Hello, and welcome to Heart Lift. 00:00:27.36\00:00:29.26 I'm Jill Morikone, and I'm so glad that 00:00:29.29\00:00:31.76 you've joined us today. 00:00:31.79\00:00:33.36 We're on a journey of hope, of healing, of finding the 00:00:33.40\00:00:37.27 transformation that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to do in your 00:00:37.30\00:00:42.30 heart and mine, as women of God, as daughters of the King. 00:00:42.34\00:00:46.88 If you're just joining us for the first time, last week our 00:00:46.91\00:00:50.75 last program, we discussed the brokenness that we all 00:00:50.78\00:00:54.18 experience as the result of sin, as a result of the 00:00:54.22\00:00:57.05 world that we live on. 00:00:57.09\00:00:58.42 We talked about the mask that we wear, the mask we put on 00:00:58.45\00:01:02.89 to kind of hide who we feel we are inside, the mask that we put 00:01:02.92\00:01:06.46 on for other people to see. 00:01:06.49\00:01:09.10 We talked about the lies that Satan tells us about ourself, 00:01:09.13\00:01:13.57 about who we are, and how none of that really matters. 00:01:13.60\00:01:17.51 Because all that matters is what the Lord Jesus thinks about us. 00:01:17.54\00:01:22.01 When He looks at us He says, I love you. 00:01:22.04\00:01:25.01 You're My daughter. 00:01:25.05\00:01:27.42 I made you. I have a beautiful plan for your life. 00:01:27.45\00:01:31.69 Our Scripture today is 1 John 3:1. 00:01:31.72\00:01:35.66 If you have your Bible, open up with me. 00:01:35.69\00:01:37.89 If not, you can jot down the reference, 00:01:37.93\00:01:39.89 and you can always look it up later. 00:01:39.93\00:01:42.13 The Bible says, Behold, what manner of love the Father has 00:01:44.87\00:01:49.00 bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God. 00:01:49.04\00:01:53.88 Let's pray. Father we come before You right now 00:01:53.91\00:01:57.28 in the name of Jesus. 00:01:57.31\00:01:58.65 Thank You that You call us as Your children. 00:01:58.68\00:02:02.32 Thank You that You call us as Your daughters. 00:02:02.35\00:02:05.15 And I pray right now for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit, 00:02:05.19\00:02:09.42 that You could speak, and that we could hear what You 00:02:09.46\00:02:13.29 have from Your word. 00:02:13.33\00:02:15.66 And we thank You in the precious and holy name of Jesus, Amen. 00:02:15.70\00:02:21.24 She was just a little thing. 00:02:21.27\00:02:24.01 When we first adopted her, or maybe I should say, 00:02:24.04\00:02:27.71 When she first adopted us, she was probably six inches 00:02:27.74\00:02:31.68 from the tip of her pink nose to the end of her tail. 00:02:31.71\00:02:36.02 She was a little grey ball of fluff; a little kitty cat. 00:02:36.05\00:02:39.95 We loved her. She came into our yard and she would roll on her 00:02:39.99\00:02:45.16 back in the gravel driveway, because she liked her tummy 00:02:45.19\00:02:48.86 scratched, which is kind of unusual for a cat. 00:02:48.90\00:02:51.37 She loved to pounce on unsuspecting birds, and beetles, 00:02:51.40\00:02:55.80 and bugs. She loved that. 00:02:55.84\00:02:58.17 She would sleep in the flower beds. 00:02:58.21\00:03:00.28 We named her Pebbles, because she was grey, and she looked 00:03:00.31\00:03:04.35 like a little grey stone. 00:03:04.38\00:03:06.11 We'd had her about four years when the unthinkable happened; 00:03:06.15\00:03:09.98 she disappeared. Greg and I had traveled for 3ABN, 00:03:10.02\00:03:14.42 and when we came home we jumped out of the car and we said, 00:03:14.46\00:03:18.49 Pebbles, and she wasn't there. 00:03:18.53\00:03:21.23 And Greg said, It's fine. 00:03:21.26\00:03:22.96 She's out hunting something. 00:03:23.00\00:03:24.60 She's maybe sleeping somewhere. 00:03:24.63\00:03:27.14 It's fine. So we went inside and we unpacked all our luggage. 00:03:27.17\00:03:30.81 And then it began to grow dark, and she always 00:03:30.84\00:03:33.94 comes by that time. 00:03:33.98\00:03:35.31 And so we went out in the backyard. 00:03:35.34\00:03:38.05 We have a field out back of our house. 00:03:38.08\00:03:39.91 We went out in the back and we called, and called. 00:03:39.95\00:03:44.12 But there was no answering little meow. 00:03:44.15\00:03:47.36 I was kind of discouraged. 00:03:47.39\00:03:49.82 And Greg took my hand as we walked, 00:03:49.86\00:03:51.93 and trudged back to the house. 00:03:51.96\00:03:54.56 He said, Jilly, it's okay. 00:03:54.60\00:03:58.63 We can trust God with her life. 00:03:58.67\00:04:01.74 And I knew that, but I didn't want to think about that. 00:04:01.77\00:04:05.04 I just wanted her home. 00:04:05.07\00:04:06.84 I wanted her safe. 00:04:06.88\00:04:08.78 I knew that she was not a very good fighter, 00:04:08.81\00:04:11.21 and we have coyotes in our area, because we've seen them. 00:04:11.25\00:04:14.58 We have bobcat in our neighborhood. 00:04:14.62\00:04:17.12 We've seen them in our driveway. 00:04:17.15\00:04:18.99 We have owls that come. 00:04:19.02\00:04:20.96 And I thought, she doesn't fight very good. 00:04:20.99\00:04:23.32 She wouldn't stand a chance with any of that stuff. 00:04:23.36\00:04:26.53 We went to bed and we prayed over her. 00:04:26.56\00:04:29.86 We got up the next morning at five o'clock. 00:04:29.90\00:04:33.03 I ran to the front porch, I opened up the door, 00:04:33.07\00:04:35.50 I flipped on the light, and I called. 00:04:35.54\00:04:37.97 There was no answering little meow; no Pebbles. 00:04:38.01\00:04:42.31 Greg left for work, and I pulled on his old jeans, 00:04:42.34\00:04:46.15 and an old flannel shirt, and I went out to see if, maybe, 00:04:46.18\00:04:50.22 just maybe, I could find her. 00:04:50.25\00:04:52.99 Across the road... We live on a gravel road. 00:04:53.02\00:04:56.89 We live in the country. 00:04:56.93\00:04:58.26 Across the road from our house is a whole forest of trees, 00:04:58.29\00:05:02.56 and brambles, and thickets, and all of that. 00:05:02.60\00:05:05.07 So I crossed the road, picked up one leg over the barbed wire 00:05:05.10\00:05:09.34 fence, the other leg over the barbed wire fence, 00:05:09.37\00:05:12.54 and almost immediately the brambles, the thickets, 00:05:12.57\00:05:18.08 forced me to my hands and knees. 00:05:18.11\00:05:20.28 And I began to crawl, dodging deer droppings, and poison ivy, 00:05:20.32\00:05:25.29 pausing to yank Greg's old flannel shirt off of one of 00:05:25.32\00:05:29.29 those briars and thorns. 00:05:29.32\00:05:30.79 Every so often I would pause, I would call, and I would listen. 00:05:30.83\00:05:36.16 But there was no answering little meow; no Pebbles. 00:05:36.20\00:05:41.40 After an hour I finally gave up and I came back through all that 00:05:41.44\00:05:47.88 out on the main road. 00:05:47.91\00:05:49.38 Later, almost as if on an impulse, 00:05:49.41\00:05:52.18 I started off a different field. 00:05:52.21\00:05:54.78 And I'd almost given up hope. 00:05:54.82\00:05:56.22 I'd been searching for a few hours; there was no kitty cat. 00:05:56.25\00:05:59.69 And I went down this other road, and all of a 00:05:59.72\00:06:02.92 sudden I called again. 00:06:02.96\00:06:04.99 And I don't even know why I called, but I called 00:06:05.03\00:06:07.16 and I heard meow. 00:06:07.20\00:06:10.33 And I thought, Ah! Is that Pebbles? Meow! 00:06:10.37\00:06:14.70 And so I went into the woods. 00:06:14.74\00:06:16.74 I said, I'm coming! 00:06:16.77\00:06:18.11 And I went in and there she was, back arched, 00:06:18.14\00:06:21.54 tail up and waving proudly. She was there! 00:06:21.58\00:06:25.01 Why hadn't she come home? 00:06:25.05\00:06:27.85 I don't know. Maybe she got lost, and turned around, 00:06:27.88\00:06:32.09 and she couldn't find her way back home. 00:06:32.12\00:06:35.09 Maybe she was so worn out that she said, I'm too tired, 00:06:35.12\00:06:41.03 too tired to come back. 00:06:41.06\00:06:43.67 Whatever the reason, I started for home. 00:06:43.70\00:06:46.33 She does not like to be carried, so I thought, if I walk she's 00:06:46.37\00:06:50.31 going to keep pace with me. 00:06:50.34\00:06:52.31 But she didn't. She just stayed back there. 00:06:52.34\00:06:57.51 So I did the only thing I knew how to do. 00:06:57.55\00:06:59.61 I went back, I picked her up, and I carried her close against 00:06:59.65\00:07:05.15 my chest, close to my heart. 00:07:05.19\00:07:08.56 Across the field we went; a dirty scratched up woman, 00:07:08.59\00:07:13.09 and a little kitty cat, both content and at peace. 00:07:13.13\00:07:18.37 And as I walked, my mind traveled to the many times 00:07:18.40\00:07:22.87 my Father, the Shepherd, has looked for me, 00:07:22.90\00:07:26.51 to the miles He's walked in my pursuit, 00:07:26.54\00:07:30.98 to the brambles and the thickets that He has braved 00:07:31.01\00:07:35.15 trying to find me. 00:07:35.18\00:07:36.52 Sometimes I think I purposely hid. 00:07:36.55\00:07:41.06 I heard His voice calling, yet I was afraid, afraid of a holy 00:07:41.12\00:07:45.69 God seeing my sin polluted heart. 00:07:45.73\00:07:49.70 Other times I just got turned around and lost, and I couldn't 00:07:49.73\00:07:54.24 seem to find my way back home. 00:07:54.27\00:07:57.47 Still other times I was so worn out with the fight that I didn't 00:07:57.51\00:08:03.88 think I could take another step. 00:08:03.91\00:08:07.38 Those were the times He reached down, He picked me up, 00:08:07.42\00:08:11.82 and He carried me close to His chest, close against His heart. 00:08:11.85\00:08:17.03 Every time I think of that story that happened with my kitty cat, 00:08:17.09\00:08:22.23 Pebbles, I'm reminded of a verse in Ezekiel. 00:08:22.26\00:08:25.30 If you have your Bibles, turn there with me. 00:08:25.33\00:08:28.34 If not, just jot down the reference. 00:08:28.37\00:08:31.51 And Ezekiel's talking to the people, and then God says, 00:08:33.11\00:08:37.25 Repent and turn away from what you've done. 00:08:37.31\00:08:39.85 Turn away from your sin. 00:08:39.88\00:08:42.08 And then He says in verse 31, For why should you die, 00:08:42.12\00:08:47.36 O house of Israel? 00:08:47.39\00:08:49.79 God's coming to you, He's coming to me. 00:08:49.82\00:08:53.73 He says, I don't want you to die. 00:08:53.76\00:08:56.06 I don't want you to perish, lost in the brambles and the 00:08:56.10\00:09:00.27 thickets, a long ways from home. 00:09:00.30\00:09:03.17 I want to go and find you, and to bring you home. 00:09:03.20\00:09:07.98 We have a self-evaluation for this program. 00:09:08.01\00:09:10.98 And when we do this self-evaluation, I want to 00:09:11.01\00:09:13.92 remind you to be honest. 00:09:13.98\00:09:15.78 Don't feel like you have to say what I want to hear, 00:09:15.82\00:09:19.25 or what your spouse wants to hear, or what even your 00:09:19.29\00:09:22.69 pastor wants to hear. 00:09:22.72\00:09:24.06 Just be honest. Where are you right now? 00:09:24.09\00:09:26.96 Do you know that Jesus has forgiven you? 00:09:27.00\00:09:30.00 How would you rate your forgiveness? 00:09:30.03\00:09:33.00 your peace with Jesus? your assurance of salvation? 00:09:33.03\00:09:37.97 We have four different options, and just pick the one you feel 00:09:38.01\00:09:40.68 most accurately reflects where you are right now. 00:09:40.71\00:09:44.31 I know that has been my experience. 00:10:06.90\00:10:09.34 I know there have been times when I know I messed up, 00:10:09.37\00:10:12.51 and I know I do something wrong, and I don't even want to 00:10:12.54\00:10:15.64 come back to God, because I already asked for forgiveness 00:10:15.68\00:10:18.71 for the same thing again. 00:10:18.75\00:10:20.08 And I say, I'm just too bad, God. 00:10:20.12\00:10:22.45 I'm not even sure that You can forgive me. 00:10:22.48\00:10:26.02 Maybe that's where you are. 00:10:26.05\00:10:27.39 Let's look at number 3. 00:10:27.42\00:10:28.76 And the last one. 00:10:39.30\00:10:40.94 No matter where you feel you are right now today, 00:10:59.45\00:11:02.72 that really doesn't matter, come to God. 00:11:02.76\00:11:05.19 We're going to discuss today how we can know with assurance 00:11:05.23\00:11:09.50 that the Lord Jesus forgives us. 00:11:09.53\00:11:12.63 What are the barriers to keeping us forgiven? 00:11:12.70\00:11:14.87 What are the keys to experiencing and finding that 00:11:14.90\00:11:18.41 forgiveness ourself? 00:11:18.47\00:11:20.51 1. I think there's four steps. 00:11:20.54\00:11:23.28 1. Pray about it and ask God to show you what it is. 00:11:23.31\00:11:28.22 It might be a twenty year mistake. 00:11:28.25\00:11:32.42 What I mean by that, you might have done something when you 00:11:32.45\00:11:34.92 were 18 years old, and you've regretted 00:11:34.96\00:11:37.53 it the rest of your life. 00:11:37.56\00:11:39.96 Maybe you're 38 and you say, I can't forget something I did 00:11:40.00\00:11:43.70 20 years ago when I was 18. 00:11:43.73\00:11:45.73 Maybe you're 58, maybe you're 88 and you say, I've lived with 00:11:45.77\00:11:50.14 the knowledge of this sin for 60 years. 00:11:50.17\00:11:53.34 I cannot put it away. Maybe that's it. 00:11:53.38\00:11:56.51 Maybe it's a habit, and you say, Jill I have this certain habit, 00:11:56.54\00:12:01.12 and I ask for forgiveness, and I know God does forgive me, 00:12:01.15\00:12:04.29 but the next day I'm going to go right back to it. 00:12:04.35\00:12:07.86 How can God forgive me again? 00:12:07.89\00:12:09.92 How can He do that? 00:12:09.99\00:12:11.49 Maybe you have, you don't know what it is specifically, 00:12:11.53\00:12:15.16 but you feel like you're under a cloud of condemnation, 00:12:15.20\00:12:18.80 and you just feel like God cannot forgive you. 00:12:18.83\00:12:22.77 Whatever it is, ask God. 00:12:22.80\00:12:25.57 Pray and ask God to identify what it is. 00:12:25.61\00:12:28.94 That's 1. Write it down. 00:12:28.98\00:12:31.25 Pray and ask God to identify. 00:12:31.28\00:12:32.95 2. Pray over it and confess it to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:12:32.98\00:12:38.62 When we do that we want to be honest. 00:12:38.65\00:12:40.59 God already knows all about our heart, and He knows what's 00:12:40.62\00:12:43.63 going on inside anyway, so be specific. 00:12:43.66\00:12:47.56 I think sometimes we come to God, maybe at night, 00:12:47.60\00:12:50.40 and we're in a hurry, Forgive me for all my sins today, 00:12:50.43\00:12:53.13 in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:12:53.17\00:12:54.70 Be specific. God, you know I gossip to my best friend 00:12:54.74\00:12:59.44 about the minister. 00:12:59.47\00:13:00.81 I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. 00:13:00.84\00:13:03.41 You know I just went out and slept with my neighbor? 00:13:03.45\00:13:07.12 I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. 00:13:07.15\00:13:10.35 You know I'm just falling back into those drugs, 00:13:10.39\00:13:13.25 and I thought I had victory over that. 00:13:13.32\00:13:16.19 God, I want to be clean again. 00:13:16.22\00:13:19.26 I want to be forgiven. I'm sorry. 00:13:19.29\00:13:22.63 Be specific. Ask for forgiveness. 00:13:22.66\00:13:27.10 3. Walk by faith not by feeling. 00:13:27.14\00:13:31.47 I think this is pivotal when we discuss forgiveness. 00:13:31.51\00:13:34.48 We can ask God to show me what it is in my heart, number one. 00:13:34.51\00:13:38.61 We can pray over, and ask for forgiveness, but just because 00:13:38.65\00:13:42.75 we pray, and just because we've asked, 00:13:42.78\00:13:45.09 doesn't mean we feel forgiven. 00:13:45.12\00:13:47.92 Have you ever been there before? 00:13:47.96\00:13:50.73 Have you ever asked and thought, It can't be that easy. 00:13:50.76\00:13:54.06 Surely I need to do something in order to 00:13:54.10\00:13:56.70 experience that forgiveness. 00:13:56.73\00:13:59.53 Choose to accept what God's word says about you. 00:13:59.57\00:14:02.77 Choose to accept His forgiveness. 00:14:02.80\00:14:04.77 There's a quote I love, it says, When you can't feel God 00:14:04.84\00:14:08.24 with your feelings, feel Him with your faith. 00:14:08.28\00:14:12.91 We were talking on Monday night with the girls in jail about 00:14:12.95\00:14:16.15 this concept of forgiveness. 00:14:16.18\00:14:18.09 We were talking about how all we have to do is come to God. 00:14:18.12\00:14:23.12 We ask, 1 John 1:9. 00:14:23.16\00:14:25.73 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, 00:14:25.76\00:14:30.53 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:14:30.57\00:14:33.90 What does it say? We don't make pilgrimages. 00:14:33.94\00:14:36.50 We don't have to do anything special. 00:14:36.54\00:14:38.14 We come to God and we ask. 00:14:38.17\00:14:40.48 And so as we were discussing this on a Monday night at the 00:14:40.51\00:14:44.21 jail, one of the girls raised her hand and she said, 00:14:44.25\00:14:47.02 You mean it's that easy? 00:14:47.05\00:14:48.38 You mean I can be forgiven today? 00:14:48.42\00:14:50.55 And I said, Absolutely. 00:14:50.59\00:14:51.99 The moment you ask, you are forgiven. 00:14:52.05\00:14:55.89 And she said, What if I killed somebody? 00:14:55.92\00:14:59.73 What if I killed somebody? 00:14:59.76\00:15:02.50 If I commit murder, does it take longer 00:15:02.53\00:15:05.37 for that sin to be forgiven? Absolutely not! 00:15:05.40\00:15:09.54 No matter what the sin is, God says, Come to Me. 00:15:09.57\00:15:13.68 I can forgive instantly. 00:15:13.71\00:15:17.05 Now the issue is we don't always feel forgiven. 00:15:17.11\00:15:20.65 That is a challenge. 00:15:20.68\00:15:22.58 That has been a challenge in my own heart and life. 00:15:22.62\00:15:24.95 That promise in 1 John 1:9 we just discussed, 00:15:24.99\00:15:28.59 we can turn it around to an affirmation. 00:15:28.62\00:15:31.29 Father I thank You for the faithfulness of Your promise. 00:15:31.33\00:15:35.46 Thank You that You are able to forgive me, and to cleanse me 00:15:35.50\00:15:39.60 from any stain of sin. 00:15:39.63\00:15:41.64 Right now I confess my sin of 00:15:41.67\00:15:44.14 Fill in the blank, whatever it is. 00:15:44.21\00:15:46.47 I confess my sin. Thank You Father for Your forgiveness. 00:15:46.51\00:15:49.88 And the cleansing blood of Jesus that removes me from any 00:15:49.91\00:15:53.25 spot, any stain of sin. 00:15:53.28\00:15:55.95 I'm standing before You right now cleansed and forgiven. 00:15:55.98\00:15:59.85 Glory Hallelujah! As we learn to walk by faith, 00:15:59.89\00:16:03.99 and not by feelings, I think there's a couple things that 00:16:04.03\00:16:07.16 we can keep in mind that will help; things that have even 00:16:07.20\00:16:10.90 helped me in my own journey experiencing forgiveness. 00:16:10.93\00:16:14.90 1. Is to know that feelings will come. They always do. 00:16:14.97\00:16:18.94 If our feelings follow our thoughts, and if we choose to 00:16:18.97\00:16:22.84 bring our thoughts into line with what God's word says about 00:16:22.88\00:16:26.75 us, then our feelings will eventually follow that. 00:16:26.78\00:16:30.99 You know they say practice makes perfect. 00:16:31.02\00:16:34.72 I taught music lessons for ten years, and I'm here to tell you 00:16:34.76\00:16:38.19 practice does not make perfect. 00:16:38.39\00:16:40.63 When I would sit with one of my piano students, and they would 00:16:40.66\00:16:44.40 work at the piano, if you go home and you practice a B flat 00:16:44.43\00:16:48.10 instead of a B the whole week, what's going to happen? 00:16:48.14\00:16:51.91 The next week when you come to your lesson, you're going to 00:16:51.94\00:16:56.04 play the note wrong. 00:16:56.08\00:16:57.65 Practice doesn't make perfect. 00:16:57.68\00:17:00.35 I think practice makes permanent. 00:17:00.42\00:17:03.05 Practice makes permanent. 00:17:03.08\00:17:04.99 So if every time, if I make a mistake, if I do something, 00:17:05.05\00:17:10.09 and I go to God and I say, I'm sorry. 00:17:10.13\00:17:13.56 Will You forgive me? 00:17:13.60\00:17:15.86 I can choose one of two thought patterns. 00:17:15.93\00:17:18.63 I can say, He can't forgive me. 00:17:18.67\00:17:20.87 I asked again. Oh, surely He can't forgive me. 00:17:20.90\00:17:23.91 I'm too bad. Or I can say, Your word says whether I feel 00:17:23.94\00:17:29.24 forgiven or not, that I am forgiven. 00:17:29.28\00:17:33.62 I am choosing by faith to accept what Your word says about me. 00:17:33.65\00:17:38.35 Greg and I went to the zoo. 00:17:38.39\00:17:42.02 And at the zoo they have all the different animals housed 00:17:42.06\00:17:45.96 in their different area. 00:17:45.99\00:17:47.33 We were at the section for the big cats; 00:17:47.36\00:17:48.86 you know, the lions, and the tigers. 00:17:48.90\00:17:50.87 And I like those animals. 00:17:50.90\00:17:52.70 We were at the leopard cage, and he had a 00:17:52.73\00:17:55.87 pretty nice sized cage. 00:17:55.90\00:17:58.24 But instead of running around the whole cage, 00:17:58.27\00:18:00.81 do you know what he did? 00:18:00.84\00:18:02.18 He walked up the cage, back the cage, up the cage, on one side. 00:18:02.21\00:18:09.62 He went up and down, up and down. 00:18:09.65\00:18:12.82 He wore the grass down to there was dirt. 00:18:12.85\00:18:15.22 And then he walked up and down so much that it wore 00:18:15.29\00:18:18.29 a rut in the ground. 00:18:18.33\00:18:20.53 You could see that's what he did all day. 00:18:20.56\00:18:23.40 He walked up and down one side of his cage. 00:18:23.43\00:18:26.20 And I think as Christians we can do the same thing. 00:18:26.23\00:18:30.34 We can form pathways in our brain like the leopard 00:18:30.37\00:18:34.44 did with the grass. 00:18:34.48\00:18:35.81 We can wear pathways, those neurons, those synapses, 00:18:35.84\00:18:39.58 they start to connect and fire. 00:18:39.61\00:18:41.52 So if every time I make a mistake I go to God, 00:18:41.55\00:18:45.52 ask for forgiveness, and then every time I don't feel forgiven 00:18:45.55\00:18:49.72 I say, No, no Satan, God says I'm forgiven, I'm choosing to 00:18:49.76\00:18:55.26 bring my mind into line with what God's word says. 00:18:55.30\00:18:59.90 Every time you do that it's going to get easier. 00:18:59.93\00:19:02.67 It's going to get easier. 00:19:02.70\00:19:04.21 It's going to make a difference. 00:19:04.24\00:19:06.07 So know that feelings will come. 00:19:06.11\00:19:08.48 Know that practice makes permanent, so continue. 00:19:08.51\00:19:11.85 Choose to practice to bring your mind into line with what 00:19:11.88\00:19:15.38 God word says about you. 00:19:15.42\00:19:17.39 Spend time in the word of God. 00:19:17.42\00:19:20.76 Do you want to grow your faith? 00:19:20.79\00:19:22.72 Spend time in the word of God. 00:19:22.76\00:19:25.39 Romans 10:17. I like this verse. It says: 00:19:25.43\00:19:31.83 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 00:19:31.87\00:19:36.30 Do you want to grow your faith? 00:19:36.34\00:19:37.77 Do you say, Jill I have weak faith. 00:19:37.81\00:19:40.11 I don't have a strong faith, but I wish I did. 00:19:40.14\00:19:43.55 Then spend time in the word of God. 00:19:43.58\00:19:47.05 Write out those 3 x 5 cards, promises that we talked 00:19:47.08\00:19:51.35 about the last program. 00:19:51.39\00:19:52.75 Here's two I can think of off the top of my head that 00:19:52.79\00:19:55.49 would be great to do. 00:19:55.52\00:19:57.33 If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us, 00:19:59.16\00:20:02.10 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 00:20:02.13\00:20:05.13 That's a wonderful promise. 00:20:05.17\00:20:06.50 Anytime Satan says, You messed up! 00:20:06.53\00:20:09.77 You're not forgiven. 00:20:09.80\00:20:11.14 Whip out your card and say, The word of God says I'm 00:20:11.17\00:20:13.54 forgiven, Jesus says I'm forgiven. 00:20:13.58\00:20:15.88 By faith I accept what it says. 00:20:15.91\00:20:19.05 John 6:37, Jesus says, Whoever comes to Me, 00:20:19.08\00:20:22.38 I will never cast away. 00:20:22.42\00:20:25.85 So first when we're dealing with forgiveness, 00:20:25.89\00:20:28.96 we identify the sin. 00:20:28.99\00:20:30.79 We go to God and ask Him, Okay, what is between me and You? 00:20:30.83\00:20:34.80 What is the issue here? 00:20:34.83\00:20:36.16 Then we ask for God's forgiveness, number 2. 00:20:36.20\00:20:40.00 3. We walk by faith, not by how we feel; 00:20:40.04\00:20:45.51 not by what our heart and our feelings say. 00:20:45.54\00:20:48.94 4. Is to be aware of conviction versus condemnation. 00:20:48.98\00:20:54.68 I was in Massachusetts. 00:20:54.72\00:20:56.38 My mom and dad live in Massachusetts. 00:20:56.42\00:20:58.42 And I went up to see my family. 00:20:58.45\00:21:00.02 And we were eating out at a little Tai restaurant. 00:21:00.06\00:21:03.26 It was just a cute little place tucked into a city block. 00:21:03.29\00:21:06.66 And as we were waiting for our food, my cell phone rang. 00:21:06.70\00:21:11.00 And I looked down and I saw it was one of my 00:21:11.03\00:21:13.40 girlfriends from church. 00:21:13.44\00:21:14.77 And I knew she was struggling, so I took the call. 00:21:14.80\00:21:17.34 And I went outside and I said, Hi, my sister. 00:21:17.37\00:21:20.34 How are you doing? 00:21:20.38\00:21:21.71 And she said, I'm struggling, Jill. 00:21:21.74\00:21:23.71 Satan keeps saying, Who are you? 00:21:23.75\00:21:26.98 What type of Christian wife and mother are you? 00:21:27.02\00:21:30.55 And I instantly was reminded of what my friend Rhonda always 00:21:30.59\00:21:35.32 says: Conviction comes from God, condemnation 00:21:35.36\00:21:40.63 comes from the enemy. 00:21:40.66\00:21:43.33 How do we know the difference? 00:21:43.37\00:21:44.83 How do we know if we're experiencing conviction from the 00:21:44.87\00:21:47.70 Holy Spirit, or if I'm experiencing condemnation 00:21:47.74\00:21:51.04 that comes from the enemy? 00:21:51.07\00:21:52.84 I think the difference is really in the spirit 00:21:52.87\00:21:55.51 behind the thought. 00:21:55.54\00:21:56.88 What I mean by that: if the thought has anything to do with 00:21:56.91\00:22:01.28 my worth as a woman of God, then I know it's condemnation. 00:22:01.32\00:22:05.95 The Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts. 00:22:05.99\00:22:10.16 Yes, He might say, Jill, you weren't honest there. 00:22:10.19\00:22:16.26 My daughter's tell the truth. 00:22:16.30\00:22:18.13 Go back and tell the truth. 00:22:18.17\00:22:20.60 That is conviction. 00:22:20.64\00:22:22.70 Now if Satan were bringing the same thought with condemnation, 00:22:22.74\00:22:26.31 he would say, You're never honest. 00:22:26.34\00:22:29.98 You've never been honest. 00:22:30.01\00:22:31.75 Why even try? You're a loser. 00:22:31.78\00:22:34.15 Do you see the difference? 00:22:34.18\00:22:35.52 God brings conviction, Satan brings discouragement. 00:22:35.55\00:22:40.66 God reveals our sin, yet He has a solution. 00:22:40.69\00:22:44.23 Satan taunts, torments, and offers no hope. 00:22:44.26\00:22:48.50 Our Savior deals redemptively, Satan deals destructively. 00:22:48.53\00:22:54.80 The last step... We've gone through identify the sin, 00:22:54.84\00:22:58.41 write down what it is. 00:22:58.44\00:22:59.81 2. Ask God. Go to Him and ask for His forgiveness. 00:22:59.84\00:23:03.28 3. Choose to walk by faith, not by how you feel. 00:23:03.31\00:23:09.55 4. Learn to recognize the difference between condemnation 00:23:09.58\00:23:13.76 from Satan, and conviction from the Holy Spirit. 00:23:13.79\00:23:17.83 And 5. Burn or shred your paper. 00:23:17.86\00:23:21.43 If you wrote that down, get rid of it. 00:23:21.46\00:23:23.77 Now there's nothing inherently good about getting rid of it, 00:23:23.80\00:23:26.90 it just is a symbolic act. 00:23:26.94\00:23:29.30 It symbolizes that our sins are cast into the depths of the sea. 00:23:29.34\00:23:35.54 That whatever we've done is put away. 00:23:35.58\00:23:38.98 I don't know where you are right now in your walk with Jesus. 00:23:39.01\00:23:43.92 You might say, Jill I just feel lost in the thickets; 00:23:43.95\00:23:48.06 lost and alone. I feel miles from God. 00:23:48.12\00:23:52.56 God knows where you are. 00:23:52.59\00:23:53.93 He knows exactly where you are, and He says, I want to find you. 00:23:53.96\00:23:58.13 I want to brave those brambles and thickets. 00:23:58.17\00:24:01.30 I want to come back and bring you home. 00:24:01.34\00:24:05.87 He said, I want to forgive you. 00:24:05.91\00:24:07.94 No matter what you've done, nothing that you could have done 00:24:07.98\00:24:12.61 in the past, or you could ever do in the future, would make God 00:24:12.65\00:24:18.82 love you any less, who would make God say, 00:24:18.85\00:24:22.12 I can't forgive you. 00:24:22.16\00:24:23.69 He can forgive anything. 00:24:23.73\00:24:25.19 We're going to take a short break. 00:24:25.26\00:24:27.20 When we come back we'll have some practical applications, 00:24:27.23\00:24:29.80 something you can do this week at home. 00:24:29.83\00:24:33.37 And then our next program we're going to discuss how we 00:24:33.40\00:24:37.07 can forgive other people. 00:24:37.11\00:24:39.57 Do you feel trapped? 00:24:39.61\00:24:40.94 We're going to unpackage how you can forgive others. 00:24:40.98\00:24:43.95