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Archive for August, 2012

{Forgiveness} What Biblical Forgiveness is NOT

Posted on: August 30th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments
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Along the way, speaking to those around me, I’ve come across many misconceptions about forgiveness. The word forgiveness has been tainted by culture. Biblical forgiveness, in fact, differs from the forgiveness that the world offers, and I believe many misconceptions are birthed out of these cultural falsehoods. Yet, before we explore what Biblical forgiveness looks like, I’d like to look at what it is not. Biblical Forgiveness is NOT: Justifying/diminishing/approving of/enabling sin or saying that the wrong committed was in any way acceptable or okay What happened to you or what happened to me will never be okay. Sins were committed, and Biblically, sin is never justifiable. In fact, the wage of sin is death. Yet, while no sin will ever be justified, all sin is forgivable. Simply look to the cross and you’ll see the son man dying a bloody death, suffering like no one before or since. It is…

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{Forgiveness} Why We Forgive – Part 2

Posted on: August 27th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment
God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christian forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness story, forgiveness stories, inspirational forgiveness stories, inspirational forgiveness testimonies, Biblical forgiveness, Colossians 3:13, forgiveness is not an option, forgiveness is a command, Sermon on the mount, matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 6:14, Matthew 6:15, God's heart, the heart of God, why does god have all these rules, why does god have rules, why does god have laws, love, god's love, commands, commandments, god knows best, follow jesus, following jesus, obey, obedience, obey god, for our good, glory of god, healing, heal, lay down our pride, pride, strength to forgive, how do you forgive, how do i forgive, why do i forgive, why do i need to forgive, decision to forgive, decide to forgive,

As explored in Why We Forgive – Part 1, we are called to forgive because we have been forgiven. In respect to forgiveness, God simply asks us to give that which He so graciously gave us. And that’s just it. God asks us to forgive, which means that forgiveness is not an option. [Tweet that] Colossians 3:13 says, “as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” It’s a command. Jesus tells us during His Sermon on the Mount, For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15 While this command may seem harsh, we need to look at the heart of God to gain understanding. We know God is not just loving, but that––as the bible says––God is love. That’s simply who He is. It’s part of His character….

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{Forgiveness} Why We Forgive – Part 1

Posted on: August 24th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments
Prayer, i prayed all night, trust God, trusting God, Luke 23:34, father forgive them, father forgive them for they know not what they do, because jesus forgives us we forgive, we forgive because jesus forgave us,we forgive because jesus forgives us, bought with a price, trust Jesus, trusting Jesus, following God, following Jesus, Jesus, God, Christ, Christian, forgiveness, why do we forgive, why do I need to forgive, why am i an enemy of God, enemy of god, why is jesus the only way, is jesus the only way, far from god, God loves me, does god love me, jesus loves me, does jesus love me, Hebrews 9:22, Jesus died for me, did Jesus die for me, rebellion, why did Jesus need to die, penalty of sin, death, penalty of sin is death, cross, jesus cross, what makes forgiveness possible, forgiveness is possible, what makes forgiveness possible, 1 Corinthians 7:23, first corinthians 7:23, who am i to not forgive, loving your enemy, how do you love your enemy, love your enemy, how do I love my enemy, the cost of forgiveness, bought with a price, C.S. Lewis, cs lewis, God has forgiven the inexcusable in you, Jesus forgives us, Jesus forgave us, dying in the cross, dying on a cross, Jesus forgives those kill him, salvation, what is jesus asking me to do,

After God called to bring Anthony a bible, I spent most of the night in prayer, asking Jesus for grace. I desperately needed His grace to trust Him and follow Him where He was leading me. I prayed for Him to grow my faith and to allow me to see as I ought. What is Jesus really asking us to do? I thought to myself, What is Jesus really asking me to do anyway? Then came the answer: He was simply asking me to give what I had already received. It was then I began to see that, prior to coming to faith in Jesus, I was an enemy of God. Yet, while I was still far from God, He loved me, He pursued me, and He died for me––even in my rebellion. I saw that Jesus’ death brought me life. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Indeed, under the law almost everything…

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{Forgiveness} But I’ve Already Done That!

Posted on: August 21st, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments
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About a year after becoming a follower of Christ, I began to hear God’s gentle whisper––it’s time to forgive. Forgive? I thought. But I’ve already done that! I rarely thought about Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. And when he did enter my mind, I didn’t feel hatred or anything like that. Yet, God slowly showed me that, while I had forgiven Anthony as far as I was capable, I needed His grace to do it completely and unconditionally. … Oftentimes, we fool ourselves into thinking we have no need to forgive as we unknowingly drown in a sea of bitterness. [Tweet that] You see, I thought I was a forgiving person. I thought I had forgiven Anthony. To be honest, I didn’t think I had issues with anyone in my life. And I sure didn’t think I was bitter! But soon, God began to show me that I was constantly…

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Transformed

Posted on: August 20th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs

Hop on over to Transformed, my friend Heather’s blog, to see my first guest blog post (click here)! Heather is an amazing woman of God who ministers to women and youth and helps them to draw closer to God through the study of God’s Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship. Learn more about Heather and why she blogs here, and if you like what you see, don’t forget to sign up for the email subscription to her blog! She’s a great woman to follow!

{Forgiveness} Show Me How…

Posted on: August 16th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

I love this song and the truth that it points to! As with all things Jesus calls us to do, forgiveness begins with prayer. Show me how… And what proceeds out of this prayer is nothing less than a miracle. Hearts change, bitterness and hate are replaced by love, and lives are set free to walk a new path. Now, I don’t claim to be an authority on any matter, but God showed me many of His truths through my journey toward forgiveness that I’d love to pass along. This post is the first of my new series on forgiveness. During this series, I’ll address many aspect of forgiveness including: why we forgive, what biblical forgiveness is and what it is not, what it looks like to walk in forgiveness, how I came to unconditional forgiveness, and much more. I hope you’ll join me throughout this series, and that you’ll…

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Torn Down and Saved

Posted on: August 14th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 18 Comments
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Nine years after my dad’s death, Jesus brought me to my knees. You would think that the murder itself would have gotten me there, but no. I’m pretty stubborn. Yet, God’s mercy and grace is certainly bigger than me and my resistance. During this time, Travis and I got married, and we had two beautiful, healthy little girls. I was truly blessed. Aside from the murder, I was living the life that I had always dreamed of. Travis and I were happy together, and we loved our girls. Yet, I was still without God. Though I was never at the point that I was able to say with absolute certainty that God is not real, I highly doubted his existence. And so, I was the highest authority in my own life.  I was the one in control. I was the one who defined what was right or wrong in the…

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Forgiving a Murderer

Posted on: August 2nd, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments
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As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. – Genesis 50:20 I read an article this afternoon telling the stories of those who died during the “Dark Night” shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Honestly, there are no words to describe a tragedy like this, so I won’t even begin to try. Twelve people died, in a matter of moments. Twelve people! The youngest of which was a six year old little girl––a girl the age of my own daughter. Not to mention the dozens of people left wounded. A tragedy like this leaves behind it a wake of destruction. It affects so many. It affects not only the victims, but the families, the friends, and even the acquaintances of those who died or were wounded. They have all been changed by this senseless act and will never be the same. Certainly, there were physical wounds that…

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