Meditate On
Forgiveness Opens the Door
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into
the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
Cruel words spoken in anger. A betrayal of trust.
Promises broken. A destructive relationship you knew you should not have
entered into.
Have you been down those dark paths before? There are so
many people who are living in the shadow of guilt and condemnation. The
mistakes of their past haunt them and it is a painfully lonely and arduous
journey for them.
Perhaps the paralyzed man who was let down through the
roof by his four faithful friends in the book of Mark understood a little of
this. The Bible tells us he was paralyzed to the point where he could only lie
on a mat, which was how his friends carried him to the house Jesus was in. With
the man lying inert on his mat, his four friends lowered him through the roof,
right in front of Jesus—the only way they knew how to bring their crippled
friend before Jesus and secure his healing. Scripture tells us that when Jesus
saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you”
(Mark 2:5).
To all who were watching this scene unfold that day, that
must have been a very strange thing for Jesus to say—“your sins are forgiven
you.” The man was clearly paralyzed. He was obviously there for healing. What
had forgiveness to do with his condition or healing?
But Jesus knew it was exactly what this poor man needed
to hear for his healing to manifest. And indeed, at Jesus’ next words, “Stand
up, pick up your mat, and go to home,” the paralyzed man “jumped up, grabbed
his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers” (Mark 2:11–12, NLT).
What had transpired? Jesus saw, when no one else could, that the man needed to
hear he was forgiven, that God was not condemning him. And those words opened
the door to his healing and broke him loose from his paralysis. No wonder the
onlookers were stunned—the man went from being immobile and helpless to being
active, strong, and completely whole right before their eyes!
My beloved friend, if you are paralyzed by a heavy sense
of condemnation over something in your past, I want you to know beyond any
doubt that God is not withholding your breakthrough from you. He loves you,
understands your pain and suffering, and has forgiven you through the cross. He
wants you to know that your past does not have to poison your future. No matter
how many dark days you have experienced, God has prepared many wonderful open
doors of opportunity, favor, and good success for you to walk through in the
days ahead. Your brightest and most glorious days are still ahead of you.
BLESSINGS
JOSEPH PRINCE
