The Madness of Unforgiveness: Walking It Out
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick How do we forgive? What does it look like practically to walk this out? We know that forgiveness is the act of releasing offenders and offenses back to God and receiving his compassion for the pain we experienced. We also know that forgiveness is a requirement for followers of Jesus. We know that our source of forgiveness is Jesus and without him, we can’t forgive. We know that not forgiving can lead to bitterness and slander. But how do we forgive? How do we become better at walking out forgiveness? Always remember this one, great, biblical truth: God is perfect justice....
info_outline
The Madness of Unforgiveness: Avoiding Slander
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Forgiveness can only truly happen when Jesus is your source. Without his strength, bitterness will inevitably take root in your heart, defiling your soul. Have you ever thought about what springs up from a bitter heart? Slander! When given the chance to speak ill of someone who has hurt you, we seldom turn down the chance, do we? We all struggle with this temptation. Somehow, we think we are punishing them for what they did to us and at the end of the day, we don’t want our enemy to be admired. Do you know why I think it is so easy to keep slandering someone? Because they...
info_outline
The Madness of Unforgiveness: The Result of Unforgiveness
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Forgiveness. Releasing offenders and offenses to Jesus so you can be made whole. This is something that can only happen when Jesus is your source of life. Unfortunately, many people choose to remain embittered and trapped by unforgiveness. What is the result of unforgiveness? Bitterness. As you remain in unforgiveness, bitterness takes root (Hebrews 12:15). Bitterness corrodes your soul and defiles those around you. It’s a deep, dark prison from which no one can escape without learning to walk out forgiveness. As you heard me mention the other day, refusing to forgive and...
info_outline
The Madness of Unforgiveness: What is the Source of Forgiveness?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Yesterday, we learned about what forgiveness is - releasing any offenders and offenses back to Jesus, knowing that bitterness will only hold you captive and destroy your life. But what is the source of forgiveness? Well, it’s supernatural. A strength that can only come from a love outside of us. Within ourselves, in our own strength, it’s impossible to forgive. We can only love because Jesus first loved us (1 John 4:19). We can only forgive because God first forgave us. God’s forgiveness is the source. Our ability to forgive is rooted in God’s forgiveness of us and...
info_outline
The Madness of Unforgiveness: What is Forgiveness?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick What is forgiveness? Well, if we look at the dictionary definition from Merriam Webster, it means “to cease to feel resentment against an offender.” Biblically, forgiveness releases someone of the debt once owed. It’s a significant display of love, ultimately mirroring what was displayed to us by Jesus. Forgiveness is extraordinarily powerful and, like grace, sets apart the Christian faith from all the other world religions. On a practical level, if bitterness can be described as “drinking poison and expecting the person who hurt you to die,” then forgiveness is the...
info_outline
Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Cornelius the Gentile
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Today is our fifth and final hidden insight into God’s Word. Acts 10 recounts the story of a man named Cornelius. In his story, you will find a very special hidden insight into God’s Word. While not often referenced as a commonly known key biblical figure, Cornelius might be one of the most important biblical characters in Scripture. Cornelius was a Gentile - a Roman centurion and devout follower of the Jewish God. When Peter was struggling with whether the gospel was for Gentiles, or only for Jews, he visited Cornelius. Think about the significance of this for a moment....
info_outline
Hidden Insights into God’s Word: The Book of Wars
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick How many of you have ever played a game of hide and seek? It is one of the most commonly played childhood games. There’s something exhilarating about little kids counting to twenty and then searching around to find their hiding friends. I believe that God, the Creator of the universe, knows the beauty and wonder of childlike faith and appreciates hiding things for us to search out. Numbers 21:14 says, “Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, ‘Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon…’” This verse is where you will find today’s hidden...
info_outline
Hidden Insights into God’s Word: The Book of Jashar
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Proverbs 25:2 says “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Those close to the heart of God seek to know him deeply. To understand his heart. To be a student of his ways. Joshua 10:12,13 is where you will find our hidden insight today. It’s the passage where Joshua spoke to the Lord and God made the sun and the moon stand still. As you keep reading, you will see the book of Jasher referenced in verse 13. What is the book of Jasher, you might ask? It’s today’s hidden insight. The book of Jasher is also mentioned in 2...
info_outline
Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Men of Courage
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick In a world full of cowards, God’s courageous ones stand out! We are drawn to men and women of courage. Today, let’s talk about what it means to be a man of courage. There are so many stories that give us keys and principles for how to live godly, courageous lives. If yesterday’s insight displayed what happens when faithless, wimpy men release fear and lack of courage over situations, today’s insight will show what happens when men of courage step up to the plate. The ten spies were so scared of the giants and of the walled cities in the land. They were told the land...
info_outline
Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Men of Cowardice
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick As many of you know, I love to seek out the hidden places of God’s Word. To find the concealed things that God has given us and to search out the deeper meaning in it all. I have five hidden insights into God’s Word that I want to share with you this week. This one is from Numbers 13:4-5,7, and 9-15. Have you ever heard of Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palit, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Shethur, Nahb, and Gruel? Do you know the unique parts they played in God’s overall story? Do you recognize any of their names? No? Guess why not? Because they were all cowards! Cowards of the...
info_outlineby David Chadwick
How many of you have ever played a game of hide and seek? It is one of the most commonly played childhood games. There’s something exhilarating about little kids counting to twenty and then searching around to find their hiding friends.
I believe that God, the Creator of the universe, knows the beauty and wonder of childlike faith and appreciates hiding things for us to search out.
Numbers 21:14 says, “Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, ‘Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon…’” This verse is where you will find today’s hidden insight.
Book of the Wars? What is that, you might ask? Evidently, it was an extra biblical book written by various different Jewish authors. The way it is mentioned in Numbers 21 seems to suggest that it was a rather well known book among the Jewish people.
Apparently, it was a book that described Israel’s many victories over enemies and how the Lord repeatedly rescued his people from their adversaries. They most assuredly took account of these testimonies to be able to read them again and again.
Perhaps all of us should write a book that lists out God’s victories in our lives. We can then go back and read it repeatedly to remind us of God’s victorious power in the past. And if God did it once, he can do it again!
Revelation 12:11 says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives unto death.” Testimony is one of the best ways to keep moving forward in faith in the midst of a broken world. For if God did it once, he can do it again.
Seeing that there were other books outside of what we know to be God’s Word also speaks to the miracle that there were 66 books that were preserved by the Holy Spirit to make it into the canon of Scripture!
Now you know how to answer someone if you are ever asked about the Book of Wars that is mentioned in the Bible. That book did not last. It was not preserved, but God’s Word is.
Another hidden insight for you!