Today, as I sit at the computer keys, I am amazed at how the Lord works in the lives of people. I stand in awe of how He even works in my life. I have had the opportunity to serve and teach God’s Word and I know it changes the lives of those who are willing. It will never be the words of a pastor, or the lessons of a teacher, but it will always be from the pages of God’s Word. I am very thankful that the Lord chooses us to share His words to those around us. We must ask ourselves how we are communicating. Is it harshly or with compassion and love? I have met many who dictate how others should live their lives because they harshly proclaim God’s Word.

You will never convince me Jesus yelled His words at people, harshly proclaiming His message, or said, “Turn or burn!” He always spoke the Truth in love. He cares about His creation and it is definitely evident in Psalm 18. David is discovering that His Lord will supply every need for him. David says, “He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.” David continued, “To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.”

With God we can scale any wall. I know we have a heard a lot about walls in the news lately, but what is your wall? What hurt, habit, or hang-up is holding you back? Anger? Pride? Unforgiveness? Remember, we are all a mess whether we admit it or not. Today, I spoke with a lot of messy people, but that’s okay because I know my Savior loves the messy.

I would like to write about something that will hold us back in life. It is something I believe every human being deals with and it is forgiveness. This is something that will block, stall or could even destroy you. It’s the inability to offer forgiveness. Forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to put it into practice in our lives.

In order to be completely free from resentments, anger, fears, shame and guilt one must accept forgiveness in all areas of our life. If we do not, then we cannot truly forgive.

The first forgiveness, and most important one, is the forgiveness from God. God offered us forgiveness through His Son, Jesus. He died on the cross and paid for our sins. He stamped paid in full on them and nothing can change that. His forgiveness is a free gift for those who believe in Him. He proclaimed from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30) No matter what is in our past, present, or future, the grace of God is always sufficient. His forgiveness is complete.

Romans 3:22-25 says, “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past”.

The second forgiveness we need in our lives is extended from us to others. Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? Forgiveness is about letting go. I could break into singing the song from Frozen, “Let it go, let it go!” But I won’t. (Some of you have already caught yourself singing.) Think with me for minute. Who is your anger hurting the most? Here’s a hint, you. Romans 12:17-18 says, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

Also, there is one more you may want to put on your forgiveness list you may not have forgiven yet: God. Yes, you just read that right, God. He does not sin and He is perfect in grace, love and truth. He is the very essence of holiness and He loved us so much that He gave every single one of us a free will. He did not intend for us to be puppets on a string. He is not in heaven moving all my parts to do His bidding. You must know the hurt caused by others was not from God, but from those who have a free will. It was their choice and not God’s will.

When my daughter died I will admit to you at times I blamed God. I asked why He had to allow it to happen. I do not know all the answers and I may never know, but my hurt was for a reason. I am no longer mad at God. I had to forgive Him. You may have walked through hurt from someone else. Let’s be honest, if you have been the victim of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect, I am truly sorry for the road of pain you have had to walk through. I really do hurt with you. But you will not find freedom until you are able to forgive.

Lastly, we need to forgive ourselves. You may be able to accept God’s forgiveness, and even forgive others. But you have not forgiven yourself. I ask you, “Have you forgiven yourself?” Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” If God can forgive us, how can we hold forgiveness from ourselves?

It is an amazing feeling to let things go. When we do, we let go of shame and guilt. David wrote that God will help us get over the wall. If your wall is unforgiveness, then He will help give you a boost over it. Remember, it is a process and you can’t leap the wall in a single bound, but it will take time to climb. But eventually, you will get over the wall. Are you climbing today, or do you think it will be too hard? I am not going to lie; it will be hard. However, the Lord will give you the strength to get over it. As far as forgiveness is concerned in my life, I can say with David, “with my God I can scale any wall!” So can you! Climb the wall today and forgive.