Holy Week - Tuesday

Last night as I walked on the sky bridge over Kirby to the Reliant Stadium parking lot, it was very windy. A couple of gusts almost knocked me over, my friend Valerie paused a moment to catch her balance. (It wasn't raining, so there is no hair story here.) We were staggered by the wind going down the stairs into the parking lot as well.

I think the disciples were staggered when they saw the fig tree Jesus had cursed. Mark11:20-25 states:

20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Literally I staggered last night, but sometimes situations in life feel like a kick in the teeth and we are spiritually staggered. Jesus gives us the solution for life's situations: Faith

His word says - pray, believe you have received it, and it will be yours. There is an important detail here, one which many people refuse to acknowledge - if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

I prayed with a lady several times a few years ago, as a prayer minister my job is not to counsel, it is to listen, love, and pray. The Lord gave me a word of knowledge, He said she had to forgive her sister. I mentioned this, she said I will never forgive her, and the Lord knows I am right and He would never ask me to forgive that witch. I happen to know the prayer recipient mentally and physically declined so much that year, at a young age she was in a nursing home. The unforgiveness was like a barrel of toxic waste inside and one day the barrel leaked and she was poisoned so to speak.

When we forgive, we are cleansed...and the person or people who were forgiven no longer have power over us. The chains linking us to them are broken and we are free. Jesus did not endure the beating, the mocking, the spitting , the physical pain of crucifiction for us to live in bondage and defeat. He endured this because He loves us so much. He wants us to triumph over evil!