As humans, we make mistakes. You and I make them, and the hardest part is it will not cease any time soon. We will only be made perfect once we return to our Creator, Lord and Saviour after having serving him faithfully: when he will return or when he will call us back to him (after death). In my Communication courses of last year and this year, my professors would often repeat that, in communication, the most important thing is not what you say, but the manner in which the listener receives the message. I admit that these previous sentences may not seem to be completely related, nor to the title of the article, but allow me to make the connections amongst these three points. Our relationships with others are based off of communication, and because we are imperfect, the relationships with these people are very fragile. I am certain you are aware that we may often offend others with what we say, the way in which we say it, the manner in which the receiver receives and interprets the message. Unfortunately, once something negative is said, it may be very difficult to take it back as well as the consequences of it.
A relationship may be tricky to fix after bad communication. One has to rebuild their trust with the other, and above all, must forgive the offender. This applies not only to humans but God when we hurt and disappoint Him, which is sin in both cases. Disobeying God, harming others, doing or even thinking of doing something bad are all sin, and negatively affect our relationship with God. In these two situations, I can say that there is no healthy relationship without forgiveness. In the next lines, I would like to talk to you about the people who you should be in peace with after you hurt someone. That first person is God. As I have already mentioned, each time you disobey God there is a disappointment associated with the action. However, even though you may fall short of His expectations, but are still seeking to have a good relationship with Him, the first thing to do is ask for forgiveness. If you repent, which is to turn away from your habitual sins out of a resentful heart, you will be forgiven your sins. I am very confident on this subject, because the Bible says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The second person is the one you have offended. It may be challenging to reconcile with this individual whether or not you intended to hurt him or her. However, no matter who this person is and how they feel, and regardless of the circumstance, the relationship will suffer without forgiveness. On your part, it would take humility to own up to your mistakes or risky actions, and ask for the person’s forgiveness. This way, you will have the assurance that you did everything in your power to make things right. The fact that you would have decided, in your heart and before God, to have such an attitude, will prepare you to change your previous mindset when it comes to treating others properly. The reason why you need to be in peace with this person is because God asks you to do so in Romans 12:18: “ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This scripture confirms that you are obligated to do everything in your power to establish or restore a healthy relationship with God and the one you offend. The third and last person is you. In fact, when you hurt those around you, when you go against the will of God or his divine plan for your life, and when you act against your loved one (which is anyone since God wants us to love each other as we love ourselves, as mentioned in Matthew 22:9 and in Leviticus 19:18), you hurt yourself in the process. In the same fashion that you want to be forgiven for hurting someone, you have to forgive yourself. As I have already said above, no relationship can survive without forgiveness, but the truth is, you live with yourself daily, and this will not change anytime soon, aha. Why would you feel so guilty? It can be because you disobeyed God, which can lead to a lack of confidence in yourself or based on disregarding what He says or it may have to do with your new relationships for example. There are numerous reasons why you may feel guilty. However, once you ask God for forgiveness and the person you hurt, and that you are certain you are forgiven, you have to work on yourself.
The reason in which I am writing on this topic is because I do not think there has ever been a perfect day where I completely obeyed the voice of God. I do not think there has ever been one day in my life where I went to bed praising God for completing everything He asked me to do and avoided all He told me to: to do this requires one to pick up his cross daily and deny his flesh, and personally, I struggle with this and am far from reaching this goal. The reason for which I speak about this is because, as I have already explained, one must do all in his power to maintain peace with everyone. Therefore, I highly encourage you to face the different conflicts in which you are involved, and to seek forgiveness. Do not stop praying to God so that he can give you the strength to forgive, in a wise manner. This is another way to look more like Jesus. May the Lord bless you in the week to come, Do 😊 Note: It is imperative to highlight that the topic of forgiveness is very broad. We could talk about it for months. If all goes as planned, this subject will be revisited and expanded on later. Nevertheless, even if we spend hours on this topic, we will not be able cover it in its entirety! So, once we finish this blog, I cannot promise you that you will have all the keys of knowledge on the subject. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us via chat, email or Instagram. We will do our best to respond to you. This article is mainly based on my experience and I commit to make another one more detailed on forgiveness. (Translated by Jane)
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As mentioned last week, the Larousse dictionary defines trust as the “feeling of someone who completely relies on someone else, or on something.”
The Bible asks us to confide in God, and it tells us that He is worthy of being trusted, is loyal and capable of keeping his promises. The expectations are to trust Him with all your being, which includes: your soul or mind, Spirit and body (flesh). Each and everyone of us must reach a point where, no matter what is happening in our lives, good or bad, we should trust in the Lord. We did not come to Christ (we have not given our lives to the Lord) just to gain blessings nor to only receive from Him. To the contrary, coming to Christ requires us to be ready to serve Him no matter what the circumstances are. To serve God means to obey Him, as we have previously spoken about in the past articles. Obeying God entails putting your trust in Him so that he can manifest Himself in all areas of your life. To trust God is to also believe in Him. The assembly of Christ followers and believers (the Church) believe in the Godhead, and believe in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross, having hope in his return and thus, preparing itself to become a sanctified and Holy Church -- the bride of Christ (mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:2). Due to this relationship with Jesus, the Church is obligated to, in all situations, hang onto God and rely on Him. What I mean by believing in God is believing in His promises, in His Word, in the everlasting waters of life he offers us, as well as in our personal relationship with Him: we must believe He is with us, that He listens to our prayers and hears our cries, and that He speaks to us. This type of trust can be created in painful and trying moments, but in these times, it is crucial to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. Additionally, to be the Bride of Christ indicates that we are one in Him as Christians and have been adopted into His Spiritual family. With such a privilege, we are even more encouraged to rely on God. The fact that He is good toward us, a good Father to us who looks out for our well-being can only bring us to surrender our lives to him, which allows Him to take control of and direct our lives as we follow his guidance. In the same manner a child relies on and trusts in his parents, we ought to also confide in God. In fact, Marcelle Kpan explains that: “Trusting in God [allows] us to wait, to hold and to endure trials. To trust God is to overcome doubt. To trust God is to continue to pray to Him [no matter what happens]. To trust God is to show Him our degree of faith. To trust in God [allows] us to enter His promises and blessings.” It has occurred that at one point in my life, I doubted my abilities in relation to what God was asking me to do. I then realised that doubting myself was the same as doubting what God could do in and through me, which belittles His power and position in my life even though God gives us assignments that He knows we are capable of completing. After that revelation, I eventually stopped fretting myself and decided to fix my eyes on Jesus since I can do all through Christ who strengthens me (as mentioned in Philippians 4:13). Little by little, I understood this truth then I was able to truly feel joy, peace and to be fulfilled. We do not do much, but it is God who does the most part for us when it comes to completing tasks or assignments given to us if we trust in and rely on Him. The advice I can give you today is to never give up nor to be discouraged, but to have confidence in the Lord instead! God is in control of everything. If you confide in Him, you will accomplish great things as he moves within and through you. God is Love, loyal, capable and the best confidant in the whole wide World. These are but only a few supplementary reasons why to trust in God. May God bless you! P.S.: I served myself of https://emcitv.com/marcelle-kpan/texte/faire-confiance-a-dieu-17486.html where you can find more information on the topic discussed above. (Translated by Jane) “Trust” as defined by the Larousse dictionary is the “feeling of someone who completely relies on someone else, on something”. This “feeling” depends on the person you talk to: you can trust someone in a certain domain, but absolutely not in another one.
Take the example of a bull in a china shop: we know that this environment is unsuitable for it. However, in its natural habitat -- in the grasslands, it thrives, because it's where it knows best how to graze on grass all day. In the same manner, some people have remarkable skills in certain domains, which pushes one to rely on them in the areas in which he or she may lack. The issue is that no matter who the individual is, he or she is a human being who messes up -- makes mistakes. However, before a multitude of people -- friends and specialists that have their own fields of expertise, in who we relatively place our trust, and who still have one or more areas of weakness, there exists an all-knowing, all powerful being that is above all who created us, and who can never fail in whatever he does. God is not restricted to only one area of expertise: He masters all domains! He is the creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the Alpha (the beginning) and the omega (the end), and all-knowing. Therefore, these truths can only encourage you to trust in Him. In times of doubt, in joyful moments, in expectation, in transitioning periods or silent seasons, we can rely on God and lay down all of our burdens on the altar. What then does this mean? It can be difficult to find the meaning behind these few words. So, here is a verse, which talks about trusting God. I will also share my thoughts and understanding of this subject in relation to the scripture: “Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence; in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will make plain thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 (DARBY) This verse can mean so many different things, especially when we read the different versions:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
“With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not on your own judgement. Always let him lead you and he will clear the road to follow” - Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV)
Trusting in God is a long journey, but doing so at all times allows you to: lean on Him, rely on Him to handle your worries and doubts, and it will give you a peace and an assurance that the Lord pays attention to you. I cannot force this mindset upon you, but know that it is highly encouraged to confide in God to see his hand extended on all types of your life’s circumstances. In many different kinds of situations, Christians around the whole world had trusted in God even in the midst of turmoil, which counts as an unconditional faith in him. Have a blessed week, May God bless you and help you trust in Him! Do😊 Translated by Jane |
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November 2021
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