you dwelling on daily?  Your health?  Your finances?  Your relationships?  Is there anything to difficult for Our Heavenly Father to heal, restore, and make whole? 

One problem Christians have is that they have a predetermined method of how they think Our Heavenly Father will bring a solution.  The mind would have you focus on one channel or method of resolution when what you really should be doing is focusing on hearing HIS Voice.  Let HIM decide the best way to bless you, not your mind.

Isaiah 55:8 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

Do you really think you can figure out the best way for HIM to meet your need?  Quiet your mind and begin to dwell on HIS Presence.  Replace you thoughts of fear with HIS Love.  Don’t sweep out your house and leave it empty.  You must replace the carnal thoughts with HIS Words and Intent for you.

Proverbs 8:32

“Now therefore, listen to me, my children,
For blessed are those who keep my ways.

This post is not about mind over matter.  It is about coming into conformity with the Divine Intent of Our Heavenly Father.  It is about blasting away your doctrines that have prevented you from maturing into your calling.  Refocus on the Words of Jesus:

Matthew 6:33  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Luke 17:20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’fn For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

I cannot change your thinking, your thought patterns, or processes.  Each of us must do this individually.  Are you habitually thinking about the crisis you are in?  How’s that working out?  As a man thinks, so is he.  Let’s break the cycle.  What is Our Heavenly Father’s good pleasure?

Luke 12:32   “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Philippians 2:13  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

And Paul prayed: Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power.

Okay, now is the time to manage your mind.

What more appropriate day to bring forth revelation than the darkest day of the year, the winter solstice.  Today is the day of the least sunlight.  From this point forward, the light of day will increase.

I believe that once again, a revelation has been hidden in plain sight and our ego is the culprit in preventing us from realizing the truth of the matter.  For example, men focus on every other aspect of the Law other than Love, even though Jesus specifically expressed the greatest importance of Love.  The “old man” in us blinded us from this Truth thus we studied every other topic we could find in Scripture.  We looked at every number, every meaning of a name, and projected events based on the prophetic feast days.  However, Love was not at the forefront.  This is what partial blindness is all about.

Another area where I believe we missed it up to this point is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  Please consider this possibility with an “open mind”.  This means to set aside your current doctrine and consider a fresh view of a topic that was set in stone.

The Earnest of THE SPIRIT:

2 Corinthians 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.  (KJV)

The word “earnest” (or guarantee) means: money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down payment that the full amount will subsequently be paid.  It is the initial portion of something to be fully received or acquired at a later point in time.  Paul expressed it again in the 5th chapter:

5  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing [is] God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (KJV)

Again, Paul expressed it in Ephesians:

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (NKJV)

It has been preached countless times that we have a “portion” of the Holy Spirit and that some time in the future we would receive the rest of the Holy Spirit, that is to say the fullness.  This view has justified our flesh and rationalized away the need to grow in THE SPIRIT.  I now believe we have been missing it for this entire age.  We have been hanging our personal doctrines on a verse here and there rather than considering all of the words and deeds of Jesus, our ultimate example.  As an example, the rapture doctrine was based on one primary Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We assumed that we would escape the earth, the same place that Jesus told us to pray “Thy Kingdom come”.  After studying the Greek meanings of the words in the verse, we found that the escapism doctrine isn’t credible.  The same is true for the doctrine of “eternal hell and damnation”.  Those who failed to study The Law were blinded from the righteousness and Love of Our Heavenly Father.  Where’s the door to this prison cell I’m in?

We have assumed that the “leaven” of the Pentecostal Age was simply “sin” being resident and tolerated during the age.  Let’s now consider it to reflect something that has been hidden in plain sight.  In the simplest definition, the word “leaven” means: to rise, rising, increase.  For those who bake, the leaven causes the bread to rise or grow in size until the “leavening” has overtaken the entire bread.  Couldn’t we then say that leavening could represent growing into full stature?

Jesus said:

Matthew 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

This was the first use of the word “leaven” in the New Testament.  Jesus used parables to hide truths in plain sight.  If the Holy Spirit was deposited into us as a guarantee, did we receive ALL of the Holy Spirit in us, or just 10% or some other minimal amount?  Once you place leaven in the bread, do you need any more yeast to bring the bread to its fullness?  Isn’t the issue about allowing the manifestation of the Holy Spirit Who resides in us to come forth?  Isn’t Pentecost really about growing into the fullness of power and authority rather than waiting on some future date to receive a full dose of the Spirit?  Was Jesus partially filled with the Holy Spirit?  Luke expressed it this way:

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

The wilderness is a type and shadow of the Pentecostal Age.  Jesus walked in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  Shouldn’t we expect to do the same?  After being tested and tried, Jesus was further described:

14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Now is the time for us to expect the power of the Spirit to be operational in our lives as well.  We need not remain passive, waiting for some future date to arrive.  The leaven has been placed in us and has been hidden away.  It is time for us to die to the flesh and allow the full manifestation of the Spirit to operate in us.  This is what Jesus did and He walked in the fullness of power and authority, even prior to the Day of Pentecost.  Should we expect any less?  Didn’t Jesus say that we would do greater works?  Our old man has convinced us that we have not yet received sufficient means to walk in the same power and authority of Jesus.  However, once it has been revealed that we can, we now become accountable.

Acts 6:8  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

I guess that Stephen understood the true purpose of leaven.

In the late 90’s, Martin Paulat shared this vision with me:

“I was in a jail cell and two sides were brick, the other two were iron bars.  I could see no door to the cell.  I kept pacing, looking for the door.  Suddenly, it appeared and it opened up allowing me to depart, and I did.”

Today, I believe this vision is fulfilled.  Selah!

The word “Greater” denotes relative position of a person, place, or thing to something or someone else.  It gives us a comparison to provide us with perspective.  It relates one to another.  There is a “greater” and a “lesser”.  The moon is the “lesser” light to the sun, the “greater” light.  Jesus used this word to describe two Commandments relative to the rest of the commandments and statutes:

Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Here, Jesus makes an emphatic statement about Love.  There is no greater aspect of the Law than to Love.  You can focus on being lawful but unless you Love, you are missing the boat.

Most will focus their efforts in just about any other area but Love.  Why?  They don’t want to assume responsibility for dying to the flesh.  Their ego wants to continue to control their every action.  They want to exact punishment and enslave others while exalting themselves.

A smaller group will partially get the message.  They will focus on “Loving THE LORD” with all their hearts.  They study to show themselves approved of HIM.  They receive a certain level of satisfaction in their daily prayer and study time.  “Look Father, are You pleased that I focus on You?”

Then there is a small remnant.  This is the group that fully understands the need to minister Love to their neighbor, the second of the two Great Commandments.  They have already fully embrace the first Commandment.  This second Commandment of Love demands that you die to the flesh.  You must be willing to lay down your life for your brother.  You must not be moved by his self-centeredness, lawlessness, and sin.  You are to minister life to him just as Jesus did the same for all of mankind.  Jesus made it abundantly clear that Love is to be the focus of the “Sons of GOD”.  If your focus is elsewhere, you should reconsider your priorities.  I didn’t establish this priority, Jesus did.  Jesus didn’t stop there in His use of “greater”:

John 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

When you consider the earthly ministry of Jesus, it is hard for your mind to consider this reality of us being able to do “greater” works than Jesus.  After all, HE is the Son of the Lord God Almighty.  Do you dare believe these words?  Are you willing to totally pour out “self” and die to the flesh in order to receive this promise?  Or would you rather observe the coming Kingdom from a distance?  Isn’t this the ultimate question?  Do you want to be an observer or a participant?  Gideon’s army was a type and shadow of this reality.  A remnant of 300 was selected to overcome the Midianites.  Most of the children of Israel observed the victory while the 301 (Gideon + 300) participated in the victory.  By the way 301 refers to “death” of the flesh.  It has been said that Jesus died on the cross at 3:01PM.  Are you ready to die to the flesh?  If so, empowerment to to “greater” works is at the door.

Most Christians are taught to Love THE LORD… and that is important.  HE first Loved us and sent HIS Son so that we would not perish, but have everlasting life.  Our relationship with HIM has been perfected by the Blood of the Lamb, the perfect sacrifice.  Are you willing to lay down your life for those who you associate with and encounter on a daily basis?  Once again, Jesus utilizes the word “greater” to emphasis a revelation of the Kingdom:

John 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

What better expression of Love than to lay down your life for others!  You finally place “me, myself, and I” on the cross.  Not my will but Yours, Father!

Jesus then stated in verse 14: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

You can divert your attention to other areas of study but unless you direct your attention to this revelation of Love, you may have determined your selection as an “observer” rather than a participant.  Jesus was asked by His disciples who would be the greatest?  The one who serves all of mankind.

Matthew 6:13:

And lead us not into temptation…

This particular passage has provided more challenges to discern its intent than most other phrases in Scripture.  We must look at it from Love’s perspective.  First of all, Jesus was led into the wilderness by The Spirit to be tempted.  This was in the Heavenly Father’s plan.  This time in the wilderness was designed to heighten the senses beyond the norm.  When you set yourself apart from outside stimuli, you become more sensitive.  When you fast for a long period of time, every morsel of food is savored to draw out the fullness of its nutritional value.

The setting of this prayer is your “prayer closet”.  We are asking Our Heavenly Father that as we develop a heightened Spiritual sensitivity, to protect us from its misuse by giving us wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in order to properly operate in our calling.  Effectively, hold back on the resources until we can handle them.  If your gifts operate at full capacity before you are sufficiently prepared, you will “crash and burn”. 

Stewardship of money provides us with a great example.  Wisdom and understanding are required to handle great sums of money.  How many lottery winners have lost all of their winnings in a short period of time?  Casinos are full of people whose wisdom is insufficient for their pocketbooks.  How much money can you handle without being tempted to misuse your resources?  How many of us pray “Father, withhold your resources until I am sufficiently mature to handle them.”?  A Loving Father will not give you more than you can handle.  If we are impatient, we subject ourselves to self-glory and begin to believe that we are able to handle things on our own.  Further, we must not tempt Our Heavenly Father by demanding or manipulating Spiritual laws to satisfy “self”.  As we become Spiritually sensitive and mature, we will acknowledge the need to withhold any resource beyond our capacity to manage it properly, no matter what the resource is.  Our acknowledgement is expressed by “lead us not into temptation”.

…But deliver us from the evil one.

Jesus utilized the Word to be delivered from the authority of the devil.  He was tempted in the three areas: spirit, soul, and body.  All three areas are subject to adversity.  We must be sufficiently tested in each area in order to become fully operational in our calling.  This is also a reference to the time in the wilderness for the children of Israel.  Our Heavenly Father sustained them and showed HIS great and mighty works.  HE delivered them from slavery but then had to give them time to abandon the slave mentality.  They needed to be separated from the world’s system and yet be sustained until they were able to enter into the Promised Land.  We must acknowledge Who can and will be our Deliverer.  We are not capable on our own, separated from Our Heavenly Father, to withstand the evil one.  We must admit that without HIM, we are insufficient and have no power apart from HIM.  The Lord’s Prayer ends with this acknowledgement:

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

In 1 Chronicles 29, King David was preparing to receive the offerings to build the Temple.  His son Solomon was to be anointed king over Israel and would actually oversee the project.  Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge would be required for the proper construction of the Temple.  Solomon laid the foundation by asking for wisdom.  Understanding and knowledge were then added.  King David set the stage for the transition by proclaiming to all:

10 Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said:

​​​“Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.

11 ​​Yours, O LORD, is the greatness,

​​The power and the glory,

​​The victory and the majesty;

​​For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;

​​Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,

​​And You are exalted as head over all.

12 ​​Both riches and honor come from You,

​​And You reign over all.

​​In Your hand is power and might;

​​In Your hand it is to make great

​​And to give strength to all.

​

13 ​​“Now therefore, our God,

​​We thank You

​​And praise Your glorious name.

14 ​​But who am I, and who are my people,

​​That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?

​​For all things come from You,

​​And of Your own we have given You.

15 ​​For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,

​​As were all our fathers;

​​Our days on earth are as a shadow,

​​And without hope.

The Lord’s Prayer ends with our profession of unity and agreement with Our Heavenly Father as we say “Amen!”.  We are to be HIS witnesses and expression on the earth.  Jesus constructed this concise prayer to contain the essence of our life and relationship to Our Heavenly Father and the rest of mankind.  When you pray you should consider the fullness of these words.  As you do, they will come alive to you and change will occur.  The simplicity allows every person to expect results no matter where they are in their walk.  Think about it.

Each of us has a unique perspective as all of us have walked our own path to this point in time.  We must be careful to listen to Our Heavenly Father as circumstances arise that test our beliefs.  Our old man wants to rule over us and keep us enslaved.  This enslavement can be achieved by our willingness to be unforgiving of what others do to us.  Any act that causes division can be traced back to the flesh or ego.  To have a prisoner, you must have a jailer.  The battle will rage on as long as you are willing to hold onto unforgiveness.

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus brings forth a perspective of what I call the “law of equal weights and measures”.  This law focuses on our relationship with others.  This law impacts each of us on a daily basis, often in a subtle manner and is somewhat elusive at times.  Let me explain.  Our Heavenly Father is the Creator of heaven and earth and everything therein.  HE created every one of your adversaries for there is no other power comparable in all of creation.  HE allows you to be tried and tested.  In the final analysis HE is liable at the highest level for your circumstances.

In Matthew 18, Peter asked Jesus the question: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Peter asked the question from a “conditional” Love point of view.  His ego wanted an answer that allowed for retribution at some point.  Peter wanted to be able to exact vengeance on the other person.  He wanted Jesus to endorse his position.  Peter did not understand the law of equal weights and measures but Jesus was about to explain it by beginning with the Law of Jubilee: “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

The number “490” is the number of Jubilee, the forgiveness of all debt (Leviticus 25 explains the principle of Jubilee).  Our debts with Our Heavenly Father have been forgiven at the point of Salvation.  Our relationship is restored for the Blood of Jesus perfected that restoration.  However, that did not give us a license to be unforgiving to our fellow man.  Jesus brought forth this Truth in the parable:

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

When you “settle” an account, you add up all the debits and credits to see if there is an outstanding balance due to be paid.

24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.

This parable uses the “talent” to provide perspective of the relationship between the certain king and the servant.  A talent is defined as:

1. the scale of a balance, a balance, a pair of scales

2. that which is weighed, a talent

   1. a weight varying in different places and times

   2. a sum of money weighing a talent and varying in different states and according to the changes in the laws regulating currency

      1. the Attic talent was equal to 60 Attic minae or 6000 drachmae

      2. a talent of silver in Israel weighed about 100 pounds (45 kg)

      3. a talent of gold in Israel weighed about 200 pounds (91 kg)

A scale provides a standard to be used in determining what is universally just.  No matter how you view it, the servant owed the certain king a hefty sum.  Jesus continues the parable:

25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

The Master was moved with compassion, HE was merciful and forgave the entire debt.  Our Heavenly Father expressed HIS Love and mercy and did that very thing for us as well.  We all had a debt we could not pay and we are grateful for HIS act of mercy.  Yet the servant could not leave well enough alone:

28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’

The heart of the servant is now being revealed.  His fleshly man looked at this event to get ahead by demanding payment from his fellow servants.  Now that he owed nothing, he figured he could live the good life by collecting what little was owed him.

29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.

The first servant showed no mercy.  He did not have a heart of gratitude but instead was in self-preservation mode.  He was willing to sacrifice his brethren to get ahead.  He was judgmental rather than being merciful to his fellow man.  The scales needed to be balanced:

31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.

Our Heavenly Father hears our prayers and intercessions.  HE is omnipresent and knows all of our deeds and intent for there is nothing under the sun that can surprise HIM.  Jesus is communicating an important but subtle law to us.  Our actions evoke a response, whether good or evil and that response requires payment.

32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’

Jesus has now interjected the need for equality mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount: forgiveness received should initiate forgiveness to be given.  “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”  We are now at a key point in the parable:

34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

The wicked servant had to pay the debt due TO HIM, NOT THE KING, the King’s debt was totally forgiven.  He was required to pay restitution for the 100 denarii he tried to collect from his fellow servant, not the 10,000 talents he owed the king.

The “law of equal weights and measures” requires payment.  The payment to be collected may not be in the same “denomination” as the original debt.  If you are unforgiving in your heart because of an injustice, you may be opening yourself up to sickness, disease, impoverishment, or some other form of “collection” by the torturer.  When we walk in forgiveness, we remove liabilities from our account.  The issue is not about our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, HE forgave the debt owed to HIM as the parable reveals.  The issue is with our brothers and sisters.  Debts accumulated with them require payment in one form or another, they must be settled.  Hopefully you can see how critical it is not to carry around unforgiveness in your heart and why Jesus included the need to resolve it in the Sermon on the Mount:

And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.

There are conditions and ramification to unforgiveness.  The books will be balanced!

Matthew 6: 

And forgive us our debts,

​​As we forgive our debtor.  NKJV

Luke 11:

And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.   NKJV

Do you really want to get what you deserve?  Of course not.  Consider all the lawlessness over the course of your life and don’t forget the lawless intent.  Consider the envy, strife, boastings, backbiting, and other acts of selfish ambition and sin.  The sinner is truly grateful to have his slate wiped clean by the Blood of Jesus Christ.  This forgiveness of sin is the cornerstone of Christianity.  This forgiveness brings forth the relationship with Our Heavenly Father.  We now have the opportunity for fellowship and unity with HIM.  But that is not the end of the story.  Jesus turned theology upside down with the above statement.  We must forgive others to be in full unity with Our Heavenly Father.

Wisdom and understanding lead to forgiveness.  The more we understand the big picture, the more we are willing to forgive.  For instance, you easily forgive a child of wrong doing because the child does not know any better.  When you realize an adult is blind to a Spiritual Truth, you can easily forgive that person of his or her error.  When you realize that we all start out as vessels of dishonor and that the Potter forms us into vessels of honor, you begin to have an attitude of gratitude.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared the concise, simple prayer that embraces the fullness of life.  He placed a condition right in the middle of the prayer that cannot be overlooked, we must forgive.  No longer can we justify holding a grudge, allowing a root of bitterness to grow, or demanding payment for a wrongdoing.  We cannot promote division in the brotherhood but are called upon to promote unity.

Before Jesus shared The Lord’s Prayer, He told us: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”  There is no room for an excuse of not understanding the need for forgiveness.

He further states after The Lord’s Prayer, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”  Jesus tells us a house divided cannot stand.  Let there be not divisions among us.

In the Gospel of Mark (Chapter 11), Jesus said,  “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

If you have offended your brother, Jesus said, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”  No matter if you are the offender or the one offended, forgiveness is critical.  If we are to be as Our Heavenly  Father who reconciles us to HIM, we must reconcile our brother to us as well.  We are to take on HIS character and restore our relationship with others.

If you have unforgiveness in your heart, answers to your prayers will be impeded.  Jesus promotes perfect harmony among the brethren.  Sin separates man from Our Heavenly Father and unforgiveness separates man from man in like manner.  Love provides the binding force.  Let Love abound in your life and your prayers will reflect this change.