MAN JUDGES THE OUTSIDE...BUT YAHWEH JUDGES THE HEART!!!

Many of us were taught that our Godliness had to be measured on a "spiritual" meter.

1. The more we got happy, spoke in tongues, or the louder we prayed and cried would show just how spiritually deep we are: Matthew 6:5; "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward."

Serving YAHWEH is not about appearing spiritual to others but rather operating in the roles that YAHWEH created us to operate in.

1. We are already spiritual and physical beings, so those are things we don't have to show to others to get the Attention of YAHWEH: Matthew 6:4; "That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."

Living a lifestyle pleasing to GOD is the only way to please YAHWEH.

What we do in ministry, at the altar, and in front of men is not what pleases YAHWEH.

People that put ministry above family have it backward. It's about being a good man, husband, and father, a good woman, wife, and mother.

1. These are our creation roles and these take priority over the ministry, after all, what kind of ministry do you have without it first starting in the home: 1 Timothy 3:5; "(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)"

Forgiveness reflects the character of YAHWEH.

1. If we are to truly be “Like Him” then we must be able to forgive just like He forgives:

• 1 John 1:9; "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Many times our anger causes us to view forgiveness as letting someone get away with something or being taken advantage of.

1. But a Child of YAHWEH must always focus on the good we should do rather than the evil that was done to us: Romans 12:21; "Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good."

Forgiving someone has everything to do with the way YAHWEH views us and not how others view us.

1. When we are able to pass over transgressions, the bible says we are adorned with beauty! Proverbs 19:11; "A man’s good sense makes him slow to wrath, and the overlooking of wrongdoing is his glory."

Unforgiveness is one of the greatest barriers in the life of Believers.

1. When we harbor resentment, anger, wrath, etc. stemming from unforgiveness, our prayer life suffers: Mark 11:25; "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

When a person’s prayer life is non-effective, they become pessimistic (tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen). They believe YAHWEH is GOD, but deep down they don’t really believe He will do anything for them.

1. A bitter root is formed over time and this causes severe physical and spiritual health issues: Hebrews 12:15; "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of GOD; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."

The root of bitterness that grows in us, when we do not forgive, chokes out the Gospel of Peace.

1. Instead of carrying peace, we carry strife, contention, and hopelessness with us:

• Proverbs 17:9; "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends."

When we harbor unforgiveness we hurt ourselves.

1. Our bodies were not designed to house the pressure of holding these emotions for long periods and our physical health is jeopardized: Proverbs 17:22; "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

• We may feel that we are getting people back when we do not forgive them, but what we are really doing is altering how we function based on what was done to us:

1. Proverbs 27:3; "A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both."

When we do not forgive, we are giving the person that hurt us a presence in our lives and allowing them to change the course of our lives forever.

1. But when we forgive, we are no longer driven by what they did to us:

• Proverbs 22:10; "Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease."

Forgiveness is the key to physical and spiritual healing. Many diseases and illnesses are a direct result of carrying hurt, pain, disappointment, resentment, regret, and anger about things that happened in our past.

1. But if we continue to harbor unforgiveness, our relationship with YAHWEH will be hindered and our bodies will suffer: EXAMPLE: Take a full sheet of paper and write the word “UNFORGIVENESS” on it.

Crumble the sheet of paper and hold it tightly with your right hand. Cover your right hand with your left hand and squeeze the paper as tightly as you can for 10 seconds. Open your hands and you will see that it only took 10 seconds for you to begin to feel discomfort. In 10 seconds your hand began to take on the shape of the sharp edges of the paper. Redness, soreness, and some immobility occurred in that small amount of time. Now imagine holding on to unforgiveness for years. Harboring and holding it in your body for extended periods will most definitely cause severe health issues.

1. You must forgive and let go today! Matthew 6:14-15; “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.”

Parental guidance shapes us in every way.

1. Our parents’ counsel is instrumental in the outcome of our childhood and our lifelong development: Proverbs 22:6; "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

The lack of guidance shapes us as well. The absence of parental guidance also has a lifelong impact.

1. Without it, we learn solely from observation in our environment: Proverbs 29:15; "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Our present state and circumstances are a result of our past. We are the products of our parents’ decisions and our own.

1. Consequently, our decisions are influenced by our parent’s behavior:

• Proverbs 22:15; "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."

It is often hard to forgive our parents for their bad decisions.

1. Forgiveness is especially difficult when we compare ourselves to others that had better life experiences: Colossians 3:13; "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

The only way to overcome the consequences of our parents’ decisions is to make better personal choices.

1. Good decisions, in our generation, will change our feelings about our past and put us in a better place: Psalms 34:14; "Depart from evil, and do good seek peace, and pursue it."

Our bad decisions make us resent ourselves and others. We usually feel disgusted towards those who harmed us and angry towards those who were supposed to protect us.

1. Even if we forgive others, we cannot experience freedom because a cycle of bad decisions keeps us angry and resentful toward others: Ecclesiastes 7:9; "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."

When we fail, it is common to feel disappointed.

1. We also may assign blame to a person or event in our lives in order to make sense of the hurt or to assuage our guilt: Matthew 7:4; "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender. It involves a mental release of the offense and why it was done.

1. You cannot let go of an offense if you continue to think about the “why” of the situation: Philippians 3:13; "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before."

The “why” will flood your thought processes and alter your current decisions.

1. You will begin to do things to try to overcome, or even mask feelings of resentment:

• 2 Peter 1:9; "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."

Hopelessness is birthed in our lives when we continuously think about things that we cannot change.

1. Fortunately, forgiving others, forgetting offenses, and making better decisions, will produce hope: 1 Peter 3:11; "Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it."

One of the greatest challenges about coming into the knowledge of truth is making adjustments in our lives and in our relationships with others. After embracing truth, we often wonder why others reject truth or haphazardly apply it. When we learn about ourselves and mature as believers, we often wonder why our parents made certain decisions. Yet, thinking about our parents' shortcomings will lead to hopelessness in our own hearts. If we forever dwell on their past decisions and grievances, we hold our parents in contempt. The decision to harbor unforgiveness towards our parents and others will make us miserable in our current state. Our current state can be improved because "the light of YAHWEH" has shined upon us and we can see more clearly than our parents, in some cases. We must take the knowledge of truth and apply it to our lives, in order to make better decisions for ourselves and our families. Good decisions will always make us feel better about the past. When we do good and reap blessings then we will find it easier to forgive, forget, and move on.

1. If we desire to combat resentment, bitterness, anger, and wrath, then we must do good to others and make better decisions for ourselves: Psalms 37:3; "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."

I WOULD RATHER BE UNCOMFORTABLE IN YESHUA...THEN COMFORTABLE WITH SATAN!!

"IF YOU'RE NOT WINNING SOULS FOR YESHUA...YOU DON'T WORK FOR YAHWEH...YOU'RE SELF-EMPLOYED!!"