Faith Scripture:

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

As we follow Jesus and walk in "Everyday Faith," this series is designed to help you get free and walk in life more abundantly.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The steps of following Jesus:

Born-again – Saved

Water Baptized

Holy Spirit Activated

Healed and Set Free

In Community

Contributing

Personal Growth

Reproducing

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

There are 2 Objectives to this series:

• We need to step into preventative truth rather than reactionary deliverance.
• Isaiah 49:9 (NIV) “…say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’
• We learn how to access what God has given us so we can properly grow in our faith by possessing the ‘knowledge of the truth.”
• I Timothy 2:3-6 “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
• "Knowledge of the truth" means deeply understanding reality, facts, and what is right, involving a spiritual understanding that transforms one's life, setting it apart from mere information.

It doesn’t matter how much protection we have on the outside if what is killing us is Under the Armor.

Psalm 103:1-3a;10-12

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity,10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Sin - an overall covering term that encompasses iniquity and transgression.

Iniquity - inward motivation, inward thoughts, and desires

Transgressions (or Trespass) - outward action

Example: Lust is an Iniquity.

Adultery is a Transgression.

All sin, iniquity, and transgressions are done out of either ignorance, doors we’ve opened, or iniquity.

The power of Jesus is that he sets us free from iniquity and removes our transgressions.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed or bruised for our iniquities.

Here is why forgiveness is so essential to being free.

Exodus 34:6-7: 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Deuteronomy 5:9b-10: “…visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Forgiveness not only releases us from things we inherited; it also releases us from things we will pass down to our children and grandchildren.

The Action of Forgiveness: Receiving it and Giving it!

The consequence of unforgiveness keeps you chained down, tied up, shackled, and causes your own spiritual death.

Forgiveness - the term in a literal sense means to "turn loose," "to release," or to "let go."

The literal illustration from Biblical context is letting loose a tied boat and watching it go down a river.

Forgive Yourself: I need me to forgive me! You need you to forgive you.

The concept I am trying to get across is not asking someone for forgiveness, but instead, you "forgiving yourself."

Inner Vows are statements made in self-trust and preservation, and not faith in God and his faithfulness and power to fix the situation. Inner Vows are statements based on brokenness, fallen thinking, and ungodly emotions.

When we make a statement of faith in God, we are making a statement based on wholeness, holiness, and on God. Faith-based is our trust in God’s ability to accomplish it.

Inner Vows are among the most common barriers we face in counseling and setting people free. They occur because of a "hurt," an "offense," or a "hurt caused by an offense.”

Examples:

Neglect is a feeling that something or someone is more important or valued than you.

Daddy works too much.

They are mommy’s favorite.

Abuses are things done too much or things that are hurtful that we self-inflict. Such as, how you talk about yourself when you make a mistake or how you compensate to mask or numb the pain.

Forgive Others:

Forgiving others is the key to your freedom, not the other person getting off free.

I have heard it phrased like this:

· Unforgiveness is like drinking deadly poison and hoping someone else dies.

· Unforgiveness is like you holding the dropping anchor of a ship while hoping the person on board drowns.

· Unforgiveness is you being chained down when the person who wronged you goes free.

Jesus forgave so you could be free and so he would remain free! If anyone has a right to hold unforgiveness, it is Jesus!

Listen to how Jesus ends the Lord’s Prayer and how then immediately follows it up.

Matthew 6:12-15: 12 and forgive us our debts or trespass, as we also have forgiven our debtors or those who trespass against us.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Now let's focus on this from a Jesus perspective! If Jesus, when he was on the cross, did not forgive, he would have disqualified himself as the sacrifice of God.

Luke 23:34: “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Forgive God:

This is a theologically incorrect statement. It is incorrect because God has never done anything that would require forgiveness. He Is God

What it means is that you have held something against God or have taken offense at something and blame God. It is time to "turn loose," "to release," or to "let go."

John 6:60-61: 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?”

Offense - Greek - skandalizō - This refers to a trap, particularly the part of the trap to which the bait is attached, or to put a stumbling block in a person's way.

Offense is the craftiest tool of the devil that is used to bring people into captivity.

What greater bait or stumbling block can Satan have than to get you offended so you will turn away from the only one who can help you!

What about Forgive and Forget?

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake and remembers your sins no more.

True forgiveness is not “forgive and forget.” True forgiveness is releasing and letting go so you are freed from the pain of the offence, and you remember it no more.

Have you ever hit your thumb with a hammer? You didn't curse your right hand because you hit your left hand. But once the pain was gone, you remembered the injury no more.

As you receive and give forgiveness, you begin to be set free to administer freedom.

People bound by unforgiveness will never be effective for the Kingdom of God because unforgiveness literally keeps you chained down, tied up, shackled, and committing spiritual suicide.

Forgiveness is a decision you make that will enable you to say, “I AM FREE!”

Today, "Give it," "Receive It," and Live FREE!