Forgiveness and UnForgiveness 03-21-23

The speaker starts by talking about their dislike for their current location and decides to move to their office. They then talk about people on TikTok doing things for attention and how it amazes them. They mention that they will talk about forgiveness and unforgiveness, stating that it is a common struggle for Christians. They read from the book of Colossians and emphasize the importance of forgiveness, sharing personal stories and urging people to let go of unforgiveness. The speaker also prays for various requests from the audience, including a pregnant woman, a sick person, and a couple with cancer. They also encourage a man to get married if his girlfriend is pregnant. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the command to forgive and sharing their personal experience of dealing with anger and unforgiveness. They talk about how their encounter with Jesus helped them overcome their anger and hatred. All right. Good morning, everybody. What does that mean by live for 60 minutes? Be live for 60 be live for 62 days. Be live for 60 seconds. Okay, that's weird. Oh, good morning. Good morning. Good morning, brother. You know what? I don't know if I like sitting here. I don't think I like sitting here. I'm gonna go back to my office. Hang on. Hang on. Be patient with me. I'm gonna go to my office. I don't think I don't like sitting here. I was gonna sit in a different room. I don't like it. Hang on. Let me go back to my regular spot. I'm a creature. I have it. So sorry. There we go. All right. Let me move my stuff here. Okay, I'm gonna turn on my other light. Ah, there we go. Okay, that's better. That's better. I was going to try to sit in my comfortable chair. But that was not was shocked by right. I was shocked myself. I just wasn't comfortable. I know the same scene. Let me open my blinds here I can see. All right. Remove my hat. All right. So sorry. I should have stayed in my place right there. Good morning, lamb. Good morning, Ray. A brick of faith. Good to see you this morning. So sorry. Good morning. Our wonderful soap maker. Praise God. Good to see you all this morning. All right, got my coffee here. You know what I was just going through live and guys, there was a guy there and he was doing something had his Bible open. He was doing something and good morning, Jim. Good morning. I didn't forget you, brother. Miss Debbie's got me working on this bathroom doing tile work and stuff and I got to go to work today and I'm sorry, but we'll we'll get what you did. I finally I couldn't find my original information that I had to get with with regards to what's a call. Where's my notes? Twillow. Jim, we'll get that registered today after I get off work. So we'll we'll swear it away. Just thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being patient with me. But I was looking at it live and this guy on the slide, I don't know what he was doing, but it really was confusing. And God is not the author of confusion. And I tell you what, folks, people I think a lot of times people are getting on TikTok, especially some that declare themselves to be Christian, just doing nonsense, just doing things to to get the attention of people. And I'm just utterly amazed, utterly amazed. And I just I don't know, I guess we just have to keep folks in prayer. This morning, we're going to talk about forgiveness. We're not going to be on too long. As you know, I've got to I've got to get to work. But I want to talk about forgiveness and unforgiveness. Now, I don't know about you and I you know, I've touched the subject periodically. But I think out of all the sins that Christians struggle with, this probably is at the top of the list, not forgiving. At the top of the list, not forgiving. We you know, some of us out here, we've been hurt. And we're still holding on to that hurt. Some of us have been violated, which hurt. And we can't forget how we've been violated. Some of us have been used and abused, talked about, and we can't let it go. We go to church, we pray, we're, you know, know the scriptures, but we are struggling with with unforgiveness. I want to read something to you real quick, so we're not going to be on too long. But I want to read this. Turn your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter three, the book of Colossians chapter three. And I, Pastor, can I get prayer today? Please? What are we going to pray for? Please? What can we pray for? Let me know. Let me know. Mr. Johnson, if Jesus was fake, I'm I wouldn't waste my time on here just even saying anything, friend, if that would be me, if Jesus was fake. And you were interacting with some people that were fake believing or fake religion. I wouldn't be on here. I'm being induced. I'm being induced on Friday. Can I get prayers for a baby and me please? Father God, I come before the throne of grace with regards to our sister. Lord, you know the circumstance and the situation with regards to her and the baby. But Lord, I pray that you will go before that you will be in that room that you will will be where you will anoint the hands of the physicians that you would anoint the hands of the nurses, the technicians and anybody in this room. Father, I pray that the outcome will be with precision. I pray Father God that you will just watch over her that you will just bless her. And Lord, I pray for the baby. I pray Father that you would bless this child. Watch over this child as this child enters this world. But Lord, I pray that you would put a hedge protection around not only mom, but the baby and the family. Father, we just pray for an incredible delivery. We pray for a victorious delivery. We pray for a miraculous movement. Father God, Lord, we ask this in that precious name, the precious name of Jesus. Amen. So it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be fine. Matter of fact, I pray when you get back that that that that when you get back on Tick Tock, you can report to us how beautiful it went. Pray for my friends Dave and Carol. Dave with serious illness. Father God, we pray for Dave and Carol. You know the need you know the situation Lord I pray that you would just watch over her for him that you watch over them. Father, we ask this in the name of Jesus. Just pray for us. We both have can't they they both have cancer. But Lord, I pray that you would comfort them. I pray Father God that a miracle would take place in their life. I pray Father God that you could heal that you could restore. But Lord, I pray that they keep their faith that even during this illness that they would keep their eyes on the cross. And Father, let that will be done. For we trust in you and our faith the size of a mustard seed father is all we need. Father for your God and nothing is impossible for you for Lord, I pray for a touch on their bodies. Father, we thank you we praise you. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. All right, Pastor Paul, my girlfriend might be pregnant. Please pray for us. Brother, I'm gonna tell you right now what I'd like you to do. I want you to get married. I want you to get married. If you could have laid that beautiful young lady, you could marry her. I'm afraid but I want you to marry her so that baby will have a mom and dad that are married. Please I'm not judging you. I'm not judging you. I want you to get married please. Father God, I pray for this young man and his girlfriend. I pray for that baby that will is in within the womb. But Lord, I pray that he would be obedient unto you that the bed of marriage would not be defiled. I pray that you would move him by the power of the Holy Spirit that he will marry this young lady and that that they will say that they will go in covenant with each other before you Father God. Lord, I pray for this incredible delivery this miracle that only comes from you. Father, I just thank you. I pray for blessings on them Lord. And I pray dear Lord that once again, they'd be obedient. Lord, I pray that you just show them your blessing, your favor, your grace. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Once again, I'm not I'm not I'm not judging you. I'm just telling you that you will experience a greater joy in your salvation if you would just humble yourself and get married. Me and Miss Debbie weren't married. We live together. So righteous judgment. Amen. Righteous judgment. Me and Miss Debbie live together. I'm not sitting here judging you as if I'm sitting on top of you know, the mountain looking down on creation judgment. But I know for a fact the day that we got married before God, there was blessings on our lives. We will be obedient. So please, I will pray. All right, let's go to Colossians. And I could keep praying all day y'all, but I want to get this out real quick. And then we can pray some more. I don't need to be too long on this subject. Colossians 312. Therefore, as the elect of God, we're getting married pastor. Amen. Mr. Joe, praise be to God. Thank you. Remember, I'm not judging you. But thank you. I'm glad y'all getting married. Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much. You you Mr. Joe, you're going to see blessings on your life. You're going to see blessings. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Here we go. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. Oh, my, my, my. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Watch this verse 14. But of all but above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. The key word that I'm going to underline in all of this, and there's a there's a lot of good stuff. But the one thing that I really want to highlight is verse 13, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, forgiving one another. Notice how the scripture starts out. Therefore, as the elect of God, you've been elected, you've been chosen by the Lord, the Lord said, you did not choose me, but I chose you. See, we weren't able to choose God. Because of our sin nature, we didn't want to choose God, but he chose us, we are elected, and we accepted that calling, when we heard that gospel message. But it says, though, because you are elected God, you should put on what tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. I can't imagine a Christian who couldn't forgive. I can't imagine a Christian who decides in their heart, I will not forgive. But if you keep reading, but it says what right there, if you go to the bottom there, it says in verse 13, forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Think about it. You ask for forgiveness, Lord, forgive me for my sins, Lord, forgive me for my actions, Lord, forgive me, and you pray, and you desire that God would show you mercy, but you can't forgive your brother and sister. And you want to know something important? This was a command. This is a command. Brother Joe said, I've been unfaithful to God, but he's been faithful to forgive me. Look at that. God is consistent. It says he is righteous and just to forgive, and we have somebody that has offended us. We've had somebody that has said something against us, and we are holding on to that offense every day. For some of you, right here on this app, you are struggling with unforgiveness right now. I did. When my parents told me I was adopted, I was upset, I was angry, I was 16 years old, you know, being a teenager anyway, you are jacked up. And I remember saying to myself, when I turned 18 years old, I'm leaving this house. I remember having this grudge against my mother and father because they didn't tell me I was adopted until I was 16. Folks, I'm being dead serious. But you know what God did every time? Check this out. I didn't talk to my parents for almost two years when I went in the military. Now watch this. This is a true story. Watch this. I didn't talk to my parents for almost two years because I had an unforgiving spirit. I was in a bar in California. This is a true story. This guy kept looking at me. I said, what is this guy looking at? And he was looking at me, and I'm looking at him, he's looking at me. So finally, I went over and said, hey, why do you keep staring at me? What's up? And you know what he said? Aren't you Pastor Abram's son? In a bar. You know what that was? That was the Lord letting me know that my parents loved me. And that story and similar situations happened all the time. But I was walking around with a spirit of unforgiveness. We have a young lady in our church, and I've shared this story before. I'm not going to share her name. But she's a she's got a gift. Let me show you what unforgiveness does to you. She has a gift to sing. She can sing so well that I believe she could go on one of these shows. And if not win it, she could come pretty close. But because she has so much unforgiveness in her heart towards people that have hurt her, she refuses to come to church, she refuses to exercise her gift. And what does she do? She sits at home in a continuous pity party. See, when you have an unforgiving spirit, God can't use you. Oh, but you say, Pastor Paul, I got somebody that I haven't forgiven. And I feel like I'm justified in not forgiving him. And God is using me. He's not using you. He's not maximizing your potential. Because why? You won't forgive. You won't forgive. You're walking around with that struggle. You've ignored that person. You you deny their existence. Because you will not forgive them. But what does that Scripture says? Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercy said put on tender mercies. Because why you're the elect of God. Someone said, Josh, good morning. Do you wait? I you know what, folks, I'm to the point in my life that I don't wait for nothing. If I've offended somebody, I go to them and say, hey, forgive me. If someone's offended me, I go to them right away and say, hey, I we got to talk about this. There's a problem here. I don't waste time anymore. Because time is precious. You know how many people I've met that were mad at somebody. And they wouldn't forgive somebody. And now they're sitting at their funeral and wish they would have said something and wish they would have apologized or forgave or whatever the case may be. Time is precious. And we are walking around here with the spirit of unforgiveness. And I know some of you can think of other sins that people struggle with. And I guarantee you the majority of most Christians are dealing with an unforgiving spirit. And you know, it's funny. I've got a cousin. I've got a cousin that I could sense an unforgiving spirit in them. I can sense that God is not using this individual to their potential. And they are so unforgiving, and they will not forgive that pride has taken course. Some of you are so caught up in this unforgiving spirit, that you won't be moved until they make a move. You won't respond until they say something. Some of you are walking around as if you are entitled. They owe me that apologies. And I'm not going to accept them. I'm not going to do anything until they acknowledge this. And you know, it's crazy. Some of you, some of us looking in, in your situation would support you on your decision. What do I mean by that? Some of you have been hurt so bad by somebody that those of us looking in, we would say, well, I can understand and I can even agree with you why you won't forgive them. But the Bible says, what does it say forgiving one another? We should forgive. Quit walking around folks. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna be very transparent with y'all. There's 172 on you. So you you're going to hear something. I've said this before. But do you know what I struggled with growing up with regards to unforgiveness? Beyond my parents, let me tell you something I struggled with. This is why this is why this, this statement is very big to me. Let me tell you why right now. It when I was a young man, hang on, let me take a sip of my coffee. I grew up in a predominantly white environment. My grade school was white. My middle school was white. My high school and this is not about race, guys. I don't care about ethnicity. That's not my I'm taking you all somewhere. And my high school was white. Now it wasn't when I when I say 100 when I say white wasn't 100%. We had some Hispanic folks, we had some, a small majority of some black folks, I probably in any given time in elementary and middle school, there might have been five or six black kids, maybe, maybe. But the majority of the time, and I became bitter as a kid growing up because I was always the center of attention. There was always jokes. I remember a movie coming out in seventh grade called roots. Remember the movie called roots. I remember that that that movie coming out when I was in the seventh grade, and every day at school, all I heard was Hey, Kuta Kente. In my school in my school, I kid you not, if you would hear the N word all the time. And folks, I'm not this is not a pity party. I'm just trying to tell you what what made me angry. I remember if a black kid and a white kid got in a fight, this was the this was the common song. Uh, I'm gonna have to say it just the way they sung it, please. I don't want to offend nobody. But this is just the way it was said. Here we go. Fight, fight a nigger and a white. It happened all the time. And I remember growing up in school and grade school and middle school and high school. And being it with my anger intensified. Where I started, I kid you not, hang on, let me show you something. I just saw all at that church. It's that church on my desk. I had a book that I got my hands on when I was in a freshman in high school was Malcolm X. And and and I would read Malcolm X. I would start reading about black militants. Because I had a lot of unforgiving anger. Matter of fact, it got to the point where even in grade school, where I had this gift, the ability to fight swift, I can fight, I can hold my own. And I remember just being so angry and so mad I got into high school and just this. But I just had so much hatred in my heart. Even when I was in the military. I was a Navy corpsman attached to the Marine Corps. I remember I'd walk around that base with my chest stuck out, just looking for a fight, any base I was on. If I was on your base, I would look around and all that anger, all that bitterness, unforgiving vibe, if you will, was with me. And I'd walk around that base ready to challenge ready to fight anybody. I've shared with y'all wanted to be a Navy SEAL. The reason I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. Well, they're SEALs. But when I was going to apply, there was only three. I think I've been saying this incorrectly. I would have been the fourth. I would have been the fourth black Navy SEAL. But you know what was perpetuating me to do that? Anger. Anger. Even as a young man, thank you. Even as a young man. Subconsciously, I used to think, oh, they don't like me because I'm black, or they don't like me because I'm of color. They don't like me. And I remember just going to jobs or whatever the case may be. Angry. Hang on, I want to focus Drew. What do you say to black people still experience racism? Hang on. Ooh, I'm gonna take you there. Thank you. I remember just always having this angry attitude all the time. Ready to fight. Now don't get me wrong. I wasn't angry against every person that didn't look like me. Because my best friends, Bill Wagner, good friend. White. Dan Hurkle, Japanese, good friend. John Camargo, Hispanic, good friend. The list goes on. I had friends and they didn't look like me and they were good friends, still friends. I can call each one of them up now. Love them dearly. But when someone, when I sensed that you had a racist bone, or a prejudiced spirit, I'm going to say it like it is, I hated you. I like that. I like that it became personal, internal. If I sensed that you had a racist or a bigoted spirit, I hated you. But then I had an encounter with Jesus. Anger will hold you captive. It helped me captive. Joshua, it helped me captive in so many ways. It helped me captive to the point that there are some jobs I didn't advance when I needed to advance. It helped me captive to the point where I lost a lot of relationships. It helped me captive to the point I found myself in circumstances and situations I shouldn't have been in. But if I would have chose the opposite, I wouldn't have been there. Anger, I like what you said. Anger is poisonous. It hurt me. But when I had an encounter with Jesus Christ, oh, come on now. Watch this. Let me read it again. Therefore, as the elect of God, I'm making this personal y'all. This is personal now. I'm sharing an intimate story about growing up. And folks, I told y'all a story before I was at Metro Center, a shopping mall, and I remember getting pulled out of the car with all those names I mentioned and the cops pulled me out of the car. They took me behind the life and they beat the tar out of me. There was so much anger in my heart. I remember being at Camp Pendleton. I remember in a room, a gunnery sergeant walked in and it was a group of us Marines and Navy men in this room. And the gunnery sergeant walked in. He said, somebody stole something in this room. He goes into this room. And this is what he said. There's a lot of niggers. There's a lot of chinks. There's a lot of spics. One of you stole something. I was at a Naval Training Center, San Diego. I remember we had to run across the grinder, me and this other black kid that we're training to be SEALs. I remember being pulled into a room. He was black. I'm white. And they pulled in the room and there was three guys and they just belittled us. I was angry. I was bitter. I had an unforgiving spirit. And as far as I was concerned, anybody that I sensed that bigoted, racist, prejudiced attitude, I hate it. Folks, my hate and anger was so intense that it was no problem. Just folks, I had an old neighbor, and this is in the last 10 years, who displayed that bitterness. And one night, I almost shot him with a nine millimeter. Yes, this is recent. This is 2017. I moved in his house. That happened in 2016. I was in full on tactical gear in the middle of the night. He did not see me and I had my weapon in my hand. And that if you will, that anger flooded back into my spirit. And I almost took his life. I remember the day, matter of fact, two weeks after that event, we were all in the front of the house, the whole neighborhood, we're all it was one of those block not wasn't a block party, but we happen to all be out in the street neighbors all over. We're all talking. And that guy walked out and came to me and he's and this is what he said. He said, I know everybody in this block loves you. He goes, I want to please, he was asking for forgiveness. I remember so angry. I want to just plow his face with my fist. I wanted to. Folks, this is Pastor Paul. I remember going to church, not even being able to share a sermon because I was so angry. Thank you so much to let God have the wrath. But is that spirit of anger that I grew up with? I'm not here to have y'all feel sorry for me because God has given me a freedom. I'm not here for y'all to poor path. No, no, no. God has given me the ability because when it says therefore, as the elect of God, I'm the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, suffering, bearing with one another, forgiving. I'm not here to tell you that that that anger doesn't exist for me. But I'm here to tell you that God is able to give you the ability to forgive. You know, I forgave that man that I almost shot. I forgave. Even the guy that owned the house that he lived in, this is, I can't make this up. I went to the owner of the house that that guy made and I told him what this guy was doing, that he was a racist, that he was doing some crazy things. I was worried. You know what the guy told me to own the house? And I, and I won't say it, but this is what he said. Ah, F off. Mind your business. This is what he told me. I said, dude, you own this house and you rent it to somebody. I own my house. And he said, F off. If, watch, I'm going to blow your mind. Just around the corner, right down there, almost one, eight acres away around the corner, the man that owned that house just bought the property. I remember driving by and he was right there. Miss Debbie was in the car. She said, are you okay? What's going on? And all of a sudden, this wave of bitterness came in, but I had to go to this. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, I had to give it to God. Pastor Paul was struggling in his flesh with anger. And while I understand the scripture, everything historically had started rising to the surface and my flesh was angry and bitter and mad because this is something I struggled with. But when we forgive, when we allow the spirit to lead us, there's freedom. He says, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Put on love. To answer the question, what do you do with people that are still struggling with racism? You love them because racism is taught. Thank you. Racism is taught. And that person has been taught something that is evil. And racism is just one part of things or life, of things in life that cause us to create an unforgiving spirit. I don't understand why angry people, it's hard to shake. It's like an addiction. You want to shake it. Even my understanding of the scripture, the moment I drove by and saw that guy, the anger flooded in and I had to struggle not to hang on to it. But my flesh wanted to, my mind like, why did he buy a house here? How do you help him? You've got to talk through it. This right here. When I started talking about my anger, when I started dialoguing about what I felt and what I was going through historically, then I was able to let it go. No, no, no, no, not all. This is not a white black thing. Not all white folks are racist. No, by no means. By no means. Let's not go there. And I'm not saying you are saying, I'm just saying I want you to understand where I'm coming from. No, no. I'm going to be honest with you. Can I be very candid with you? We talk about racism. Some black folks can be racist too. On the flip side, I've met some black folks. Guess what? You sound white. Oh, why'd you marry a person that's not black? These are black folks. But the point here is I'm trying to get to is the only way that we overcome this unforgiving spirit is to forgive. To forgive. To forgive. I forgive you. But you don't understand, Pastor Paul, the crime is so heinous. You don't understand the offense is so intense. I can't forgive. It is through the spirit that we are able to forgive. Not my flesh. My flesh is unable to do it. I've come to that conclusion. My flesh is unable to forgive. But the spirit that dwelleth in me, the spirit of God that dwelleth in me, gives me the ability to forgive. What is the next part that you work on? Is forgetting. See, you might forgive, but sometimes the emotions rush into the heart. Sometimes the emotions flood your memory. They're like a song that you hear that takes you back to an event that took place many years ago. You can almost, if you will, see the people that were there. You can smell the aroma in the air, the heat of the sun on your face, the same way it is with anger. But then you focus on Jesus. You have your mind set on the Lord. Look it, look it, look it. Watch. Watch this. Watch this. Verse 12. Here we go. We're going to read 314. 314. But above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Allow the peace of God to rule, not the anger. Allow the peace of God to rule, not the revenge. Allow the peace of God to rule, not the person. Watch that. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Thankful. Because as I look at it now, we all have a story. We have things that we struggle with when it comes to unforgiveness. That just happens to be my experience and something I dealt with. We're in the book of Colossians chapter 3. We're going to read 16. You might have a different story. I look at Josh, maybe being biracial, maybe somebody with disabilities, maybe being a female, maybe somebody that was violated, maybe somebody that was abandoned, maybe somebody that was abused, maybe somebody that was raised by alcoholic parents, or maybe no parents. Maybe material-wise your life was precision, but there was no nurturing, there was no love, there was no togetherness. Maybe you dealt with insecurities because people made fun of you at school. The list goes on, but we all have something that we struggle with, but we forgive. Unfair deaths, perfect example. Unfair, losing a parent at a young age. Shaking your fist at God, saying, why did you take my parent, the one I loved, the one I was close to? What would you say to someone who doesn't believe? You be an example of Christ to them. You show love to them. I just saw a video somebody sent me as a young man in Oregon who was a ex-Oregon statewide receiver. The school came under attack. The shooter was a young man himself. And this security guy that was an ex-wide receiver, somebody sent it to me on TikTok, a young man named Ricky, please read me. And the security guy apprehended the shooter. And do you know what he used as a weapon? Love. They have a video. There's a school video. Let me put that there. There's a school video where this security guard is hugging the gentleman who's shooting the school. And the young man in his tears is saying, I didn't want to hurt anybody. I didn't want to hurt anybody. And the security guy goes, he didn't need anything else but to be heard. He didn't need anything else but to know someone cared. He didn't need anything else but to know that he needed to be hugged. This is how we overcome the problems in our society is through loving and kindness and gentleness. Even with a non-believer. This is how we point them to the cross. We forgive and we move forward and say, I love you. I care for you. No, it's not easy. But it can be done. And it doesn't happen overnight. And you will struggle from time to time with the anger and the bitterness and the memories, but then you focus on the peace of Christ and allow it to rule in your heart. I didn't ever want my kids to have to endure the mess I did. And I'm sure my father did not want me to deal with the stuff I did, but it happens. It happens. And each of you have experienced different things where you've been hurt and you struggle with unforgiveness, but I pray today that you will forgive. And some of you are struggling with forgiving yourselves because you're the one that committed the offense. Let me repeat that. Some of you are struggling for what you did to someone. Some of you are struggling with how you offended somebody. In both cases, we must go before God and seek His forgiveness. And in both cases, we go before God and allow Him to change our hearts. And in both cases, we lean not to our own understanding, but we trust in the Lord to lead us by the Spirit. James, I agree with you. There will always be hatred. Let me tell you all something about racism. That's not the subject today, but I want to make sure I impart this on y'all. I got to get off in a minute, but let me tell you something about racism. I could take a hundred people and put them in a room, and if all these people were blue, they were the same color blue, I guarantee you they would divide themselves in some way because that's what people do. That's our sin nature. If there were a hundred blue people, blue. I know it's a very goofy illustration, but you get my drift. If I took a hundred blue people, in a matter, in a period of time, they would figure out how to separate themselves. So racism, I've figured it all out now. I still struggle. I still struggle with the anger of what happened. But I understand now that the problem is not racism. The problem is the sin nature. And the sin nature is the Genesis. Racism is the derivative. It's the, if you will, the after effect. Sin is our problem, and Jesus went to the cross for our sin. Sins. Let's make that plural. Please forgive me. Jesus Christ went to the cross for our sins, and then he fills us with the spirit and indwells us that we progressively get over the problem that is sin. Would you please forgive today? Would you please go to that person? And this is not something one and done, guys. This is progressive. I'm going to take five more minutes. This is not one and done. This is progressive. What do I mean by that? That means that you're going to have to work on this. Amen. It takes time. You have to work on this. This is not a one and done. This doesn't happen overnight. Because the events that took place didn't happen overnight. The events that took place towards you, the offense. This is why Peter said, Lord, how often do we forgive them? And what did Jesus say? Seventy times seven. It's a hyper-exaggeration because no one's going to count. Well, it's been 490 times. Now I don't have to forgive you anymore. It means that, no, you forgive. It's progressive. But through the Holy Spirit, it can be done. Forgiveness. This is why I choose love. This is the mantra, the reasoning behind all of that right there. Josh created that, made that. It's on my truck. I believe that. I choose love and I let people know. Even at Ace. It happened the other day. I talk to everybody, Ace. Watch this. This is true. I happen to go in Ace to buy some materials because I'm doing some work in the bathroom. And I remember, I'm not in my Ace vest. I'm not in my little Ace hat. I'm not in my little Ace training vest. And I'm sitting there and I'm waiting at the paint counter. A customer or another gentleman who's shopping there, I go, hey, what's up? How you doing, man? You having a good day? I turn around. Michael, who works behind the counter, goes, you know, you're off the clock. You know what he was saying? You don't have to be nice. I know you're like that here. But wait a minute. He doesn't understand. This is my foundation. Therefore, as the elect of God and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility. Why? I was being kind. Kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If you don't want to have a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do. Now, I was just being kind. Because why? The Bible said be kind. The man in line was behind me. I was just being kind. But the young Michael, who was behind the counter, was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. You can take the mask off. You can take the, you know, fruits of the Spirit. Amen. You can take the mask off. You're not on the clock. You don't got to be nice. See, he was implying when you're on the clock, you got to be a certain way. But folks, this is on the clock, off the clock. We should be like this all the time, everywhere we are. Somebody said the one person I would love to ask for forgiveness from has passed, but let that be a lesson to never let that happen again. Because there's nothing you can do about that. But there's a lesson to be learned. Don't let that ever happen again. I like what Josh said. Are you the same no matter what room you are in? Do you know what reputation is? Reputation is basically what people see of you. That's what reputation is. But is your reputation the same when they don't see you? Folks, I'm gonna get going. I'm sorry this was a, now I'm not sorry, but this was an emotional thing because I want you to know I don't read the scriptures just to read them. I read and study the Word to help me. Just because I'm a pastor and I'm a pastor of a church doesn't mean I've arrived. I won't do that until I'm in the presence of the Lord. But until then, as I navigate through what we call life, this is my GPS, this word. I deal, you deal with the same issues that they dealt with in this word. We can look and see what they did, what their resources, what happened, what it made it happen. We can look right here and we can apply it in our lives. It will not let you down. Do not allow forgiveness, unforgiveness, I should say. Do not allow unforgiveness to be in the throne. Don't try to talk yourself into hatred. Thank you. Don't allow, Ms. Susan, thank you. Don't allow to talk yourself into hatred, but allow the Spirit to talk to you and it's telling you to forgive. And if you do that, just the same way I gave the young man the advice with regards to getting married, if you would forgive today and move past and grow past that point, you can look at that person in a different way. Your circumstance will be a different way. Your outlook for future events will be different. And God will be able to use you to your fullest potential. Alright? Please. Father God, we thank you. We thank you so much. We praise you. We honor you. We lift you up. And Lord, you saw all the prayer requests. While I didn't, Lord, you know the need. You know the person that is sick. You know the person that's dealing with relationship issues. You know the person that's dealing with addictions. You know the person that is praying for friends. You know each event, Lord. And I pray for each one of them in the name of Jesus. But Lord, with regards to our topic today, I pray that you would just mature me and grow me. That even when I do pass an old situation, that I would listen and humble myself before your Holy Spirit. I pray, Father God, as I navigate through life, that I will decrease and that you would increase. And Father God, I pray that for each one of us. That we will be led by the Spirit. That we would be second to you. That we would love unconditionally. That we would forgive. And that the peace of God would rule in our hearts. I pray that. Father, we thank you. And we praise you and we honor you. We ask this in the precious, powerful name of Jesus. Amen. Alright, everybody. God bless you. Have a beautiful day. Enjoy this wonderful Monday. Or Tuesday. So sorry. Did I put Monday in the thing? If I put Monday, please forgive me. It's been a blur. But God bless you. Have a great day. Have a wonderful Tuesday. Keep the faith. Keep your head up. And if you need to forgive somebody, go forgive them. It's worth it. Trust me. I'm telling you from experience. It's worth it. Thank you. Thank you so much for blessing. Alright, God bless you. Have a good day. Bye-bye.