Let It Go!

Have you checked out this month’s DISCOVERING VICTORY podcast? Dr. Roger Willmore is our featured Bible teacher on this month’s podcast. Check it out @ November Podcast

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.—Romans 3:25

Thanks for joining me on this new week of Freedom Fighter blogs. I really appreciate you taking the time to join me each week day.

Last week I had one of those days were as a friend said, “Some days you are the pigeon and some days you are the statute!”

Have you ever had one of those days? Weeks? Well the cool thing was that the day I had one of those discouraging moments, God spoke from the pen of Nancy DeMoss from her new devotional, The Quiet Place:

“FORBEARANCE” isn’t a word we hear much today, but if we learn to practice it on a daily basis, it can become one of our greatest weapons in staving off bitterness, contention, and unforgiveness.

To forbear means to show restraint, to be patient in the face of provocation, to be long-suffering, willing to put up with people’s actions and inactions—to let things go. Forbearance is actually a by-product of love, the kind of love, as Paul put it so eloquently in 1 Corinthians 13, that “is not provoked … does not take into account a wrong suffered … bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (verses 5–7 NASB).

Yes, some offenses need to be confronted and dealt with. But many others—most, in fact—just need to be overlooked and put away. (Our problem is, we tend to confront the sins we should overlook, and overlook the sins we should confront!)

A lack of forbearance in our homes and everyday circumstances causes us to exaggerate offenses until, as Charles Spurgeon said, “a [fly’s] egg becomes as huge as ever was laid by an ostrich.” It magnifies tension and intensifies conflict. It erects walls in relationships, makes us petty and peevish, and severs us from our friends. I’m convinced that many divorces could be averted if one or both partners would practice the grace of forbearance.

Many tensions and misunderstandings in the workplace would vanish if we would be more forbearing with one another. Bigger issues are sure to arise, requiring a great measure of forgiveness. Learning to forbear today is valuable practice for being able to forgive later.

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh Leigh (2012-09-01). The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings (Kindle Locations 5795-5806). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

I loved the word picture about not exaggerating an offense by not making bigger than a fly’s egg!!! I needed to hear that. How about you? I need to learn forbearance. How about you? – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Isaiah 43-44; Proverbs 8; Philippians 4

Motivations: I was not born to be free. I was born to adore and to obey. C. S. Lewis

Practice to Remember: Level 1:James 1:17; Level 2: James 1:19-27

Powered Up:  Until we reach for the impossible through fervent, faith-filled prayer, we will never fulfill our created purpose! David Smithers