A Moment of Hope

Begin your day with a "Moment of Hope." This podcast is a compliment to David and Marilynn's weekday devotional - providing deeper insights and encouragement. Featuring Jenn Houston.

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Imprecatory Psalms 04/03/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Imprecatory Psalms by David Chadwick As we continue to explore the madness of unforgiveness, there are many questions that pop up. Here is a really important one. What about the imprecatory prayers in the Psalms? For those who may not know, many of the Psalms have what are called “imprecatory Psalms”, ones where David cried out to God because he didn’t understand why his enemy had been able to wreak so much havoc on him. One example is Psalm 69:24. David cried out to God, “Pour out your indignation on them, and let your burning anger overtake them.” If you want to explore more of the Psalms that fall in this category, go read any of the following chapters in the book of Psalms – 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 109, or 137. As you can see, there are quite a few! These imprecatory Psalms leave a lot of questions with regard to forgiveness! The seemingly violent pleas of David’s heart are shocking. He leaves no stone unturned with regard to his true feelings toward those who had hurt him. So, as followers of Jesus, who are seeking to live as he called us to live, what do we do with this? Does this suggest that we should be angry with our enemies and seek God for revenge? Not at all. The imprecatory Psalms do two things. First, they show the honest pain of the person who has been hurt. And secondly, they show us how the offended person gives the situation to God and lets him resolve the situation. God does promise to do vengeance, both in the Old and New Testaments. But once again, what’s the key here? It’s HIS job to do it. Not ours. He alone knows all the facts. He alone knows the best remedy. Our job is to submit to his wisdom, knowledge, and plan for our lives. There is repayment to the wicked at the judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:6). Everyone will eventually get what he or she deserves unless he or she receives Jesus’s forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Because of Jesus, we receive what we don’t deserve – all the eternal blessings and benefits of believing in Jesus! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793425

The Madness of Unforgiveness: No More Pain 04/02/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: No More Pain by David Chadwick Do you know what one of the ways is that you can be set free from the madness of unforgiveness? One of the ways you know you’ve truly forgiven? You don’t feel pain when you see your offender! After you’ve been hurt by someone, there’s a very good chance that you will still hear about them from others. You might even hear that they are doing well or prospering in one way or another. Or you might even run into them in public or at some event. It’s inevitable. Here’s a way you’ll know you’ve forgiven that person. When you hear their name, or hear of some blessing or success they may have, or you do run into them at some occasion, your heart won’t hurt any more. When this happens, you will know that their life has no more power or control over you. And at that point, you will know that you are truly free. This truth is at the heart of Jesus’s command to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). While we were still Jesus’s enemies (Romans 5:8), in rebellion against him, he still came to die for us. He didn’t wait for us to become perfect before he went to the cross on our behalf. Forgiving those who have hurt us or forgiving our enemies is truly hard – especially when the pain is deep and profound. Maybe you had a spouse leave you. Or a boss fired you. Maybe you had a family member speak words of death over you. Maybe someone cursed you publicly. Maybe you even lost a loved one to a heinous crime. There are many offenses that take place in this broken world, some greater than others. But all require Jesus’s supernatural love in us, flowing through us, to the offender. We can’t do it in our own human strength. But Jesus can! As we allow his grace that forgave all our sins to live in us and move through us, we will become more set free. The more we know Christ’s love for us, the more we will be able to give that love away to others, yes, even our enemies! You’ll know it’s real when you don’t feel any more pain when someone’s name is mentioned in your presence or even when they are in your presence. True forgiveness is experienced when the pain no longer holds you captive! You remember the situation, but are now stronger because of it! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793410

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness Doesn’t Equal Forgetting 04/01/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness Doesn’t Equal Forgetting by David Chadwick There are so many layers to forgiveness. It takes practice, patience, and a deep pursuit of abiding in the presence of God. While forgiveness is radical, it’s not careless. God’s heart in teaching us forgiveness is for our good. It’s not to make us a doormat to other people’s poor treatment of us. It’s to set our hearts free from the prison that unforgiveness wants to hold us in and to keep us from the madness it creates! With that said, forgiveness does not equal forgetting. Sometimes we wrongly think that in order to forgive, we must forget. That only if we have completely forgotten something could there possibly be evidence of true forgiveness. But that’s just not realistic! Not only is that the antithesis of how humans are hardwired to think and feel, I don’t believe it’s biblical. The Bible talks repeatedly about remembering and the power of memory. Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” God gave us a memory for a reason. In fact, he encourages us to recount and remember things God has done for us. To remember all of his past victories. If God did it once, he can do it again! So, why would he give us a memory if he expects us to completely forget our pain in order to forgive? I think there’s another reason God gave us the gift of painful memories: so we don’t get hurt again! He wants us to learn from our past situations and to grow in wisdom. If you have ever had a child touch something hot, he or she will usually never touch it again. Our memory often helps protect us from future pain. Remember, we are commanded to forgive. That’s not optional. But God keeps the memory of the past alive within us for many different reasons, I think. First, to constantly remind us of God’s grace, which takes us back over and over again to the cross. But secondly, to keep us from going back to the source of the pain. He wants to keep us out of toxic relationships. He wants to remind us of the kinds of people we should not trust. He wants to show us the kind of people we want and need in our lives. Forgive, but never forget! By forgiving, you are set free. But by remembering, you will learn a lot of valuable truths that you would never know without God’s gracious gift of memory. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793405

The Madness of Unforgiveness: 70 Times 7 03/31/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: 70 Times 7 by David Chadwick 70 times 7. Jesus says that this is the number of times we must offer forgiveness to others. Read Matthew 18:21-22. Much of the entire chapter in Matthew 18 has to do with forgiveness. In Jesus’s day, within Hebrew culture, the number of 7 represented the number of completion. Therefore, when Peter asked Jesus how often to forgive someone else, he inquired if God’s idea of completion would be encapsulated in this question from Peter: “Are we supposed to forgive someone who has hurt us 7 times?” Jesus’s response to Peter is compelling. He said, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Or, as we see in other translations, Jesus told Peter it wasn’t just 70 times, but 70 times 7! What was Jesus saying? Was he teaching that on the 491st time we are now allowed to retaliate and respond with revenge? No! Jesus was teaching that 7 (the number of completion) extrapolated outward (to 70 times) means that we are to forgive repeatedly. Over and over again. In that moment, Jesus took Peter’s understanding of completion within Hebrew culture and brought him up to a higher perspective of the culture of the Kingdom of heaven. He wants to do the same with us! When the offense and your offender come to mind, or someone reminds you of your pain or trauma, or you run into the offender at the grocery store and the pain returns, stop and pause. Remind yourself to forgive that person again. And again. And again. Jesus knew that most likely painful memories would recur. The good news is, over time, the pain will lessen. I think Jesus knew the reality of the human heart. He knew the quicker we respond with forgiveness, the less chance we have for bitterness to remain in our hearts, causing a root of resentment to reestablish itself. At some point, as we faithfully obey Jesus’s teachings, the grace of forgiveness from Jesus to you will overwhelm the bitter feelings of what happened to you. The next time you hear something, see someone, or are triggered to be reminded of what happened to you. Pause. Remember. 70 times 7. Forgive once again. And eventually, the pain will go away. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793380

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive Your Enemies 03/28/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive Your Enemies by David Chadwick You might be thinking after reading this title, “Wait a second, David. You mean Jesus’s teaching on forgiveness applies even to my enemies?” Yes! Now, take a moment and read Matthew 5:43-48. Jesus clearly taught his disciples to forgive their enemies. And he wants us to do the same! He knew that the natural instinct when people get hurt would be to retaliate with a bit more venom toward the offender. Retaliation always calls for just a bit more intensity, which makes the offended person’s retaliation a little bit worse. And then the offender would feel even more anger. And on and on the cycle goes. Jesus wants us to learn how to break this cycle. To nip it in the bud. To not allow our anger to escalate. But how do we do this? Forgive! Forgiveness breaks the back of our offenders. Yes, even our enemies. You may think, “But David, I can’t do this! This one is too hard.” I understand your pain and can actually relate as I too have had a hard time forgiving my enemies. But do you remember Romans 5 that we discussed yesterday? While we were still God’s enemies, he came and died for us. Pause again and think about that! We were God’s ENEMIES! And yet he still offered us his forgiveness and grace. Let me state clearly here that this is not something we can do in our own strength. It’s not natural. You can’t muster up forgiveness toward an enemy without Jesus. Our natural inclination is to get even. To take revenge. To retaliate. But when we receive Jesus’s love, it’s a supernatural love. Where we can’t, Jesus can! Because of Jesus, we can love our enemies by his love that is in us and flowing through us. Jesus’s supernatural love is what allowed him to forgive us as his enemies. And that same love can give us the ability to forgive our enemies too! This is why the world desperately needs Jesus. His love, grace, mercy, and kindness can change even the hardest of hearts. Jesus wants to conform all of us to his image (Romans 8:29), from the inside out. That way, we can live as he lived. And love as he loved. Yes, even when it’s our enemies. As he forgave us when we were his enemies. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793370

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Remember God’s Amazing Grace 03/27/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Remember God’s Amazing Grace by David Chadwick Today, let’s walk through another good exercise that should help us understand more about forgiveness. Read Romans 5. Whenever I read the first part of Romans 5, I am immediately struck by the insurmountable grace of God. It truly is amazing. There is nothing like it in the entire world. We have peace and access to a hope in God that we never would have otherwise experienced (Romans 5:1-2). While we were still walking in sin and bound by folly, Jesus chose to die for us (Romans 5:8). Look at some of the words used by Paul to describe us in our pre-Christ condition in Titus 3:3. Foolish. Disobedient. Easily led astray. So unlike God in every way. Now look at how Romans 5 describes us before Christ. Ungodly. Sinners. Enemies. Rebels. Without Jesus, we are truly weak! We were ungodly. John 8:44 says this of humanity before meeting Jesus, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.” Our innate desires before Jesus are to quest after Satan’s ways, not God’s. We were sinners. Do you know what the word sinner means? It means “missing the mark.” When an archer would shoot an arrow at a target and miss it completely, the onlookers would call, “Sin!” God did have an original intent for all of us, a desired bullseye he wanted all of humanity to have. But we are the ones who have completely missed the mark. Way off course! We were enemies. Think on this one for a while. A synonym for enemies is rebels. We have led a revolt against the one who gave us everything. God gave us our lives. He gave us provision, possessions, fun, laughter, and vision for productive and fulfilling lives. But we rejected his rule. We wanted life on our own terms. But God. While we were ungodly, sinners, rebels, and enemies of God, he STILL pursued us. He STILL left heaven to come to us and die on the cross. He pursued us in the ultimate rescue mission that has marked mankind forever! God didn’t wait for perfection before he expressed grace. Think about this. Now think about the person who has hurt you. Can you give to others the same kind of grace that you’ve received from Jesus? That’s the essence of Romans 5. That’s the heart of Jesus’s gospel of grace. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793355

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Go to the Person 03/26/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Go to the Person by David Chadwick As Christians, can we judge people? We learned yesterday that the answer is, “Yes.” However, there is a biblical way to do this. It must be done in humility and with the awareness that you, too, have sin that must be confessed. So, how do you go to someone who has hurt you? Let’s take a look at Matthew 18:15. A real life example may look something like this. You have been offended. Someone hurt you in a very intentional way. Start off by asking yourself if you should step over this offense. One good question is this, “If I were to share this situation with a trusted, seasoned mentor, leader or pastor, would they confirm that this situation is too big to step over?” Sometimes, we make mountains out of molehills. Our minds can inflame problems that aren’t actually that big. However, if after processing you recognize that the situation was so big, so hurtful, and so painful that it warrants a conversation, what should you do next? First, remember you don’t want to judge someone with vitriol and anger. You may need to take some intentional time to remove the plank out of your own eye (Luke 6:31, Matthew 7:3-5). Settle your own heart and pray for humility, recognizing your own imperfections. Side note, this is a regular discipline that everyone should do. It is almost like an internal house cleansing that keeps all of us in touch with God’s grace. As you remember how you, too, have hurt people before, ask Jesus for grace anew. Ok, now what? Jesus tells us to then go to the person who has hurt you. Not by text. Not by email. Not through a phone call. Not by a letter. Go to the person. Face to face. And have a loving sit down where you can share your heart. Ask to hear the other person’s heart as well. And have mutual understanding, forgiveness, and even reconciliation. If the person blows you off or will not listen? Take another person. A trusted, mutual friend of you both would be best. Someone who can hear both sides and offer a path toward renewed friendship. And if the person still blows you off and won’t meet with you and the mutual friend? Go to the elders of your church. See if greater measures of protection and discipline are necessary. Ultimately though, regardless of how things work out, you need to let this person go. Forgive them even if you don’t feel like it. Release them to the Lord. Let God deal with them over time. If there is wickedness in his or her life, the Lord will deal with him or her. But you will be free! Free to love, free to move on knowing you have done all that you can do. Go live your life without regret and bitterness – the way our Lord desires all of us to live. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793330

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Can I Judge Others? 03/25/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Can I Judge Others? by David Chadwick When it comes to forgiveness, there are so many steps to carry it through to completion. There is a fine line between discerning clearly what is good from what is evil, and being able to fully release someone of the debt they owe to you. On one hand, you must maintain a measure of conviction when something bad happens to you because it allows you to rightly judge truth from error, which is a crucial skill to have while living in a broken world. But on the other hand, you don’t want your rumination on the reality of your correct diagnosis of evil to take you deeper into the pit of unforgiveness. A question that often comes my way is, “Can I judge others?” Jesus talks about this in depth in Matthew 7:1-6. Some people, when hurt, are unable to step over the offense. As followers of Jesus, they don’t know what to do with their pain, for they think they can’t judge others. After all, in Matthew 7, Jesus said to judge not, lest we be judged. People often read this and think they should swallow all hurt and never confront any evil done to them. But this wasn’t what Jesus was saying at all. Think about this for a moment. We judge people all the time. To protect ourselves. To rightly determine whether we can entrust ourselves to someone. To determine if we can trust what they are saying to us. So, what Jesus meant was this, BEFORE we judge someone, we must realize that how we judge others is how God will judge us. We set the standard and if it’s hard, harsh, and unrealistic, then that’s how God will treat us. Jesus also said that we must take the log out of our own eye before we try to take the speck out of someone else’s eye. We must recognize how we have hurt others before we determine how they have hurt us. In prayer, ask the Lord to reveal these things to you. Read Galatians 6:1. It hints at this same idea, suggesting that you remain vigilant to watch over your own heart whenever you seek to restore a fallen brother or sister in the faith. After all, we are all susceptible to falling into sin. So, the answer to today’s question is, “Yes!” You can judge other people, but it must be done with the utmost humility and awareness of your own sin. Tomorrow, we will look in greater detail as to how the Bible calls us to go to someone else who has hurt us. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35793315

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Step Over the Offense 03/24/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness is Not Reconciliation 03/21/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness is Not Reconciliation by David Chadwick Continuing to unpack the madness of unforgiveness, let’s talk about what forgiveness is and what it is not. Forgiveness is releasing someone else of the debt they owe you. Forgiveness is softening your heart to the ones who have hurt you. Forgiveness is remaining open, yielded and willing to respond to another however the Holy Spirit may lead you to respond. Remember the story of Joseph that we looked at a couple days ago? How he forgave his brothers after 22 years of separation and being wronged? Forgiveness can look wild and radical. Ultimately, forgiveness is freedom and victory. But, forgiveness does NOT always mean reconciliation! These are two separate actions. Forgiveness depends on one person: you. But reconciliation depends on two people: you and the one who hurt you. Biblically, you are commanded to forgive. It’s not optional and Jesus makes that very clear. Reconciliation, on the other hand, may or might not happen. Yes, if you can possibly reconcile with another, that’s God’s best. After all, God gave us a ministry of reconciliation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” But reconciliation is not always possible. Why? Well, for one the person who hurt you may have died. Or the trust within the relationship may have become completely eroded and impossible to regain. Or you simply may not want that person as your friend again for many different reasons. Whatever the reason, so long as it’s not rooted in hatred and bitterness, I think it’s okay not to reconcile the relationship. Certainly, you must forgive. But you may not be able to reconcile the relationship. And I’m sure that Jesus has compassion when it’s simply impossible to do or you just don’t want to do it this side of eternity. Just remember, you are always called to forgive as Jesus has forgiven you. That is his will for you. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562740

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive as You Want to be Forgiven 03/20/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive as You Want to be Forgiven by David Chadwick Forgive yourself. Release God of anything you have wrongly blamed him for doing. And forgive others. Instead of just forgiving others by letting them off the hook of your wrath and anger. What if you actually forgive others the way you would want to be forgiven. After all, the Bible says to treat others the way you would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12). This is an absolute key for forgiveness to have its full impact in your life. Read and reread Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Now start with asking the question, “How do I want God to forgive me in all the ways that I have hurt his heart?” Really answer that honestly. Here are some of the ways that I know I want God’s forgiveness. I want complete and total forgiveness. I want to be assured that I won’t be haunted by the memories of the pain of what has happened to me. I don’t want my own sin to be remembered. I don’t want my own sin to be broadcasted to the world. I don’t want my sins to harm me in the future. Ok, now you try. Keep making a list for yourself. Maybe you want to be received with a hug instead of a punishment. Maybe you desire to experience joy and laughter after doing something you know was terribly wrong. Maybe you want the entire mess forgotten in order to move on in life. Now, think of the person you need to forgive. You don’t want them unduly punished, right? Do you want their sins forever remembered by God? Do you want to see all of the wrong they have done to you made public? Do you desire to see them spend eternity separated from Jesus’s eternal love? Or be repaid for their sins here and forever? If you truly are a follower of Jesus, I don’t think you could desire any of these things. So, pause for a moment and release them. Forgive them as you want to be forgiven. And then watch as Jesus sets you free. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562730

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive God 03/19/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive God by David Chadwick Unforgiveness will make you mad! Both frustrated and crazy! Yesterday we talked about the need to forgive yourself. Today, I want to talk about how you might need to forgive God. Now, hold on just a moment. This seems blasphemous, but it’s not. Let me first say this…God can do no wrong. He is infallible and perfect in every way. However, we come into this world fallible, sinful and broken. Because of that, we can easily carry offenses toward God that he is not responsible for creating, but we may need to throw our burdens back on him and remind ourselves that he is not our offender! Some people spend their entire lives remaining angry toward God for letting something bad happen to them. Part of their healing may be to let God off the hook and “forgive him,” so to speak. Interestingly, in the Psalms, God never seemed to mind when David expressed his frustration and anger toward God for different events in his life. God is a big God. He can handle our childish temper tantrums. He understands our human emotions. He created us, fashioned us, knit us together in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13). But after we work out our plethora of emotions with the Lord, there does come a point when we must turn back to faith and not remain in anger. Living in resentment, even/especially toward God, is unhealthy and harmful to us. Faith trusts in God’s providence. We believe that God is working ALL things for our good and his glory—even the painful stuff. That’s the essence of Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:28. Release God from any of your unforgiveness. Instead, replace it with a love for God and a faith in his overarching providence. Recognize all he has done for you. And remember this. One day, in heaven, everything will make sense. We see through a mirror dimly now (1 Corinthians 13:12). But one day, we will see him face to face. And when we do, we will nod in approval and adoration at how he used all for his purposes. And for our good. We must also always remember that what God is doing here has a divine purpose in heaven. Submit to his heart for your life. He is, after all, a good, good father. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562725

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive Yourself 03/18/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgive Yourself by David Chadwick Sometimes the hindrance to forgiveness can loom over your head because of the offender. Other times, you may experience a hindrance because you haven’t learned to forgive yourself. 1 Corinthians 13 says that love does not keep a record of past wrongs. This can certainly refer to those who have hurt you. But it also refers to ourselves when we have done something wrong. We must not keep a list of all the things we have done wrong and ruminate over them in our mind. In fact, 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Nothing should take up space in our minds rent free that hasn’t first been submitted to Jesus and filtered through his Word. In the same way that we are called to forgive others (Luke 6:37), we must forgive ourselves. This might even be a daily discipline that you have to go through, at least for a season. You might have to wake up, look yourself in the mirror and say something like, “David (you fill in your name), you are covered by the blood of Jesus and forever forgiven. There is absolutely nothing you can do to separate yourself from God’s love. You are not the sum total of your life’s mistakes. Jesus can redeem any situation and make it good. Pick yourself up and walk in your true identity as a son of the Most High God.” What you say may look a little different, but that should give you an idea of what it looks like to learn forgiveness for yourself! Satan keeps wanting to remind us of the sins we have committed. Wanting us to believe that our sins are somehow stronger than God’s grace. It’s a lie! Remember what it says in Romans 5:20-21, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more!” I often wonder if this is why Jesus appeared to his disciples behind closed doors after the resurrection. To be with them intimately, in a close setting so that he could remind them to forgive themselves. For betraying him. For running away. For their lack of courage. For only then could they truly obey John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” I believe the disciples had to be unencumbered from all guilt and shame, truly forgiving themselves, in order to be fully used by him in the world in the years to come. And I believe the same holds true for us! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562720

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Are They Hurting You From the Grave? 03/17/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Are They Hurting You From the Grave? By David Chadwick The madness of unforgiveness is plaguing our world. You can see its effects all over the place. Bitterness. Offense. Anger. Rage. Depression. Despair. The enemy loves to take wounds and pain and use it to shut down the strongest of people. Remember the phrase that bitterness is like drinking arsenic and expecting the other person to die. It’s one of the major ugly roots of unforgiveness and it’s a joy robber! Think for a moment about some of the people who have hurt you over the years. Now let me ask you this question: are they hurting you from the grave? Sadly, bitterness and unforgiveness are so powerful that they can even give people who have died the ability to continue to haunt us and hurt us. It reminds me of a wasp I once found in my den. I casually took a napkin and grabbed the wasp to throw away. Guess what? Even after I killed it, it still stung me! I couldn’t believe it. And the pain ended up lasting for some time. The same holds true with unforgiveness. Someone may have already died, but if you try to engage the pain associated with that person without a heart of forgiveness, the offense that took place can still sting you long after that person has died! Don’t give your wounds this kind of power! Let them go. Release the pain to Jesus. Put the ones who hurt you in God’s hands. In fact, when it comes to your offenders, if they have died, they have already met their Maker and been held accountable for their offenses against you. God is perfectly just. Therefore, let God be God, trusting he will handle them accordingly. Otherwise, it’s almost like you’re in the grave with them! A prison of death called bitterness. Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free.” Luke 4:1 says, “Jesus came to set the captives free.” Especially from those who have hurt us who are already dead! Today, choose to throw the wasp away without letting the dead thing sting you and move on to enjoy life to the full. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562700

The Madness of Unforgiveness: How Do You Know You’ve Forgiven Someone? 03/14/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: How Do You Know You’ve Forgiven Someone? by David Chadwick The madness of unforgiveness will truly drive you crazy. But true forgiveness brings healing. But how do you know that you’ve forgiven someone? Sometimes it can be hard to know if you’ve truly forgiven someone. Does it mean you can be in the same room as them? Does it mean you would give them a hug? Does it mean you don’t desire the worst for them when they cross your mind? Let’s take a look at the story of Joseph to unpack this a bit more (Genesis 37-50). It’s one of the most powerful stories of forgiveness in the entire Bible. Joseph’s brothers treated him terribly. At the age of 17, they threw him into a pit and then sold him to a passing Egyptian caravan. Joseph was then purchased as a slave by Potiphar where he ran his household excellently. Potiphar’s wife actually came on to Joseph and he courageously fled sexual immorality just like Paul urges all to do in 1 Corinthians 6:18. Potiphar’s wicked wife was so angered by Joseph’s holy and righteous rejection of her that she concocted a false narrative to her husband about Joseph, implying that he was the one who came on to her! Joseph was then thrown into prison, some think for as long as 10 years! Eventually, he was set free and went on to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, the second in command in the most powerful nation on the face of the earth at that time. While in charge, during a time of great famine, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt, asking for food. They appeared before Joseph, not recognizing it was their brother. The gist of the story is Joseph, after spending 22 years in Egypt, forgave his brothers. He embraced them and even wept over them. But what happened next is an incredible part of the story. When Joseph appeared before Pharaoh to tell him about his brothers in Genesis 45, he did not once, NOT ONE TIME, ever speak disparagingly of them to Pharoah. How do you know you have totally forgiven someone who has deeply hurt you? I think it might be as simple as the clues found in Joseph’s story…you never speak badly about them to another—especially someone who has the power to hurt them later on...The offense is completely forgiven. You’ve moved on in your life. And who knows, you might even be able to extend a hug to them if they were to come to you in repentance! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562695

The Madness of Unforgiveness: They Don’t Know How Deeply They Hurt You 03/13/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: They Don’t Know How Deeply They Hurt You by David Chadwick Let me give you another insight that will help you better understand the madness of unforgiveness. Most people don’t know how deeply they hurt you. I know this sounds crazy to say, but generally speaking, most offenses will feel far more intense to the person who experienced the offense. RT Kendall, an incredible theologian who wrote the book Total Forgiveness, estimates in his book that 80% of the people who hurt you don’t have a clue how badly they have wronged you. They may know some of it, but don’t fully understand the depth of your pain. Perhaps that’s why in Luke 23:34 Jesus said on the cross, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” He gave a plea that was full of compassion - a blanket call to forgiveness for all those who nailed him to the cross! From the Pharisees, to Pilate, to the mobs, to the Romans, Jesus asked the Father to give them all the gift of forgiveness. Did they truly understand that they were crucifying the Son of God? If you really sit back and think about this for a moment, this is wildly incomprehensible. The kindness and compassion to not just beg his Father to forgive his enemies, but to acknowledge that these people killing him didn’t actually know what they were doing. It’s amazing! What about those who clearly knew what they were doing when they hurt you? Per RT Kendall’s earlier mentioned statistic, the 20% who were fully aware of the pain they were inflicting on you? I wish there was a way out of forgiveness for these people, but there is not. We are still called to forgive them. Release them to God. Surrender our pain to him. Why? Well, mostly for our benefit. For our health. We were not made to carry around anger and bitterness. We are to forgive as we’ve been forgiven (Ephesians 4:32). In that posture, we find freedom to live as Jesus desires all of us to live. Not as prisoners of bitterness, but free in every way. If Jesus could forgive his murderers and state they did not know what they were doing, surely we can find forgiveness for those who knowingly wound us. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562685

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness Protects my Heart 03/12/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness Protects my Heart by David Chadwick Forgiveness puts justice back into the hands of God. It allows you to bless those who curse you. Forgiveness also protects your heart! Unforgiveness leads to madness. God never intended for you to absorb the depth of pain that offense and bitterness place on a human being. It’s a weight that’s all consuming and crushing. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” I love the word vigilance. It’s somewhat of a militant word that shows a tremendous level of responsibility on our part. Often, my daughter will look at her kids and say, “Guard your gates.” When she says this, she’s imploring them to guard their eyes, their ears, their mouth… and their hearts. Everything in life flows from the heart! As you’ve heard me often say, “The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.” God did not design for our hearts to hold onto hate. Our hearts are supposed to be a source of life, not a container in which bitterness and resentment dwell. You can think of forgiveness as a spiritual drain cleaner. It flushes out hatred, anger, resentment, and bitterness. But once the bad stuff is out, something else must enter. That something is love. The eternal love of Jesus must fill us where bitterness once resided. His love will coat and protect your heart from further “clogs,” so to speak. Consider the cross. Ponder the depth of God’s love for you. It’s this love that allows us to love our enemies, the ones who have hurt us (Matthew 5:44). My dear friends, Jesus loves you so much. Let his forgiveness of your sins flood your heart with love and gratitude. Then, you will be able to love your enemies with supernatural love. This can’t happen in your own strength. But Jesus’s love in you, flowing through you, to your enemy…that can happen…and is life-changing! Jesus’s love dwelling in us allows us to follow his command. Choose forgiveness. It will make your heart whole. So it will be well with your soul. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562655

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Bless Those Who Curse You 03/11/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Bless Those Who Curse You by David Chadwick Choosing not to forgive will only leave you captive. Today, I want to talk about what it looks like to bless those who curse you. It is one of the clear commands Jesus gave to his followers in Luke 6:38. Let’s be really honest with one another for a moment. Our flesh really does not enjoy blessing those who hurt us, does it? Especially when the pain comes with words that curse us and leave us in a swirl of despairing thoughts. Human nature is bent toward retaliation. But the problem with retaliating is that if we strike back harder toward someone in revenge, they will inevitably strike back a bit harder toward us. Then we will want to retaliate even more. The conflict will continue to escalate with no end in sight. As Gandhi once said, if you live with the mentality of “‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ eventually the entire world will be blind and toothless!” How do we bless those who have cursed us? Let’s go back and look at Luke 6:38. First, choose to bless people with your words. Refuse to slander them to another person. Slander is an attempt to use words to punish someone for the pain they caused you. Said another way, it’s a way of you seeking vengeance. Secondly, pray for them. How do you pray? I think if they are truly wicked, pray for their salvation. We should not desire for anyone to go to hell. Pray for them to come to grips with their sin and to repent. The greatest blessing would be for them to encounter Jesus. Clearly their hearts are full of evil. Ask God to bless them with wisdom. With knowledge. With understanding. With the same conviction that made you realize you needed Jesus at one point. Your prayer may look something like this: “Bless this person who hurt me, Lord. You know what he/she needs. I trust that you know best. I release him/her to you and will not carry any hate in my heart. Unforgiveness will destroy my heart and soul. I give this situation to you. You are God, I am not. Heal him/her. Set him/her free. Heal me. Set me free.” This may feel so unnatural at first, but keep trying! You must rely on the Holy Spirit inside of you in order to accomplish this mandate of the Christian faith. A Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life is the only way to walk out these hard mandates. But you CAN do it! Step out in faith and try it. You may be surprised at the results! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562640

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness and Justice 03/10/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Forgiveness and Justice by David Chadwick Let’s continue to look at this topic of forgiveness. It is one of the main reasons Jesus came to the world. To forgive us from our sins. One of the major questions I get when it comes to the topic of forgiveness is, “How do I forgive when I still want to see justice for the wrong I experienced?” Take a look at Luke 18:1-8 for a moment. Jesus tells us in Luke 18:1 that he is giving us this parable so that we won’t give up in prayer and so that we will continue to persevere in faith. A poor widow with nothing was treated badly by someone. We don’t know the specifics about her situation, but we do know that she was treated in a terribly unjust way. She went to the home of an unjust judge who didn’t fear God nor man. She started banging on his door and repeatedly demanded justice. Because of her persistence, he finally gave in to her unrelenting cry for help. This is quite the depiction of God’s heart for justice. We are not poor widows. Because of Jesus, we are now adopted sons and daughters of the King of the universe. Not to mention, God is not an unjust judge, but a loving father. If the unjust judge gave justice to this poor widow in Luke 18, how much more will our loving father give justice to his children? Next time you are unjustly treated, persevere in prayer to your Daddy in heaven and demand justice. Perhaps it’s just a quick reminder, like: “Father, I know you will deal with this one day. I believe it in faith because justice is your character.” From there, release the offense back to God, trusting he will make all things right in His time! For when Jesus returns, will he find faith on earth? (verse 8). Will he find us believing that God is good and just and will right all wrongs? Even if we’ve not yet seen it? Remember, it may be heaven before we fully see God’s justice and understand all that happened to us. But justice will be done. That is God’s character. So continue to ask God for justice regularly in prayer, believing in faith one day it will occur. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35562615

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Walking It Out 03/07/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Avoiding Slander 03/06/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: Avoiding Slander 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 hurt you! Hurt people hurt people. It can also be hard to speak well of someone who brought so much pain and devastation into our lives. If you’re not careful, the pain of your situation can create a stronghold over your life that drives you into deeper sin instead of holiness. Once you truly forgive someone, you won’t gossip about them. You won’t have the desire to slander them or put them down to someone else. Now, let me say this. It is okay to find a Christ-centered pastor, counselor or trusted friend to help you work through your pain. Sometimes you have to share your heart with another in order to get free. This is acceptable. But slander is not. Make sure that as you share something with another person that your end goal is forgiveness and becoming more free. Not aimless chatter simply intended to do harm to another. Ephesians 4:32 reminds us how to be kind and forgive just as God in Christ forgave us. After receiving Jesus, remember that God will never punish you for your sins. His grace covers you rather than exposes you. And he will never hold our sins against us again. When I fill my heart with Jesus’s love for me - his cross, his mercy, his kindness - I can release my offender and continue to have an abundant life. That is God’s desire. For you and for me to be free. /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35368210

The Madness of Unforgiveness: The Result of Unforgiveness 03/05/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: What is the Source of Forgiveness? 03/04/2025

The Madness of Unforgiveness: What is the Source of Forgiveness? 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 our sin. We owe him a billion dollar debt. One we can’t repay. The debt to God for all our sins is far too great. And his love lavished over us through forgiveness becomes the source from which we can pull to forgive others. Remember the parable of the forgiving king and the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35? If not, take a moment and go read it. The king mercifully forgave his servant of a massive, unpayable debt. You would think this would prompt the servant to do the same for other people, but it did not. The servant would not forgive someone of the smallest debt that was owed to him. Because the unforgiving servant wouldn’t forgive, he was thrown into a prison and not allowed to leave until every penny of his debt to the king was repaid. The unforgiving servant’s decision to not extend forgiveness left him in a literal prison of bitterness, which we will learn more about tomorrow. Jesus used this parable to teach a very important lesson. If God’s forgiving love extended a billion dollar debt repayment to us, we must not be unwilling to forgive someone who has hurt us. Paul reiterated Jesus’s teachings in Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 urging people to be kind and compassionate and to forgive just as Jesus forgave us and to bear with one another, forgiving grievances. Use the one, true Source named Jesus as your strength to forgive. It will be a supernatural display! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35368155

The Madness of Unforgiveness: What is Forgiveness? 03/03/2025

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Cornelius the Gentile 02/28/2025

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: The Book of Wars 02/27/2025

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: The Book of Wars 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 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! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35368080

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: The Book of Jashar 02/26/2025

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Men of Courage 02/25/2025

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Men of Courage 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 they were being given was God’s PROMISED land and yet they let their fear overtake them. This fear led to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. But wait a minute. There were 12 spies, right? Not ten? Exactly! Yesterday I only mentioned ten names. Ten names who have been forgotten due to their cowardice. But there were two more men I didn’t mention. Men of courage. Let’s look at them now. Joshua and Caleb. Two men of courage who remained faithful in spite of the bad reports. Unlike the other ten spies, these are two commonly used names even today. In fact, two of my grandsons are named Joshua and Caleb. Caleb in the Bible was 85 when he entered the Promised Land and he wanted the area where the giants lived! He knew his God was greater than any giant. Joshua was around 75-80 years old and he replaced Moses as Israel’s leader. He is the one who said that as for he and his house, he would serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). Here is your insight for today. Live like men of courage. With great faith. Fortitude. Passion. Men like Caleb and Joshua. Follow their character as they follow God’s heart! Nations are changed by men like this! And be sure to name your kids after men like this, honoring the great legacy of biblical men of courage! /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35368025

Hidden Insights into God’s Word: Men of Cowardice 02/24/2025

A Legacy of Honor: No Matter What Comes Your Way, Finish Strong 02/21/2025

A Legacy of Honor: No Matter What Comes Your Way, Finish Strong by Marilynn Chadwick Live a life of sacrifice and honor. Give yourself for the larger good. Put others before yourself. Don’t give up. Family is worth it. No matter what comes your way, persevere. And always do the right thing. These were some of the messages my parents taught me by example over the years. Mom and Dad believed in dreaming big and always encouraged our dreams. Through the years, nothing brought them more joy than to watch their children and grandchildren (and now great-grandchildren) shine. But the last chapters of life can sometimes be hard. Honor can be an uphill climb. For Mom and Dad, doing the right thing day after day required endurance, faith, and sometimes a good sense of humor. I watched their courageous battle and I agree with whoever said “Old age is not for sissies.” I watched my mom’s quiet and uncomplaining spirit even when she was in pain. And I still see Daddy’s cheerful attitude as he perseveres day after day. “How did you do it, Dad?” I asked the other day, reflecting on how he loved mom until her last breath. “He just shrugged his shoulders and said matter of factly, “Your mom was worth it.” I look at their life in the light of the meaning of the word honor—to show a person respect and esteem. To treat someone as though they have great worth. Honor by its very nature is strong, solid, and above all, enduring. I’d have to say Mom and Dad are living examples of honor and a testimony to its high cost—not something you hear much in our “it’s all about me” culture. Toward the end of Mom’s life, they had an especially difficult morning, which stretched Daddy to practically the end of his strength. Some days were harder than others. Later that day, Daddy quietly beamed as he told me about how Mom had looked at him that morning for a minute or so and then spoke these words with perfect clarity: “You are so patient. I am so proud of you.” Just a few simple words from his wife who didn’t talk so much anymore. And yet Daddy wore those words like they were a medal of honor. And if you think about it, I guess that’s truly what they are. Honor. A concept so simple even a child can grasp it. God set the bar low so that even the youngest and weakest among us can practice honor. But God has also set the bar high. People defend freedom, fight, and die for honor. Believers around the world honor Jesus by suffering for their faith. And honor inspires husbands and wives to love each other for a lifetime. In good times and in hard ones. Honor guards our marriages and sets them on solid ground. Honor protects friendships. Honor guards a culture. No wonder it’s so important in our homes. By teaching us to treat each other with honor, God has set before us the most noble and enduring way to live together—with a love that never dies. So that we can finish strong. _____________ This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband by Marilynn Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by /episode/index/show/a852a973-4adc-4299-bb53-caff7cbf2ba5/id/35179900

A Moment of Hope

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