May, 2018 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

The First Step in Changing One’s Character

The character of the Month Series

The first step in character transformation is forgiveness. However, forgiveness is not always easy to find. There are numerous examples in Scripture where individuals never found forgiveness (or only limited forgiveness)—very sad stories, they are.

Often we believe if we only say a confession or acknowledge our sin then God is obligated to forgive us. This is not quite Scripturally sound nor does it bring results. It is stated in the Bible that the Holy Spirit that brings us to repentance and activates the forgiveness of God.

I am always sorry for any sin in my life but when the Holy Spirit is active in the forgiveness process this is when I feel clean and totally forgiven. Therefore, I am always interested and focused on being where the Holy Spirit is working. I know from Scriptures and personal experience that where the Spirit of God is manifest—His presence working—this is where I find the greatest forgiveness and my repentance is deep, sincere, and complete.

Here are some signs that forgiveness is working in your life:

1. When you go to church and you are changed then forgiveness was active in your service. Too many of my friends go and walk away for their church each Sunday morning never finding forgiveness. As they entered God’s house, they left just as they entered—no repentance, no change, no forgiveness, and no contact with the Holy Spirit. (They return home each Sunday just as they left for church.)

2. I have never known true forgiveness without a broken inner spirit with usually crying and a sincere desire never to offend God again. Forgiveness takes much more than a simple and vocal confession. It requires looking into a mirror and acknowledging who you truly are and then with an emotional, spiritual, and soulful experience asking God to forgive and change you to the person He wants you to be. True forgiveness changes us—it does not allow us to continue as we were.

3. Music and hearing God’s word brings us into a state of forgiveness quicker than anything else the Body of Christ can do. Every great revival was started and continued when these two aspects of worship was embedded into the services. I know a revival is taking place when I see people kneeling in corners of the church or building or stadium crying and asking God to wash away their sin. People will be crying for hours, even days, when God’s true repentance is working in their lives. (Repentance and forgiveness is an ongoing process—this is how God works.)

4. Forgiveness begins and ends with the Holy Spirit convicting and cleansing you. It is the Holy Spirit that works not only on our mouth confessing our sin but our heart becoming new, our spirit connecting with God’s Spirit, and our inner person finding peace and joy. You know you have forgiveness when joy floods your life with excitement and a profound desire never to do or go anywhere without Jesus being close to you. True forgiveness bring Jesus so close to you, you feel that He is sitting or standing next to you each minute of the day. Peace has taken control over your life, not guilt. (Forgiveness brings us closer to God & God closer to us.)

This is true character transformation—change that only God can bring. God within us; God changing us.

WWJWMTD

What would Jesus want me to do?

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.