This isn't following my usual Hebrew study, but thought I'd post this here too, as it's an important note.

Insight on Accountability

Tonight I had a revelation.

When a person attempts to hold a friend accountable, without forgiving first, it can come across as judgement, condemnation or accusation.
When a person forgives their friend first, and then holds friend accountable if the Lord leads them to, it can be accepted in love and for the benefit of friend. Also, there’s a release of the pressure to make sure they know their wrong.

When we harbor bitterness, it's like a ship in a harbor. We've taken it in and are protecting it while it eats away at us. Why do we befriend such a destructive visitor??

I believe the Lord wants us to forgive. Unforgiveness will say, well, the person needs to recognize their wrong first, and ask for forgiveness. And that if we forgive before there's an apology, or at least some form or repentantance, then we're condoning their wrongful behavior.

The truth is that Unforgiveness wants to keep you captive and weighed down with a burden you weren't meant to carry.

Here's the deal. It's the Lords job. It's His job to bring us to conviction. It's His job to bring us to repentance. And His example is FORGIVENESS. Even on the cross he forgave before they knew they were in sin... while they were killing him.

Love lays down the 'right' to hold a grudge, or offense. Love forgives when it doesn't seem fair, or that they're ever going to change. When we keep unforgiveness, it prevents us from walking in love towards that person. And taints conversations with accusation and rejection. Unforgiveness is hard at work, building walls and hoops to jump through for acceptance. Forgiveness loves and provides opportunity for the Lord to work in our lives and our friends lives.

If we're praying for each other, that the Lord will bring conviction, or repentance, or change in our friends lives, but we haven't forgiven them ourselves, we're walking in a form of hypocrisy. It's double mindedness. The Lord would say, forgive and move out of the way so He can do His work. Plus, when we forgive, we are an expression of the Lords heart towards them.

This goes for how we treat ourselves too. How many times have we asked God to forgive us, but then we don't let ourselves off the hook?? That's Self Unforgiveness/ Self Bitterness and Guilt. I don't believe the Lord ever commanded us to withhold forgiveness, or to continue in guilt... ever.

Guilt is a heavy burden, weather we're carrying an accusation of the guilt of another by withholding forgiveness, or our own, it's time to let it go. Forgive. This is the Lord's Yoke. It's easy and His Burden is Light.

As we walk in forgiveness, we are more able to love. This is why it's so hard to love some people. There's usually some form of 'offense' or 'unforgiveness'. Again, I say it's time to forgive. Take it as a challenge and see how much better you feel and how much easier it is to learn to love that person, even if that person is yourself.