Category: Leadership Development

Copyright 2014 Theresa Harvard Johnson

If ever there was a poison plaguing the Body of Christ, it is the toxins that fall from deep roots of unforgiveness. I can testify to this truth in my own lif. I desire to be WHOLE and fully free from the issues of my heart that have bound me for over 30 years… and that have found themselves threatened to be compounded with each new wounding.  You see, wounding will occur! How we respond to it and process it, however, is another story. In my own life unforgiveness was one of the most misunderstood hindrances to my freedom from sin. By revelation, I learned that it was also the cause of a re-occuring illness in my life that I just gained healing from due to a process of letting go.

 

I had my understanding tucked away in a tight box that says: “I have already forgiven.” People of God, I am here to tell you that forgiveness can be a lifetime “in the making” and that the measure of forgiveness that we believe we have given may not represent the depth of forgiveness that God is seeking in us. Could it be that the “forgiveness” that we sometimes believe we have is only a surface level… of which we have convinced ourselves that it is complete?

Copyright 2014 Theresa Harvard Johnson

 

Believing in who God has called you to be is not necessarily being prideful or arrogant.

 

Walking in and walking out who God has called you to be is not prideful or arrogant.

 

Acknowledging who God has called you to be is not prideful or arrogant.

 

Pause.

 

First, let those three sentences sink into your spirit and saturate there.

 

Next, let’s take a look at some basic definitions of pride and arrogance. Pride is deep rooted self-admiration tied to one’s view of their own achievements, twisted personal power or even one’s own abilities, gifts and talents. It is literally stepping into a role in which a person becomes their own God. Arrogance is the elevation of pride that causes a person to feel and exhibit feelings of extreme self-importance in which they respond to others and the world out of a “god-like” mentality. They demand a level of service that is completely selfish and self-centered. (Psychology Today Magazine has an excellent article that distinguishes between the two entitled, The Key Difference Between Pride and Arrogance. See footnotes at the bottom of this article to explain other characteristics of this article.)[1]

Copyright 2014 Theresa Harvard Johnson

2 Corinthians 1:20 CJB says, “For however many promises God has made, they all find their “Yes” in connection with him; that is why it is through him that we say the “Amen” when we give glory to God.”

 

I love the Complete Jewish Bible and this contextual translation of 2 Corinthians 1:20.  Paul is literally telling us that God keeps ALL OF HIS PROMISES as long as we seek to realize that the answers to those promises are WITH GOD.

 

When you are going through difficult times, this seems like an insurmountable thing to believe. As I continue to share with you on this blog about being accountable and maintaining ministry integrity, I will do so in context with some harrowing experiences from my own life that I overcame. It is possible to face temptation, endure the fallout from mistakes you have made, and resist the enemy of your soul wif you cannot believe God is on the other end of your ugly situation. One of the strategies that I use most is running to the feet of Jesus as often as necessary to break through and jump forth! Sometimes, his feet are the only place where you can find the strength to continue… and HE WILL meet you there.