Summer Wellness Mind, Body & Soul: Week 3 Release & Forgive

Summer Wellness: Week 3 Release & Forgive
Carri Lynne Pratt

"She who is bowed down shall speedily be released;

she shall not die and go down to the pit;

neither shall her bread be lacking."  Isaiah 51:14

You may know the story Jesus told about the man who owed a great debt that he could never repay. "The servant fell on his knees imploring (the master), 'have patience with me and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him his debt." (Matthew 18:26-27) However, it goes on to say that the forgiven man refused to forgive a very small debt owed to him by someone else. The master found out and threw the forgiven servant in jail. Jesus tells us, "So also My heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your (sister &) brother from your heart."

Notice what God did, (we assume He is the Master in this story), He Released Him and  Forgave Him.  We need to follow His example.

We, as Christian women, are so fortunate to have a Savior that freely forgives.  When we do not take full advantage of this blessing it leads to regret, anger and misery. The unforgiveness we carry with us through life is like chains of bondage that we choose to wear.  We are called to forgive others; but we must ask and accept forgiveness from God for our sins and emotionally forgive ourselves.

We cannot experience the wellness we desire when there are hidden corners of our minds and hearts that we refuse to deal with.  The good news is that Jesus is always waiting for us to ask for forgiveness and strength so that He may supply us with his unlimited amount of GRACE. 

This is a great time for a full detox. We can detox our soul and our bodies to forever rid our minds of our poor choices and life hurts, no matter how trivial or possibly even tragic they are to us.  It all starts with asking for forgiveness and accepting God's grace.

Mind: Release & Repent.  First we must acknowledge that we have all made some pretty poor choices that are definitely outside of God's will.  We know this is called sin and everybody does it; but it still makes us enemies of God.  Then we must pray for God to forgive our sins by His grace and cleanse us and make us clean.  This part also includes turning away from the things we are tempted to do that are outside of God's will and His protection for us.  This is known as Repenting. Finally we must release the memories of the things we have done and forgive the things others have done to us. This part is not so easy is it?  There are some pretty big things we might have to forgive, we are not asked to like the person or the act. We can trust that God is just and will deal with the person on judgment day. Forgiveness releases our attachment to that person so we can be FREE.

Body:  Detox. As an outward expression of our inward cleansing, try a detox drink (50 Detox Drinks), hot detox bath and/or detox nutrition program. Epsom salts are amazing at drawing toxins out of your skin in a hot bath. You can look online for great drinks and diets.

Soul:  Forgive. Now for the really hard part.  Sit in a quiet area and pray for God to bring to your mind any unforgiveness you may be carrying around with you. This may be hurts caused by others or things you have not forgiven yourself for.  Brainstorm and anything that comes to mind, write it down, make a list.  Have some tissues close by because crying is a great form of detox and stress relief. Pray, pray and pray some more that God will help you forgive these people and forgive yourself.  As you pray over each name mark it out and RELEASE IT to God.

Meditation Verse:  "Forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:13

Movie Suggestion:  I Can Only Imagine - talk about forgiveness!

Scripture Reading This Week:  
Philippians 1:12-1:18

Scripture Review:  
Philippians 1:1-1:11 (week 1)

Paul is grateful for the faithful Saints located at the Philippian Church.  Just a reminder sisters, we who are in Christ are all known as Saints. Isn't that beautiful?  

Another important take-away from this passage, Paul is praying for the Saints to love one another, to be righteous like Christ, to be pure and blameless and to remember we are each a work in progress:

"He who began a good work in you will bring it to 

completion at the day of Christ." Philippians 1:6

Prayer:

Heavenly Father God,

Praise You Lord! We thank You for all of the wonderful blessings You give us each day. We thank You for Your Amazing Grace, how sweet it is, that abounds freely and is ours when we ask.

May You forgive us our sins, and may You give us the strength to forgive others, no matter how difficult, and to forgive ourselves.  Release us from these chains. 

Help us this week to be faithful Saints, loving, righteous, pure and blameless and to remember we are each a work in progress as we follow Your lead.

We love You!

In Jesus name,

Amen