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    I Forgive You: How Heart-Based Forgiveness Sets You Free
    I Forgive You: How Heart-Based Forgiveness Sets You Free
    I Forgive You: How Heart-Based Forgiveness Sets You Free
    Ebook205 pages1 hour

    I Forgive You: How Heart-Based Forgiveness Sets You Free

    By Judith Doctor

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    About this ebook

    Living in an age of hatred and revenge, we can avoid the high cost of unforgiveness if we do what Jesus said: forgive from our heart. I Forgive You offers an in-depth look at forgiveness. It describes a 12-step process that leads to heart-based forgiveness, allowing God to lift the heavy burden.
    Numerous studies prove the healing power of forgiveness. Professionals use forgiveness to treat numerous troubles: anxiety and depression, abuse, trauma, divorce, marriage and family relationships, bereavement, and other losses.
    Because of ignorance of forgiveness, resentment and anger continue to simmer below the surface, sometimes for years. Maintaining a record of wrongs and carrying grudges take a toll on our body, emotional and mental health, spirit, and relationships.
    This book shows how unforgiveness opens the door to demonic-fueled pressures that can spiral completely out of control, leading downward from revenge to hatred to violence. But forgiving from the heart has power to set us free and bring peace.
    The scales of justice must be balanced when an offense is committed. At Calvary, God provided the sacrificial blood of His Son so that the debts of our transgressors can be forgiven. Providing an understanding of how the blood of Jesus enables us to forgive even our worst offenders is one of the most important contributions of this book.
    But before anyone can say those three simple—but profound—words, “I forgive you,” they must know the biblical basis of forgiving from the heart and realize what forgiveness is and is not.
    People often have difficulty coming to grips with forgiveness. The author suggests various reasons why we refuse to forgive, enabling the reader to move beyond their pain and follow the pathway to forgiveness.
    The final chapter is a deeply spiritual and emotional encounter with heart-based forgiveness. Identifying, naming, and then forgiving our offenders leads to better relationships, healing of painful memories, stronger immune system, and freedom to move forward in life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJudith Doctor
    Release dateNov 21, 2017
    ISBN9780983791768
    I Forgive You: How Heart-Based Forgiveness Sets You Free
    Author

    Judith Doctor

    Author, speaker, and mentor, Judith A. Doctor, MSW, RN, is a spiritual adventurer whose life is marked by numerous transformative encounters with the living God. Co-founder of Kairos Ministries, Inc., she conducts groups, retreats, and individual sessions for spiritual growth and healing in both the USA and Europe.Judith knows firsthand a loving God who brought resurrection life through the crises of her life—death of a child from leukemia, battle-worn marriage, family addictions, her own troubled soul. Changed by the grace of God, she carries a confident authority to help others on their spiritual journey.She authored two books about unlocking the mystery of dreams from a Judeo-Christian perspective. Recognizing that we are missing a vital part of our heritage, she has contributed to the on-going restoration of this neglected aspect of Christian experience today.Recently she wrote a how-to book on forgiveness, where she describes the biblical process of forgiving from the heart, emphasizing that forgiveness does not mean reconciliation.Since 1980 Judith has addressed parish nurses, social workers, recovery groups, German psychosomatic clinics, Romanian nurses, and numerous Christian groups, both Catholic and Protestant. She can be heard on her live Radio Horeb program in Europe.Judith enjoys chats with friends, evening rides, art exhibits, international mysteries, spiritual-political discourse, and morning coffee with her husband, Gerald. Married in 1959, they have two sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren.She writes about the spiritual journey on social media and her blog posts (https://judithdoctor.com/)

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      Book preview

      I Forgive You - Judith Doctor

      I Forgive You

      How Heart-Based Forgiveness Sets You Free

      Judith A. Doctor

      Copyright 2017 Judith A. Doctor

      Smashwords Edition

      Table of Contents

      Preface

      1 When You Stand Praying, Forgive

      2 High Cost of Unforgiveness

      3 Downward Spiral of Unforgiveness

      4 Balancing the Scales of Justice

      5 Forgiveness Requires Blood

      6 What Is Forgiveness?

      7 Misconceptions About Forgiveness

      8 Pathway to Heart-Based Forgiveness

      9 Bedrock Truths of Christianity

      10 Why Do We Not Forgive?

      11 Blessings of Forgiveness

      12 It’s Time to Forgive

      References

      Author’s Notes

      About Judith Doctor

      Dream Books by Judith A. Doctor

      Preface

      Lack of forgiveness is killing us. Everywhere we look we see anger, hatred, violence, and murder on the streets of America. Even in the church.

      Families are riddled with unforgiveness, causing breaks in relationships and unhappiness with others and within ourselves. Damaging effects of unforgiveness impact our lives on every level, especially our emotional and psychological well-being.

      In the Gospels, Jesus tried to make us aware of the dangers of unforgiveness. He said if we don’t forgive others from our heart, we will open ourselves to torturers—the kingdom of darkness.

      Even with this warning, we seldom wonder whether any of our problems—emotional and mental ills, family brokenness, physical symptoms—might be linked to unforgiveness. We are ignorant of the price we will pay … if we let the sun go down on our anger.

      Most people do not know there is a relationship between forgiving others and our psychological, physical, spiritual, and social well-being. Forgiving others produces a more positive attitude, makes our bodies healthier, and gives us a higher quality of life. Hanging onto painful memories and past wounds can make us more susceptible to illnesses.

      Professionals use forgiveness to treat all types of troubles: anxiety and depression, compulsions, marriage and family relationships, family-of-origin issues, abuse, trauma, divorce, bereavement, and other losses.

      Numerous studies prove the healing power of forgiveness. In some areas forgiveness therapy is even integrated into the protocols for treating cancer. If helping professionals use forgiveness as a powerful healing tool, how can we in the church do any less?

      When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to forgive us our debts in the same way that we forgive our debtors. Yet countless church-goers lug around a load of guilt and grudges. I have listened to them recite their list of wrongs against someone and then say, But I have forgiven them. Many do not even recognize that they are holding deep-seated resentments from long ago—even from childhood.

      For most Christians, Jesus’ assertion that He who the Son sets free, is free indeed is mere theological knowledge, not a reality they have known, felt, and proved by experience.

      If you listen inside our homes and churches, you’ll hear reproachful voices and be privy to a list of grievances. Look into their eyes—which reflect the heart—and you’ll see the lack of joy and peace in their faces. They are plagued by critical hearts, shallow relationships, and a lack of genuine compassion and love for people around them.

      Is it because we don’t understand what forgiveness is and is not? Or the biblical basis of forgiving from the heart? Or is it because we want to take revenge, invoking the eye-for-an-eye method?

      Perhaps the worst reason is rejecting the blood of Jesus Christ as not enough payment for someone’s sin against us. Throughout history in every culture and society, blood is required to resolve the debts of offences committed against others. More than 2000 years ago, God provided us with the sacrificial blood of Christ so debts can be forgiven.

      Failure to forgive—or to receive forgiveness—is a crucial barrier to experiencing the peace, joy, and freedom that Jesus Christ made possible. The kind of forgiveness that Jesus asks of his followers is this: forgiveness must take place in our heart, not only in our mind.

      The idea for this book was spawned by a German veterinarian attending one of our retreats in Austria. After I spoke on biblical forgiveness, he excitedly said, Now I understand what’s wrong with people. Their hearts are so hard. We don’t understand forgiveness, and we don’t do what Jesus said, ‘forgive from the heart.’

      In my inner healing ministry and counseling practice I have often witnessed the damage of unforgiveness in people’s lives. Heart-based forgiveness means you allow your emotional core to be touched, release your right for revenge, and let go of the record of wrongs you’ve been collecting.

      In this book, I focus on helping you learn how to forgive others and yourself. I describe clearly the process of forgiving, outlining 12 steps that will set you free from the heavy load of resentment, anger, and hatred.

      A quick look through the book

      In one sense this is a Bible study book because I base everything on Scripture. The first words in the first chapter are those of Jesus Christ instructing us to forgive anyone we have something against—so our Heavenly Father will forgive us.

      Chapter 1 introduces this marvelous tool God has given us. Forgiving from your heart has tremendous power to heal your life and set you free.

      Unforgiveness can be an immense problem. In Chapter 2 you will discover the link between resentment and many health problems.

      The potential for unforgiveness to spiral completely out of control is covered in Chapter 3. Refusal to forgive opens the door to demonic-fueled pressures that can lead downward from revenge to hatred to violence.

      In Chapter 4 we talk about Divine Laws that govern the universe, including the need to restore balance when an offense is perpetrated against someone.

      The necessity for blood to achieve forgiveness is developed in Chapter 5. The blood of Jesus empowers you to forgive even your most odious offenders. Providing an understanding of this concept is one of the most important contributions of this book.

      The detailed discussion in Chapter 6 about what biblical forgiveness really means will help you grasp all that’s involved in saying those three simple—but profound— words, I forgive you.

      Many Christian people greatly misunderstand what forgiveness really is and what it is not. Chapter 7 will help straighten out a lot of that for you. Expect some surprises.

      Chapter 8 describes the pathway to letting go of an offense at a deep heart level. I break it down into steps, so you can acknowledge your wounding, take account of what happened, and release someone from the debt they owe you.

      Chapter 9 is a brief Bible study on three concepts that are central to forgiveness: sin, repentance, and faith. Whether you skipped catechism or need a refresher, these bedrock truths of Christianity need to be understood at a deeper level.

      Often people have trouble coming to grips with forgiveness. Chapter 10 discusses various reasons why we refuse to forgive. Perhaps here you’ll discover your particular hang-up and finally be able to say those words that set you free.

      God has given us a choice of life or death, blessing or curse. In Chapter 11 we see that forgiveness is an area loaded with biblical blessings to enjoy.

      Finally, in Chapter 12, I lead you through the process of actually forgiving your offenders. You’ll be doing business with God as you make peace in your heart with everyone who has ever hurt you. Be sure to include yourself!

      This book on heart-based forgiveness will change your life.

      You’ll experience newfound freedom in your relationships. Release from painful memories. A lighter load on your immune system. Free from guilt. Free to love. Free to move your life forward.

      Chapter 1: When You Stand Praying, Forgive

      Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions" (Mark 11:26).

      Jesus Christ instructs his followers throughout the Gospels to forgive others—even their enemies—whenever they stand praying.

      Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven … And

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