{"id":17828,"date":"2014-02-15T00:30:53","date_gmt":"2014-02-15T05:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=17828"},"modified":"2014-02-14T19:41:06","modified_gmt":"2014-02-15T00:41:06","slug":"forgiveness-matthew-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2014\/02\/15\/forgiveness-matthew-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgiveness &#8211; Matthew West"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16629\" alt=\"psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv\" src=\"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv.jpg\" width=\"341\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv.jpg 341w, https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv-300x175.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>~ \u00a0Listen while you read, please! \u00a0~<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I<span style=\"color: #800080;\">t&#8217;s the hardest thing to give away and the last thing on your mind today <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">It always goes to those that don&#8217;t deserve <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">It&#8217;s the opposite of how you feel when the pain they caused is just too real <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">It takes everything you have just to say the word\u2014&#8221;forgiveness\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">It flies in the face of all your pride, it moves away the mad inside <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">It&#8217;s always anger&#8217;s own worst enemy <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">Even when the jury and the judge say you gotta right to hold a grudge <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">It&#8217;s the whisper in your ear saying &#8216;Set It Free\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Show me how to love the unlovable <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Show me how to reach the unreachable <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Help me now to do the impossible <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Forgiveness, forgiveness <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Help me now to do the impossible&#8230;forgiveness <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">It&#8217;ll clear the bitterness away, it can even set a prisoner free <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">There is no end to what it&#8217;s power can do <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">So, let it go and be amazed by what you see through eyes of grace <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #800080;\">The prisoner that it really frees is you\u2014Forgiveness <\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Show me how to love the unlovable <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Show me how to reach the unreachable <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Help me now to do the impossible\u2014forgiveness <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #800080;\">I want to finally set it free so show me how to see what Your mercy sees <\/span><\/em><br \/>\n<em> <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Help me now to give what You gave to me\u2014forgiveness<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oIbCpy0CQEo\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">~ \u00a0Matthew West \u00a0~<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>It&#8217;s the hardest thing to give away and the last thing on your mind today<\/em><br \/>\n<em> It always goes to those that don&#8217;t deserve<\/em><br \/>\n<em> It&#8217;s the opposite of how you feel when the pain they caused is just too real<\/em><br \/>\n<em> It takes everything you have just to say the word\u2014&#8221;forgiveness\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Sisters, do you want the most of what God has planned for you? \u00a0Do you want to feel the FULL expression of God\u2019s love? \u00a0Then you have to step out in faith and forgive. This song by Matthew West came to mind last night after praying for a choir member who is going to see his dying, aged father this weekend for the first time in over 30 years. \u00a0He is going to forgive his father, and seeking forgiveness himself. \u00a0This song would not leave my mind all night, so I figured God put it heavily on my heart and mind because he needed me to share it with you all&#8212;and also make sure my own plate is clean.<\/p>\n<p><em>It flies in the face of all your pride, it moves away the mad inside<\/em><br \/>\n<em> It&#8217;s always anger&#8217;s own worst enemy<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Even when the jury and the judge say you gotta right to hold a grudge<\/em><br \/>\n<em> It&#8217;s the whisper in your ear saying &#8216;Set It Free&#8217;\u2014Forgiveness<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Some of you may feel offended or irritated that I would suggest that to feel the full measure of God\u2019s love that you would need to forgive others. \u00a0You might be thinking right now of a person who you should forgive but don\u2019t want to. \u00a0You know of someone that justifiably deserves your anger for all of the wrong committed against you, right? \u00a0I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going through. \u00a0That\u2019s true&#8230;I don\u2019t. \u00a0(But God does.)<\/p>\n<p><em>Show me how to love the unlovable<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Show me how to reach the unreachable<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Help me now to do the impossible<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Forgiveness, forgiveness<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Help me now to do the impossible&#8230;forgiveness<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You see, God does understand. \u00a0He sees your life. \u00a0He sees you\u2019re hurt. \u00a0He knows the pain that has been brought on you by others. \u00a0But He says to lay your cares on Him, to let Him avenge your wrongs&#8212;He is faithful to do those things for you, because He loves you. \u00a0He also knows that when you don\u2019t forgive someone, the person it really hurts is <strong>YOU<\/strong>. \u00a0The anger, the emotion, the pain \u2013 it keeps you in bondage. When you don\u2019t give that person over to God to deal with, you remain a captive to the hurt you feel. \u00a0The circumstance has power of you, not the other way around. \u00a0And, in case this hasn\u2019t crossed your mind lately, when was the last time you hurt God?<\/p>\n<p><em>It&#8217;ll clear the bitterness away, it can even set a prisoner free<\/em><br \/>\n<em> There is no end to what it&#8217;s power can do<\/em><br \/>\n<em> So, let it go and be amazed by what you see through eyes of grace<\/em><br \/>\n<em> The prisoner that it really frees is you\u2014Forgiveness<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Was it yesterday that you sinned against God? \u00a0Have you even made it this far into the day before you\u2019ve done something that could separate you eternally from the presence of Jesus? \u00a0Do you really understand the power of God\u2019s love and forgiveness toward you? \u00a0In 1 John 1:9, the Bible says \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.\u201d God can (and will) forgive us daily. \u00a0If you\u2019ve truly felt the full measure of God\u2019s forgiveness&#8212;why not extend that to someone else?<\/p>\n<p><em>Show me how to love the unlovable <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Show me how to reach the unreachable <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Help me now to do the impossible\u2014forgiveness <\/em><br \/>\n<em>I want to finally set it free so show me how to see what Your mercy sees <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Help me now to give what You gave to me\u2014forgiveness<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You know, no one said forgiveness is easy. \u00a0And you may not forgive others because you don\u2019t fully realize what it feels to be forgiven. \u00a0You may not accept the gift that forgiveness is. \u00a0But God is here to help you&#8212;to help you accept your own forgiveness, and to help you forgive another. \u00a0Try it today&#8230;and experience freedom from the bondage of hurt!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Let&#8217;s pray<\/strong><\/span>: \u00a0Dear Lord, thank You for Your abundant forgiveness. \u00a0Please help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me. \u00a0Help me to extend the same healing power to others as I have received. \u00a0Where I am resistant, help me change. \u00a0Break down the bondage of unbelief. \u00a0Free me from the need to get revenge. \u00a0Help me to trust that You will vindicate me. \u00a0Help me to see others how Your mercy sees them. \u00a0Help me to love those who have hurt me. \u00a0Forgive me where I have hurt others and hurt You. Help me to walk in freedom! \u00a0In Your Son&#8217;s name, Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>~ \u00a0Listen while you read, please! \u00a0~ It&#8217;s the hardest thing to give away and the last thing on your mind today It always goes to those that don&#8217;t deserve It&#8217;s the opposite of how you feel when the pain they caused is just too real It takes everything you have just to say the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":16629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4937],"tags":[44,5492,10,1287,422,425,436,454,520,554,620,5143,1489,5493,4932,3474,5494,5495],"class_list":["post-17828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psalms-hymns-and-spiritual-songs","tag-1-john-19","tag-committed","tag-forgiveness","tag-gch","tag-gifts","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-god","tag-grace","tag-hurt","tag-jesus","tag-love","tag-matthew-west","tag-pain","tag-provision","tag-psalms-hymns-spiritual-songs","tag-robin-caddell","tag-spiritual-bondage","tag-wrongs","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-4Dy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17828"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17832,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17828\/revisions\/17832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}