The Broken Heart – Part 4

The Broken Heart – Part 4
Matters of the Heart Series

When we have a broken heart over our stumbling and failure, nothing blocks the flow of God’s Spirit from within us as much as an unwillingness to accept forgiveness and go on, and an unwillingness to love and forgive others. If we don’t accept His forgiveness and go on, we will repeat our failures. (Tweet this!) “I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin against them no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

What did Jesus say to the adulterous woman after forgiving her, and helping her rise from the dust of her shame? Get up, go on and sin no more! (Parsons paraphrase

The issue of unforgiveness and bitterness is huge, and is one I deal with in nearly every retreat or conference at which I speak. I am going to address the subject in detail in the next blog series on the Hard Heart, but for now, let’s do a quick check-up

Checkpoints for unforgiveness and bitterness:

1. Do you feel anyone owes you anything?

2. Is there anything in the midst of which you cannot give thanks?

Anybody can shout praise and gratitude in the midst of victory. But the test is, can you praise him in the midst of the struggle? (Tweet this!) While Jonah was still in the belly of the great fish, he began to praise the Lord. He didn’t wait until God delivered him. (Tweet this!) He praised him before he experienced deliverance.  (Jonah, chapter 2)

We received a jarring disappointment this week. One of those that shakes you to your core, and you don’t know what to do next. As we opened our bulletin and read the sermon title that Sunday morning, we simply looked at each other and laughed — Responding to Disappointment. Really? You’d think someone was reading our mail. Someone is. And that Someone loves and cares.

The whole sermon was Holy Spirit mind-blowing, but one thing pierced my heart and stayed there. The speaker said, “Disappointment brings us to a crisis of trust.” I can testify to that. Am I going to trust God and walk through this, or am I going to jump ship and get bitter? (Tweet this!)

“Trophy of his grace” describes a person who gives all the glory to God for what has happened to her through the struggles of life. Are you a trophy of His grace? Can people look at you and say “God has done a miraculous work in her life? She is a trophy of his grace?”

Questions:

 Checkpoints for bitterness and unforgiveness? How did you do?
 Is there any failure or offense for which you’ve not asked for forgiveness? Or for which you cannot forgive yourself?
Can you give thanks knowing that God is your salvation, and give him the glory in the midst of the heartache, failure and disappointment?
Ask God to give you a courageous heart and make you a trophy of his grace.

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