The Strength to Forgive

Hello,

Blessed be the name of the Lord! I am thankful for another day to lift up the name of Jesus! I hope this finds you well today!

Here’s what we have today:

• The Strength to Forgive

• Deciding to Follow Jesus ❤️

• Join Me in a Short Prayer 🙏

The Strength to Forgive

God’s forgiveness allows us to come before Him washed clean of all our sins, and it opens the door for us to be with Christ in heaven one day.

Thanks be to God that we are forgiven by the blood that Jesus freely shed for us on the cross of Calvary.

Christ has freely forgiven us, but why is it sometimes so hard for us to forgive others who have wronged us? Even when we know what the Bible tells us.

As Christians, we are called to forgive those who have wronged us, but sometimes, that can seem a hard thing to do, especially if they have hurt us so dearly.

People can be cruel or uncaring at times, and their words or actions can leave deep scars in our hearts and minds that hurt for years to come.

It can seem impossible to forgive them, but I tell you that forgiveness is not only possible but absolutely necessary for our own sake.

Jesus Himself tells us of the importance of forgiveness in our lives:

These are not my own words but the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Forgiving others is not just important, but it is essential to our own freedom and forgiveness. As Christians, we must not harbor unforgiveness in our hearts because it affects us even more than the one we cannot forgive.

Let us all pray that God will give us the strength to forgive others just as we have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Remember what the Bible tells us about forgiving others.

Deciding to Follow Jesus ❤️

The beloved Christian hymn, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” takes its origins all the way back to Assam, India nearly 150 years ago.

During this time there was a great revival in Wales, located in the United Kingdom and many Christian missionaries were sent out, some to Northeast India.

The Assam region at that time was home to many tribes of head hunters who were known to be brutal towards outsiders.

A missionary came to one of the tribes and shared the gospel with a man named Nokseng, who accepted the Lord Jesus along with his wife and two children.

The chief of the tribe heard and was outraged about this, calling Nokseng and his family to come before him.

The chief demanded that Nokseng renounce his new faith or face the punishment of death, to which Nokseng filled with the Holy Spirit replied:

“I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”

Upon hearing this the enraged chief ordered his men to kill Nokseng’s children right before his eyes.

As Nokseng tearfully watched his children fall lifeless to the ground, the chief demanded once again for him to deny his faith.

“Though no one joins me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.”

Under the chief's order, Nokseng’s wife was then shot to death with arrows and fell to the floor before his feet.

Again, the angry chief shouted at Nokseng to renounce his faith or face death, “I will give you one last chance to deny your faith and live!”

“The cross before me, the world behind me, no turning back, no turning back.” Nokseng replied.

The Chief, overcome with his own rage gave the order and Nokseng himself was shot through with arrows from the chief’s men.

The Chief could not understand why one of his villagers would give his life and the lives of his family for a man who had died nearly 2,000 years ago.

He was overcome with emotion as he thought about the situation and suddenly the Holy Spirit touched his stone-cold heart and he exclaimed:

“I too belong to Jesus!”

After this, the whole village accepted Jesus and great revival ensued and many thousands gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ

This is the true story behind the hymn “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”.

May we all have the same faith as Nokseng who stood for Jesus even during his final moments!

Spread the Word of God ⛪️

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Join Me in a Short Prayer 🙏

Lord, thank you for your great forgiveness for me and please help me never to forget the great price that was paid through the shedding of Christ’s blood.

Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to forgive others even when it seems impossible, for I know that all things are possible with You, Oh Lord.

Lord, thank you for the inspiring story of Nokseng, who gave His life for Jesus. Help me to have that same kind of faith even in the midst of life’s greatest trials

In the Almighty Name of Jesus, I pray, AMEN!

Let Us Pray For You 👇

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