Hello and welcome to the Women of Prayer Weekly Devotional. We pray and hope that this devotional will be useful for you as we all grow in our spiritual walk with the Lord. This week's topic is New beginnings-Our Relationship with others.
You will need a journal / notebook /diary / pens and markers.
The story I’m about to share with you is from one of our women of prayer prayer warriors and I have been given permission to share it. We will call her Abby to protect her identity. Abby had an argument with her sister over who was more prettier, the argument led to all the negative things that they felt about one another to come out. They began to bring out receipts about issues that they both thought they had settled but to their surprise they had not taken time to discuss those issues, forgive one another , heal, move on and grow. This verbal argument led to a physical altercation. Unfortunately they spent 10 years without talking to one another.
Imagine all the missed conversations, they both missed each other's wedding days, birthdays and the birth of their children. Abby and her sister missed out on their kids growing up together and having relationships with their cousins ,they couldn't mourn together during difficult times such as funerals or visit each other during times of illness. They missed happy moments such as celebrations, great achievements, graduations ,the list is endless and I can go on and on and on. The sad thing about this story is her sister passed away but because of pride neither of them managed to apologise to one another. Abby‘s biggest regret is that they never got the chance to talk and to make amends. Her sister also had a letter written to all her members of her family in the event of her death and she left a letter to Abby asking for forgiveness and stating that she had forgiven Abby. Bible says "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." Proverbs 16:18
We have all burnt bridges and others have burnt our bridges. We have formed relationships with others that have come to an end. As the famous quote goes “other people are in our life just for a season” and some are meant to stay throughout our lives , but along the lines we have kept some people out of our lives because of pride. Pride is the number one reason why relationships with loved ones come to an end. "Oh how can he or she say that to me?", "who does she think she is?"," if she doesn't greet me first, I won't" , "I'm not the one to mess with" "I'm not going to say sorry first" Sounds familiar? Unnecessary pride over things that can be easily resolved with a simple apology. The Bible is clear on the sin of pride and says in Isaiah 2:12 "For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted." and in James 4:6 "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. We should live by the Lord's Word and apply it in our lives daily. Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Today I just want to invite you to search your heart honestly before God. Go into your quiet place, in your honest truth and search your heart in raw truth and ask yourself if there’s anyone that you need to forgive so you can heal and build bridges. Is there anyone that you need ask for forgiveness ?Is it a family member? A loved one? A friend? An ex? Your child? Former boss? Former business partner? Your Pastor? Church elder’s , Church members? Etcccc. Is the reason that you are not talking to one another that deep that you can’t renew your relationship? Life is indeed too short to hold on to grudges, no one knows the time nor the day that you or that person will pass away. There are two things that we as human beings will never know about ourselves, the exact time we fall asleep and the exact time we will die. If God is so loving and just to forgive us when we sin against Him daily and sometimes we stop believing in Him because of heartbreak, loss, etc but He still loves us and forgives us and welcomes us back in His loving arms then why can't we forgive one another? Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
The bible says in Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” As His children we should be able to forgive those who have hurt us, even if they don't apologise. It doesn't mean that you are weak, it means that as Christians like our Lord Jesus Christ we should be like Him and have a heart that forgives. We should be able to do the same if we are His children because He is in us and we are in Him. John 15 : 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me." Reflect and be true to yourself. Be encouraged to renew those relationships that need to be mended in Jesus' name. God bless.
Bible Verses: Isaiah 2:12, James 4:6,Philippians 2:3
Prayer
Heavenly Father.
I want to Thank You for this new year 2021.Thank You for New beginnings. Lord forgive me of my sins of commission and those of omission. May the blood of Jesus wash me clean. Lord help me to search my heart and remove every bitterness and unforgiveness from my heart. Help me to renew the relationships that have been damaged and help us to heal and grow, In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Next Steps (write this down)
Who do I need to forgive? What is the Holy Spirit saying?
How does this change the way I live?
How can I mend the relationships?
Next week's devotional is on New Beginnings - Our relationship with finances.
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