Struggling to Forgive (Proverbs 4:23)

Today’s Bible Verse: "Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. - (Proverbs 4:23)

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Full Transcript Below:

Hello, thank you for listening to your daily bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day to learn more about God and His will for us. I'm your host, Carolyn McCracken. And after a short word from our sponsor, we'll dive into today's Bible verse Proverbs 4:23.

Today's Bible verse is Proverbs 4:23. "Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it."

 Today we're delving into a topic that many of us can relate to the struggle to forget. I have a friend who is grappling with righteous anger trying to forgive someone for a rather serious events. She's feeling guilty about her inability to do so. I deeply respect her are reaching out to discuss and process her guilt rather than keeping it all to herself. I've been in her shoes before and I can tell you it is not a pleasant place to be. When faced with the challenge of forgiving someone. practical steps aligned with biblical principles can guide the journey toward healing. 

Begin with introspection, acknowledging your own emotions and seeking God's guidance. Proverbs 4:23 advises, above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. Now guarding your heart involves assessing the offenses impact on your emotions and recognizing the need for forgiveness. It's a very good place to begin. In my opinion. Introspection is always good, but that's just the beginning. Because as I was reminded at a woman's conference I attended, our words are potent, their power, and there is a connection between the mouth and the heart. Sooner or later our mouth reflects what flows from the heart. If we've been offended, how we respond reflects what's happening in our hearts. We may have righteous anger in our hearts, but how do we use words, they'll have an impact. Note that the birth says above all else. 

This takes on a level of importance. David Guzik points out in his commentary in the blue Letter Bible, the heart is a reservoir, and change must begin there. If the reservoir is polluted, it does no good to fix the pipes and the valves, emotions, feelings, motives and affections are all in heart. And if we allow it to be polluted by allowing our anger to grow without check, it's going to come out as such. And at the same women's conference, a very wise thing that seems so obvious but happens all the time. Nothing slams a door faster than a bullish mouth. This further complicates the problem of struggling to forgive, you need to forgive now, we may need to be forgiven, which is a potentially ugly cycle. Don't get me wrong, we all said things we shouldn't in the moment. And to the extent that we can, we must keep our hearts full of good things. And not everything's in our control. I realize that we live in a broken world. Thank goodness, we don't have to do this on our own power. We can lean on God through the Holy Spirit. Trust me on this. It takes practice, but it's some of the best advice I ever received. Proverbs in the Bible is a collection of sayings generally believed to be written, or at least curated by Solomon. Solomon was the king of Israel. In the Old Testament, He was chosen by God to oversee the building of the temple floor God, a place of worship and indwelling place. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God granted it along with great wealth and prosperity. These proverbs were thought to teach how to live wisely as one who worshiped God. guarding our hearts is a warning not to give into our emotions at the moment. It might feel justified and reasonable at first, but it can harden our hearts from forgiveness. God ultimately wants to heal our hearts and keep them full of good things so our mouths will speak good things and he can use our mouths for His glory. 

Consider the transformative power of empathy Colossians 3:13 implores believers to forgive as the Lord forgave them, reflect on instances where you sought forgiveness and extend that grace to others. This empathetic approach facilitates a mindset shift from resentment to compassion. In practical forgiveness may involve setting boundaries to protect yourself while actively choosing to release resentment Ephesians 4:31-32 encourages believers to "get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, and to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." 

In the recovery community, we're taught that resentment is an enemy to recovery from an addiction. It lives and grows in our hearts. And what do we do if someone doesn't deserve our forgiveness? Well, we're forgive anyway. forgiveness doesn't mean we forget. But unforgiveness grows and festers and our hearts and hardens them and what's in our hearts will flow out at some point. Prayer works wonders in these types of situations. My friend may never be able to forgive in her own power. But when she asks God to help her as she has done, he hears, and as time passes, each day is a little closer to forgiveness. And when she forgives, she has freedom. 

Ultimately, forgiveness is a process not a one time event. As you navigate this journey, draw strength from biblical teachings, trusting that forgiveness is a divine gift that brings freedom to both the forgiver and the forgiven. 

Let's pray. Dear Lord, You tell us to guard our hearts. Help us to do such a thing. It's so easy as we live here on this earth to get offended and to give offence and Lord you knew all of that this isn't nothing new to win, Lord, you gave us what we need, what we need to live in this world and reflect your glory. But Lord, I freely admit it's really hard sometimes. It's really hard to forgive. And we believe in righteous anger. And sometimes anger protects But Lord, you never meant for our hearts to be hardened from it. Help us to forgive as you forgave. Help us to reflect you best. Lord reminded us that it is not in our own power that we have to struggle with this. You are there. And your precious and holy name we pray, Amen.

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