Tortured by Regret in 2017? Here's the Cure!

Do you have thoughts that torture you?  Thoughts that are painful every time you think of a situation or a person?  

Matthew 18:34 provides insight.  It says, "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him."

What's the context?  This is in the parable of the un-forgiving servant. 

Unforgiveness is a debt that enslaves you to regret.  It's a spiritual law that gives the demonic legal right to come and torture you.

What are the signs of unforgiveness? 

• What situation or scenario do you wake up thinking about over and over?
• What situations or people come to mind again and again? 
• With each thought you play out in your mind what you wish you would have said or done?  
• Each time you think of the situation it leaves you with a sense of regret.

Regret, according to Dictionary.com means "a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment,etc.

Unforgiveness has three targets:

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1. A person who sinned against you. (IE. lie, steal, cheat, betray...) 
2. Yourself!  You sinned! You think "I should have," "I wish I would have," "I blame myself..." 
3. God!  You blame Him.  ​

It is the Prison that Captures Your Thoughts
​Unforgiveness includes many possible consequences and one of the most common is the prison of your mind.  These are the thoughts that capture your attention most frequently and when they do it produces regret, a feeling of sorrow, remorse, fault, loss or disappointment. 

Torture Wounds Your Soul
So, are you tortured by regret for things in 2017?  Torture like this wounds your soul. It's the source of a broken heart.  But praise be to God for Luke 4:18-19 where Jesus says referencing Isaiah 61:1-2: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,  Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives  And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;  ​To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The Cure
The cure is found in Jesus Christ who is our faithful High Priest who was in all manner tempted like we were and He overcame.  Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  

The blood of Jesus Christ washes away the sin which separates us from God and allows us to speak to Him regarding any issue. It was His sacrifice that purchased our healing body, soul and spirit.  It is His blood that frees us from the chains that bind us. 

The 2018 Challenge!
Romans 13:8 teaches us that we ought to owe no man anything but love.  We ought to carry no other debt. I want to challenge you like Dave Ramsey often challenges his audience and that is to make the effort to free yourself from debt so you can make the "debt free scream!"  Dave uses this in the context of finances and it takes time to pay off debt.

But the beauty of the cross of Christ is, once we decide to repent, change our mind, ask forgiveness and then also choose to forgive others, we can be debt free immediately.  

So I challenge you to spend sometime, examine your heart and ask our heavenly Father if there is anyone you need to forgive?  Do you need to forgive yourself?  Do you need to forgive God?  

This may require going to someone.  Or, it may be something that just has to be handled privately in prayer.  Once you've addressed the issue, you'll know if your effort was effective based upon the torturers.  Are they still there or are they gone?  Is your mind free of those torturous thoughts? 

My Prayer for You
I pray that 2018 would be your best year ever. In fact, I pray with Psalm 65:11 in mind, that God would crown your year with goodness and that your path would drip with abundance. 

In Jesus might name, 

Tim

Scriptures for your Prayerful Consideration

Matthew 6:14-15 
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 18:34-35
And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Mark 11:25-26
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

John 20:23
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.