Sound Mind Set

Colossians 1:11-14 NLTWe … pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.Focus on these key words from this passage. Strength … power … endurance … patience … joy … inheritance … belonging … light … rescue … deliverance … freedom … and forgiveness.On this final day of the week, consider this question …Where does the path to forgiveness lead?Where does it end and where are we when we arrive?The answer is a life filled with the words I just read. But all of those amazing gifts, promises, and qualities are found daily in, and through, and from, a relationship with Jesus Christ.Listen again and meditate on these words — these promises that are yours: Strength … power … endurance … patience … joy … inheritance … belonging … light … rescue … deliverance … freedom … and forgiveness.Let’s turn today’s passage into our prayer today:Father, I pray that You will strengthen me with all Your glorious power so that I will have all the endurance and patience I need. May I be filled with joy, always thanking You, Father. You have enabled me to share in the inheritance that belongs to Your people, who live in the light. For You have rescued me from the kingdom of darkness and transferred me into the Kingdom of Your dear Son, who purchased my freedom and forgave my sins. … As above, so below.

Romans 5:15-18 NLTThere is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.Through Adam’s choice to disobey God, he brought death. Through Christ’s obedience to God, He brought grace and forgiveness. Through Adam’s choice to disobey God, he brought condemnation. Through Christ’s obedience to God, He brought righteousness, along with the opportunity for a right relationship with God and new life for … who? Everyone who believes.Whose image do you feel like you live in day in and day out? Adam’s or Jesus’s? Through Jesus we are offered ‘new life’ - how does it feel for you to experience that all condemnation is lifted from you right now?Listen again, but this time, we will focus only on what Christ provides for you: There is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. … But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different … God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. … But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, … Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. (Romans 5:15-18 NLT)The word “gift” is used five times in this passage. God’s wonderful free gift of forgiveness and His righteousness. Today, His gift is yours. Receive it. Open it. Live it. Share it.Let’s pray: “Father, thank You for Your gift. Thank You that You offer this gift to me every day. Help me to receive what You give and be grateful that I can walk in true, real freedom and forgiveness. As above, so below.”

Ephesians 1:7 NLTHe is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.Our confession of sin—one time—triggers God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, cleansing, removal of sin, kindness, grace, and freedom. What an amazing deal for us once we simply get honest with God about what we have done.If you struggle with forgiving yourself for any past mistakes and sins, maybe it’s time to visualize a funeral for them.Confess, place them under the blood of Christ, and ask for forgiveness one final time.Commit to this being the last time you will bring it up. Just like when a funeral is over, you need to walk away once you’ve said your goodbyes. But now instead of mourning and grief, you say hello to freedom and forgiveness.What is a specific sin you are willing to confess and bury today?Listen once again to God’s promises and the finality of what happens once we confess:But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9 NLT)He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. —Psalm 103:12 NLTHe is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. (Ephesians 1:7 NLT)It is time to say a final goodbye to something God wants to see you let go of… that you know you need to let go of.As you can see, He has made your forgiveness and freedom available to you right now.How does it feel to know that God not only forgives your sins, but He forgets they even happened. What does it look like to accept you are living with a new reality, a clean slate.Let’s commit this to Him: “Father, I want today to say a final goodbye to the things that have held me back from receiving all You have for me. Today, I hand these things over You. Thank You now for Your faithfulness, forgiveness, cleansing, removal of sin, kindness, grace, and freedom. As above, so below.”

Matthew 18:21–22Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!Jesus was not teaching the disciples that on the four-hundred-and-ninety-first time someone offends you that you can then take action against them. Peter obviously thought adding up to seven was a huge display of grace, but Jesus corrected his math using multiplication.The idea here is that we forgive so much that you stop counting. We don’t add up offenses. We multiply grace and forgiveness.Another way of interpreting this passage is: Don’t keep score, just like God doesn’t with us. When you apply Jesus’ answer to the context of all New Testament teaching, the bottom line is we must forgive others as often as God forgives us.Is there someone in your life that you feel has or is pushing you far past seven times? In fact, you are thinking right now that they might be nearing the “seventy times seven” range? Picture that person in your mind now.Listen to The Message Bible’s version of this passage:At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21–22 MSG)I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that God doesn’t keep score or have a “sin quota” that once we go over, we run out of His grace. Doesn’t it make sense that as His followers He would expect us to do the same?Wounded people, like us, tend to want to apply justice to the wrongs that have been done, especially to us. Extending grace does not equal diminishing the offense, or the effect of it. Rather, Grace, in this case, is allowing God to be the judge and jury. Not us. He is our defender. In fact, letting go of offense is actually OUR pursuit of freedom and has nothing to do with the offender. Perhaps, this is why Jesus is so emphatic about it.As we said yesterday - in our strength alone it can feel impossible to let go of offenses.Ask your Father for the strength to surrender the offenses against you.Let’s pray: “Father, thank you that You don’t keep score with my sin. Please help me to stop keeping score with others. Help me to let things go, I confess I have a hard time on my own strength. Teach me to live in Your grace and share Your grace with others. As above, so below.”

While Jesus certainly taught us all about God’s love, mercy, and grace, some of the toughest words He spoke were about forgiveness … and the lack of forgiveness.Matthew 6:12-15 NIV“And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Jesus included forgiveness in a very short example of how to talk to God, in what came to be known as The Lord’s Prayer. But then immediately following the prayer, He continued His teaching on forgiveness. It is important that we notice in verse 12 that Jesus says “Forgive us as we forgive.” Connecting that phrase to verses 14 and 15 communicates that God expects us to keep our slate clean and our list empty of what we hold against others. So He can then do the same for us. This does not mean that God is unable to forgive, but because He is God, He has a divine order for everything that He knows is always the best thing for us.Staying free of bitterness and unforgiveness, along with being forgiven for our offenses, is the healthiest path for us all.Do you have an “I will never forgive that person” list? An “I can never forgive that person” list? Sometimes it is only through God’s strength that we are able to forgive.Think of that person as I personalize Jesus’ words from this passage again:“And forgive me of my sins, as I have forgiven those who sin against me. And don’t let me yield to temptation, but rescue me from the evil one. “If I forgive those who sin against me, my heavenly Father will forgive me. But if I refuse to forgive others, my Father will not forgive my sins.” (Matthew 6:12-15 NIV)We need to avoid the temptation to view Jesus’s words as harsh, but rather as what it takes for us to be our best and healthiest in the sight of God. Again, often on our strength alone it can feel impossible to take this very important step.Ask your Father for the strength to forgive as you have been forgiven.Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, I want to lay my list of people I can’t, or struggle to, forgive before You right now. I confess I battle with forgiving them. Father, I don’t want anything to come between my relationship with You, so please give me the strength and obedience to follow Your words—to release them and forgive them for good—just as You have forgiven me for my offenses and sins against You and others. As above, so below.”

For our final day this week, we are going to meditate completely on Scripture that expresses gratitude. Take these passages into your mind, heart, and spirit.(Psalm 100 NLT) Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.(Psalm 105:1-4 NLT) Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.(Psalm 106:1-2 NLT)Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him enough?(Psalm 107:1-2 NLT) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.(Psalm 108:1-5 NLT) My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! … I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.(Revelation 5:11-13 NLT) I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”Pray “Lord Jesus, thank You for forgiveness and freedom. As I accept Your forgiveness and freedom, help me always to grant forgiveness and freedom to others. You are worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. As above, so below.”

In John 11, we find the story of Jesus coming to Lazarus’s tomb after he had died. When He arrived, Jesus said:“Go ahead, take away the stone.” They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.” Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.” (Luke 11:41-44 MSG) It’s fascinating that the first thing Jesus did was to have the stone removed that was blocking the tomb. Then to raise a man from the dead, He began by expressing gratitude to God, His Father. After thanking God for listening and responding, He commanded the man’s resurrection and ultimate freedom.Think about a situation in your life where you are struggling. Is there a situation that seems hopeless - that feels dead and you desire new life.Listen once again to Jesus’s main commands: “Go ahead, take away the stone.”… Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful … Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, … Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.” (Luke 11:41-44 MSG) Our stone can be rolled away to free us. Can you trust God to resurrect hope that seems dead?You can come out of your struggle with a renewed and transformed life from witnessing God’s miraculous power.Let’s pray together: “Father, thank You for resurrection and new life. Thank You that You have power over sin and death. Thank You that You forgive and offer real freedom. I believe You today for all these in my life. As above, so below.”

Matthew 8:2-4 MSGThen a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.” Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”The famous saying by St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel everywhere and if necessary, use words”. Francis’s wisdom reflects Jesus’s teaching in that a radically healed and changed life will always speak louder and be respected more than any sermon from a life that just looks like everyone else’s.When God forgives any sinner and sets that person free, the reality of a changed life will result in a constant reflection of gratitude to Him that flows out of a transformed heart.How has your heart been changed or transformed through Jesus? What is noticeable about your life that points towards God and His Grace ?Listen once again to Jesus’s final instructions to the healed leper: Just quietly present your healed body … along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.” (Matthew 8:2-4 MSG) St. Francis was certainly right in his day, and most especially today in our current culture. People are longing to witness a forgiven, grateful, and transformed life. That message never gets old and always makes a difference. Today, choose to let your cleansed and grateful life bear witness to what Jesus has done in your attitudes, words, and actions.Let’s pray to that end: “Father, may all I am be a reflection of all You are. May my life speak loud about You and all You have done for me. Today, I am forgiven. Today, I am grateful. As above, so below.”

Psalm 138:1-3 MSGThank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!” Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength.In this passage, King David’s gratitude is all encompassing. Everything in him says “Thank you.” Nothing is held back. All of his heart, soul and mind kneel and worship God.David’s gratitude is expressed specifically about God’s love, His faithfulness, His name, and His Word.David’s gratitude has an origin and a reason for being: the moment I called out, You stepped in and brought strength.Gratitude cannot be fully expressed until the reason for gratitude has been fully recognized. Our busy, often distracted lives can cause us to miss God’s goodness. Our self-focused perspective can keep our eyes on our perceived lack, not our realized gain.Listen again to David’s appeal to God: Thank you! Everything in me says “Thank you!” Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. (Psalm 138:1-3 MSG) If you know Christ today, if you have a relationship with God, then He has indeed stepped in; He has most certainly made your life large with strength, even in Your darkest moments. There is power for daily living in gratitude.What are areas of you life, or people in your life that you should express your gratefulness right now?Can you thank him for the challenges too, knowing He will use them for you good?Let’s pray using David’s words: “Thank you! Everything in me says ‘Thank you!’ Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: “Thank you!” Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. As above, so below.”

In Luke 7, Jesus was teaching about forgiveness and gratitude Luke 7:41-47 MSG Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.” “That’s right,” said Jesus. … but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”Oftentimes, we view sin as if God has levels of disobedience. We can get into debates on whose sin was the greater. While God in His perfection sees things as black and white, He knows the sin we struggle with causes us to view things in such a skewed way. Here, Jesus was allowing for that mindset by acknowledging that the more we are forgiven of, the more grateful we will be. Why? Because the more shame we feel, the greater relief we experience when forgiven. The farther we have fallen, the higher we can rise up.In your life, how have you experienced this dynamic—what is something that you have felt the most shame for?Knowing that, if you have asked for it, that sin is completely forgiven… like it never happened, how does that make your heart feel?Focus on feeling that great gratitude, let it uplift you spirit.Listen once again to Jesus’s main points: Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?” … speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman?... She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” (Luke 7:41-47 MSG) The path to avoiding arrogance and staying humble is to maximize our gratitude. The road to staying forgiven before God is to continually acknowledge sin and practice being grateful each day.Let’s pray: “Father, I never want to take Your forgiveness for granted. I also don’t want to view sin as what I do being less than anyone else’s offense. Help me to stay clean before You. Help me to keep my list short and my gratitude constant. As above, so below.”