Forgive, WHy?

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32. And be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

25. And when ye stand praying, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

9. If we confess our sins. he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins., and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

15. But if we forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

21. Then came Peter to him, and said, LORD, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? 

till seven times? 

22. JESUS saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times:but Until seventy times seven. 

14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15. But, if forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Communication Matters                                

The Good Life

Good communication is essential.

How we communicate with family and friends matter. 

Great human connections can provide us with support, love, and a sense of belonging that we all need.

To spend time having one on one conversations with someone whom you can enjoy their company and trust.

Consider joining or starting a small group session at home, in your office, at a restaurant,  in a library meeting room, in the family life center at church, etc.

Search for ways to break through the ice.

Break those ice cubes, there are  strongholds that work over time that try to keep us in captivity; a prison within our mind. 

Nancy cannot begin to tell you how many times she has gone to churches throughout her lifetime to find the class is canceled, moved to a different location, etc. Just to be left standing outside thinking. Does God not love me. Aren't I important too. 

Shall we gather together in safe settings to practice good conversations with like minded people.

Don't stay  in bondage to loneliness.

Our enemy wants that for you and me.

A spiritual battle between good and evil is consistently happening in the spirit world.

Finding a quiet place to be alone with God  allows us a way to retrain our minds to listen to that small quiet voice. 

Our savior desires for us to communicate the good, the bad and the ugly.

By design, by him we were made to have open communication with our God. 

Read Ephesians 6:6-8, Luke 16:15, Gat 1:10

kjv

Self Discovery Matters 

Functional or Dysfunctional

The pulling down of strongholds in our lives can be a lifelong but necessary journey. 

We must take time to reflect on self,  and explore our beliefs, our morals, our values, and our passions. 

By doing this we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves,

and our place in the world.

I, Nancy H. Grinstead was thirty years old,

and pregnant. It was  the year 1990.              I am with my first child. when I was told by a client of mine that I had cleaned for five years that I was dysfunctional.                      There was bitterness that ran deep in my soul, and I needed to address it. 

What is dysfunctional,

might, I asked?

This was the first time I had heard anything about being dysfunctional. 

My client Teresa invited me to join a group meeting that she was about to start up with a group of six women. 

I joined, we only got to join a handful of sessions before the summer began. 

 I wanted to know what was so dysfunctional about me. 

The leader was a lady name Christina,  at that time she was the head of the rape crisis center at the mental health clinic in Conway, South Carolina. 

My first homework assignment after our first session was to write a letter to the people who had hurt me the most when I was child.

I was reluctant until I was told,  I did not have to give the letters to those who had hurt me. 

There was no reason to cause others pain. 

Bitter roots bite and they run deep into our souls. We must stop them dead in their tracks.  

Boundaries Matter

Break Free From Bondage

The beginning of Nancy's life journey of healing did not begin until age thirty.

I longed to heal inside out. 

I found myself hungry to know what God said about me in his holy word. 

I did not want to be angry with anyone. Many times people who are fine themselves feel as if the the world around them owes them something. 

I did not want to be like that.

I knew at nine years of age that I did not want anything from anybody, if I could not get it on my own. 

I joined a twelve step program at two churches and I taught a class using the workbook that I had used in a previous class. 

I did realize that I had let others cross my boundaries until I took a class at First Baptist Church, Sevierville, TN. 

It was a series of a few weeks and it happened right before I went down for the Liver Transplant August 16th, 2009.

I knew if I survived the transplant. I would have to learn my boundary lines, and not let anyone cross them. 

Setting healthy boundaries is essential for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. 

Bitterness can easily set in and grow deep into our hearts, and the end result is the worst came out of us.Though, that was not our intention at all. 

Self discipline, working on self reflection, exercising our minds as well as our bodies, healthy eating, listening, meditating, reading christian literature, learning what God says about us, listening to audio tapes on self help and studying our Bibles can change our lives for the better of self and everyone around us. 

Will you open your heart and let God begin a new work in you to deliver you from the bondage?

Forgive, Heal Within

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Matthew 6: 14-15

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Donot condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your sins." Matthew 25-26

In the midst of a busy and chaotic world, it can be difficult to find inner peace.

Forgiveness is often a challenging and  difficult process. 

However, we gain incredibly powerful results. 

GOD desire is for us to trust him even in our weakest moments.

Dysfunctional

Not normal behavior. 

Meaning something is not working as it should.

We learn through God's word how to let go of our dysfunctional behavior. 

We can learn what it is to let go of the anger and resentment that so easily traps us in our minds. 

Our minds become a battle field and until we let God set us free. 

Our negative emotions run rampant in our minds.

Through meditation, studying our Bibles and practicing mindful practices, spending time with God one on one, exercising and developing better communication skills and connecting with nature, and learning to love ourselves with all our flaws, and not comparing ourselves with others. 

We can cultivate a sense of calm and tranquility.

We must allow ourselves to heal and move forward with compassion and understanding.

Gratitude 

Gratitude Is a powerful emotion that can shift our perspective and help us find joy in even the smallest things. By cultivating a sense of gratitude, we can increase our overall happiness and well-being.

Gratitude became extremely hard for  me, Nancy. 

I was happy and excited.

I was beyond happy.

God had spared my life. 

I was with my family, and i was getting to raise both my daughters, and see them grow up. 

Sadly, that was before all hell broke loose ninety days after I returned home from Duke University Medical Center. 

The seven year battle before the transplant was only the beginning. 

What did I know, right? 

The  journey after transplant until June 2024  would become another test of faith and my mental strength.

We must trust God in the good times, the bad and the ugly. 

Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains as long as it is within his will for our lives.