In light of the world-shaking news that during a top-secret ambush in Pakistan, a man of great abhorrent behaviors has been killed... Many people dance and sing songs in celebration...others simply reflect upon the last fifteen years of his terrorizing attacks, the pain and sorrow that followed him in path of destruction. People hate him--hate him so much that they rejoice in his death holding that hatred inside their hearts. One look at his photograph and we want so badly to despise him, make him hurt as much as he has hurt us. The simple remembrance is adequate enough to feel mixed emotions of anger, hurt, sadness, hate...As I type this I am blinking back tears, tender-hearted and realizing how much pain this one man has caused in his lifetime. Even in death, his name, his legacy, the consequences of his actions live on in us...the hatred he spread still lives in us as we continue to hate him, despise him and still think of the wounds in our hearts. We hold on to him instead of letting his regime die with him.
I have a question for you...and before you answer, I want you to ask your inner spirit to lead you into full understanding, an open heart, and most of all, a sound mind. For the question I ask will center many thoughts around a controversial battleground...there will be room for evil to enter in and you must seek the real truth. Use your spirit to guide you, not your heart, for your emotions will cloud your sight. Do not ask your mind to guide you for you will be tempted to use worldly logic and reason to define the answer. If you are a Christian whose principles are based upon the spiritual connection to God, you have been given a gift of His Spirit...the most beautiful and pure way to decipher truth...Use Him to guide you. John 16:13 says, "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." The truth has come from God, the all-knowing deity. If you are not a believer or do not have that relationship, then I ask you to look deep within your humanity and find truth in an outside area of your mind for that is the one thing all humans have in common--the deep connection in human compassion.
Is there such a thing as unforgivable?
Let's define that. "not excusable"
Not worthy to receive pardon for or remission of an offense, debt, etc.; someone whose actions cannot be absolved, forgotten, dissolved.
In the world there are varying degrees of "forgivable"...We can forgive each other for small offenses, for anything that hurts our feelings, to a crime that involves true intention of harm. But why? Why does anyone forgive another?
1. The effects of offender's actions did not cause harm;
2. obligation;
3. True human compassion, love, and empathy.
What can you forgive? What do you refuse to forgive?
Another deep question: Do you think you could ever forgive Osama bin Laden for his actions here on earth?
I forgive him. I forgive him of his offenses. I forgive him for the blood spilled...his fiery terror. I forgive him...
Because I must.
As much as I want to say that he doesn't deserve forgiveness, I am convicted. I am wrong. God says to forgive others as we want to be forgiven. (Colossions 3:13)
Be quiet.
I know you're arguing in your mind. Your heart is angered. You don't want to forgive him. He has offended the very foundation of our lives in his days as a terrorist. He has the blood of over 3,400 people on his hands. His sins outweigh the worst sins that are forgivable....
because we want to believe that...It's so much easier to be led into darkness because we cannot see where we are going. We are blinded. We cannot see the path when we are surrounded by darkness.
Look to the light. In the light, all darkness is exposed. We are all born into sin...into darkness. The world we live in isn't clean; it isn't light. (Ephesians 6:12). We all fall far from perfection, but yet we can move into the light and not perish, for the resurrected son of God was the perfect sacrifice who atoned for the sins we commit. (John 3:16). When we accept the Spirit of God in us and realize who Jesus is, we can be free of damnation...we are forgiven...if and when we ask for it. We can lift the darkness away. "Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter;" Mark 3:28.
This scripture goes on to say, "...but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin because they were saying, 'He has an unclean spirit.' " (3:29-30)
So wait a minute--there is something we aren't forgiven of?
Yes, and that is denying the Spirit.
We can deny the Son...we can deny God, but we cannot be forgiven for denying the Spirit.
Something that I find comforting though, is that many people deny God, His Son, and His Spirit before salvation...and that is because they are in the darkness and haven't seen the light...yet. They don't recognize the existence of the Godhead and His Treasures at first. Once they have come to experience light and have darkness lifted, they can be saved through the graces of God since they are now baptized with the Spirit--the very one they never experienced--they are baptized by the blood that washes us all clean. Those, however, that live in the light and deny the spirit are guilty of the unforgivable sin.
However, if they had been truly living in the light--fully converted, they would have cherished the Spirit, living in light and seeing dark places in the heart. There would be no reason to deny the Spirit--as these people would have witnessed and have known the Spirit... So those who deny the Spirit aren't saved to begin with. They are convinced to be living in light when darkness is evidently guiding them. And until they recognize that sin, they die with it and it is unforgivable.
What the Spirit is meant for is more than just a friendly spirit that nags us--He is to be like a best friend--a father, a mother--a comforter, a teacher, a counselor...He's the way we communicate with God. The Spirit speaks on our behalf to Jesus, who is our advocate to God. Jesus then tells God that since He died on the cross for us and received atonement for our sins, we are forgiven of sin when we ask for it, and when we truly repent of our actions.
How do we repent?
Repenting is a process, not a single step. It involves first of all, acknowledging the wrong we commit. Secondly, we confess it. We tell God we have committed this particular offense. We next ask God for forgiveness of this sin--and need to ask for deliverance of this offense so we cannot commit it again. Finally, we must take precautions against committing the offense again, defending our decision to not sin anymore. If we fall, we are to repent again...and again...and again. That isn't to say we should purposely disobey God either...but we need to make a concerted effort to live in His light and truth. Nothing is too powerful nor tempting to overcome your convictions. All things are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26) However, since you are in possession of said power, you could easily hand the reigns to the enemy and let him steer you off-course. But God always awaits your return to Him.
But I tell you, God knows us. He knows the sins we have committed, and furthermore, He knows the sins we will commit. Want proof? Look at Judas. Jesus, by the Spirit of God, had been told that Judas would betray him...a great sin in denying him and the Spirit, yet He still allowed Judas to participate in the miracles. God can still uses us, despite our wrong doings--to His glory. Judas wasn't forgiven since he was never truly saved to begin with...how could he have been if He denied God and didn't repent? He died with that sin on his heart.
It is only because it is written from the Spirit that we know this. If it weren't written, we still wouldn't have the authority or equality of God to know the heart of this man. We would only know him through his actions...and if that were enough to judge a person, then we would all be equal to God. Being said from a human stance, we cannot judge. We are imperfect and have darkness in us. Unless we are pure, with no darkness in our hearts, we are not equal to God to judge.
And since I've explained the principles of Christianity that I cling to and live by, I hope it is clear the reason I am able to forgive Osama bin Laden, the man. We are all born to be God's kids, and we are to love Him first, and one another, secondly, despite all offenses. (Matthew 22:38-39).
My human compassion seeks to find the human behind that monster mask. I stand behind my conviction and revelation that no person can be the face of evil...no, that belongs to the ruler of darkness: Satan. Even his angels are not the faces of evil, but merely limbs of the embodiment of evil. This person...Osama bin Laden...this man that we know to be a monster, a demon...evil...was once a child, and even had a heart and spirit. He was a man...a man of flesh, bones, and DNA--the very same DNA we are made of...yet, he was one human that did many, many horrendous things.
At this time, I confess to you that I am seeing things through God's eyes....I don't see just the evil. When I look at his photograph or see a video clip of him, the human part of me despises his face and wants to spit at him; my spirit recognizes evil oozing in heaps of gaseous fumes around his ears and hands--a demon sitting on his shoulder, whispering and laughing, fumes of hate protruding in his breath; but my heart is saddened. In the most honest sense, I cry for that man. I see a lost man. A very misguided, lost man whose life mission was to destroy the foundations that we, as Americans, live by. In his own spiritual and religious beliefs, he stated that he was defending his beliefs and acting upon the orders of his god. His "god". Not my god. His "god" (not a grand deity, but rather a metaphorical god, to whom he had devoted his services) disguised himself as a light...led him down a path of evil. Evil can disguise itself and wrap itself around a person like a shawl. It seems friendly...like the serpent in Genesis, but it has contemptuous intentions. "He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?' " (2 Timothy 3:13). A person cannot recognize his own evil without having seen the light to compare it.
As Jesus wept in grief for the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) I feel saddened for the man who is eternally lost. He died with the blood of 3,500+ people on his hands...but this is his own fault. Even though I know he made his own choices, my heart questions if he really knew better. If a child is lead astray and stays astray from his real family, he or she doesn't ever know them until the truth is revealed...if it is revealed and received.
As hard as it is for us, especially for all the families and people he had directly effected, we must forgive him--not for him and not for God, but for ourselves.
What a bitter, bitter root unforgiveness is. That awful enemy used that man's life and his death to instill seeds of hatred and unforgiveness. Osama bin Laden was nothing more than an instrument used for evil. I feel sad for that man because he probably wasn't ever loved by any human being on this earth, except by Jesus, for Jesus loved all of us so much that he died for us...all of us, over 2,000 years ago. (John 3:16). My heart wants to cry tears of rue that bin Laden never had the kind of love in his life that saved my life...In prayer, I hope that the evil will flee in the presence of all people, that those of us who are armored with God's breastplate, using His love as our only weapon, can penetrate the roots of evil and sever it from this world...I know that it will happen. Revelations reveals the end of evil, but we cannot predict that time.
Please take these words and meditate on them. It was laid upon my heart yesterday to write on offenses and whether or not to forgive of them. I am freed from the evils that envelop bin Laden's legacy, the one that will live on as long as people harbor hatred and unforgiveness for him...simply because I choose to forgive him. At this time, I must state that while I forgive the man that Osama bin Laden was, I cannot forgive the evil he did.
I leave you with Psalm 97:10-12:
Be blessed!
With buckets of forgiveness, love, and respect,
Your Emmy.
Repenting is a process, not a single step. It involves first of all, acknowledging the wrong we commit. Secondly, we confess it. We tell God we have committed this particular offense. We next ask God for forgiveness of this sin--and need to ask for deliverance of this offense so we cannot commit it again. Finally, we must take precautions against committing the offense again, defending our decision to not sin anymore. If we fall, we are to repent again...and again...and again. That isn't to say we should purposely disobey God either...but we need to make a concerted effort to live in His light and truth. Nothing is too powerful nor tempting to overcome your convictions. All things are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26) However, since you are in possession of said power, you could easily hand the reigns to the enemy and let him steer you off-course. But God always awaits your return to Him.
But I tell you, God knows us. He knows the sins we have committed, and furthermore, He knows the sins we will commit. Want proof? Look at Judas. Jesus, by the Spirit of God, had been told that Judas would betray him...a great sin in denying him and the Spirit, yet He still allowed Judas to participate in the miracles. God can still uses us, despite our wrong doings--to His glory. Judas wasn't forgiven since he was never truly saved to begin with...how could he have been if He denied God and didn't repent? He died with that sin on his heart.
It is only because it is written from the Spirit that we know this. If it weren't written, we still wouldn't have the authority or equality of God to know the heart of this man. We would only know him through his actions...and if that were enough to judge a person, then we would all be equal to God. Being said from a human stance, we cannot judge. We are imperfect and have darkness in us. Unless we are pure, with no darkness in our hearts, we are not equal to God to judge.
And since I've explained the principles of Christianity that I cling to and live by, I hope it is clear the reason I am able to forgive Osama bin Laden, the man. We are all born to be God's kids, and we are to love Him first, and one another, secondly, despite all offenses. (Matthew 22:38-39).
My human compassion seeks to find the human behind that monster mask. I stand behind my conviction and revelation that no person can be the face of evil...no, that belongs to the ruler of darkness: Satan. Even his angels are not the faces of evil, but merely limbs of the embodiment of evil. This person...Osama bin Laden...this man that we know to be a monster, a demon...evil...was once a child, and even had a heart and spirit. He was a man...a man of flesh, bones, and DNA--the very same DNA we are made of...yet, he was one human that did many, many horrendous things.
At this time, I confess to you that I am seeing things through God's eyes....I don't see just the evil. When I look at his photograph or see a video clip of him, the human part of me despises his face and wants to spit at him; my spirit recognizes evil oozing in heaps of gaseous fumes around his ears and hands--a demon sitting on his shoulder, whispering and laughing, fumes of hate protruding in his breath; but my heart is saddened. In the most honest sense, I cry for that man. I see a lost man. A very misguided, lost man whose life mission was to destroy the foundations that we, as Americans, live by. In his own spiritual and religious beliefs, he stated that he was defending his beliefs and acting upon the orders of his god. His "god". Not my god. His "god" (not a grand deity, but rather a metaphorical god, to whom he had devoted his services) disguised himself as a light...led him down a path of evil. Evil can disguise itself and wrap itself around a person like a shawl. It seems friendly...like the serpent in Genesis, but it has contemptuous intentions. "He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, 'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?' " (2 Timothy 3:13). A person cannot recognize his own evil without having seen the light to compare it.
As Jesus wept in grief for the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) I feel saddened for the man who is eternally lost. He died with the blood of 3,500+ people on his hands...but this is his own fault. Even though I know he made his own choices, my heart questions if he really knew better. If a child is lead astray and stays astray from his real family, he or she doesn't ever know them until the truth is revealed...if it is revealed and received.
As hard as it is for us, especially for all the families and people he had directly effected, we must forgive him--not for him and not for God, but for ourselves.
What a bitter, bitter root unforgiveness is. That awful enemy used that man's life and his death to instill seeds of hatred and unforgiveness. Osama bin Laden was nothing more than an instrument used for evil. I feel sad for that man because he probably wasn't ever loved by any human being on this earth, except by Jesus, for Jesus loved all of us so much that he died for us...all of us, over 2,000 years ago. (John 3:16). My heart wants to cry tears of rue that bin Laden never had the kind of love in his life that saved my life...In prayer, I hope that the evil will flee in the presence of all people, that those of us who are armored with God's breastplate, using His love as our only weapon, can penetrate the roots of evil and sever it from this world...I know that it will happen. Revelations reveals the end of evil, but we cannot predict that time.
Please take these words and meditate on them. It was laid upon my heart yesterday to write on offenses and whether or not to forgive of them. I am freed from the evils that envelop bin Laden's legacy, the one that will live on as long as people harbor hatred and unforgiveness for him...simply because I choose to forgive him. At this time, I must state that while I forgive the man that Osama bin Laden was, I cannot forgive the evil he did.
I leave you with Psalm 97:10-12:
"Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."
Be blessed!
With buckets of forgiveness, love, and respect,
Your Emmy.
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