THE REASON WHY SOME CAN'T RECEIVE THEIR BLESSINGS IS BECAUSE OF THE GRUDGES THAT THEY STILL HOLD

Matthew 5:23-26; “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”

1. Many times bitterness causes us to hold grudges. When we have ought against our brethren, we should go to them and get it straight rather than hold on to it:

• Matthew 18:15; "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother."

Holding in grudges changes our behavior and our perception of others. We tend to treat people differently because whatever caused the grudge, we desire to avoid it.

1. This brings about walls and barriers so that people can't hurt us:

• Proverbs 19:11; "Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense."

But many times we shun the good folks and those that that are good for us because we have built walls that block access to us.

1. We will never stop needing people in this life, but when we have barriers created because of past hurts, we harm all of our future relationships: Leviticus 19:18; "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD."

The devil loves when we hold grudges against people. He knows that he can affect our lives forever when there is a grudge present.

1. It's like he has the legal right to control our lives when we harbor issues toward others:

• James 5:9; "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door."

Our physical bodies reflect a positive or negative thought life, and the grudge, being a negative attitude; will reveal itself in our speech and actions. We will become negative, bitter, unhappy people, our faces will show it, and our bodies will suffer from it.

Anxiety, Stress, Hostility, Hypertension, Depression, Substance abuse, and Over Eating can be effects of holding grudges against others. These issues can kill you. Hiding or harboring grudges against others will shorten your life and can make you unhealthy.

1. It's just not worth it: James 5:16; "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Your life can either be governed by YAHWEH or by how you have been treated. Holding grudges causes you to react to people the way you were treated many times. If you were hurt, you will hurt others trying to avoid being hurt. If you were neglected, you will neglect others trying to avoid being neglected. This pattern will cause you to constantly worry about being harmed and make you focus on the negatives instead of the positives in people because you are always looking for their angle. It's like living the lifestyle of a gangster or Mafia member. You constantly look over your shoulder and overthink every new situation looking for something bad to come of it.

1. This makes you cynical and makes it hard for you to open up to others and be honest:

• Philippians 4:8; "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

• Does this person get on my nerves, even when they are being kind to me?

• Do I spend a lot of time thinking about things they did to me?

• Has someone spoken to me about forgiving this person or possible forgiveness issues toward this person?

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• Do I relive and rehearse what happened when I think of this person?

• Do I resent this person for what they did?

Patience must have her perfect work in order for us to understand others. And holding a grudge challenges our patience and forfeits our blessings because if we cannot forgive others, we cannot pray effectively to receive from YAHWEH.

A grudge rests in the place where YAHWEH's love belongs and when a grudge is present; we are driven by negativity instead of positivity. Our actions will reflect this and it makes it very hard for YAHWEH to use us. We must open up and allow YAHWEH to heal us so we can truly forgive those that we resent. And the best way to do this is to remember all those that you hurt because of your own hurt!

This levels the playing field and puts us all in need of a savior which is Yeshua Hamshiah (Messiah/Christ).

He can give you the patience to forgive others just like you need forgiveness.

1. This helps us release the pain of grudges and move forward with the purpose YAHWEH has for us: Leviticus 19:18; “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

• Ephesians 4:32; “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as GOD for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

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!!"