The cool breeze brushed Joel’s face as he soaked up the warmth of the sun. Stepping into the river, the still water gently rippled around his feet. Joel and Ben had found the perfect spot on the perfect day to catch big “Bubba.” With anticipation Joel baited his hook with a worm and cast his fishing line.
“Wow! I think I’ve hooked Bubba!” shouted Joel excitedly feeling a tug on his line. As the fish swam into the stronger flowing waters, Joel felt the line slacken and Bubba escaped. “I guess the hook was not set enough to withstand the stronger waters,” Joel sadly said. “I’ll never hook Bubba in those waters. I guess I’ll fish in the still ones.”
Ben took a different approach casting his baited line into the weeds. “I’ve hooked one!” he exclaimed. However, as he tried to reel it in, his line with the fish got stuck in the weeds.
HAVE YOU BEEN HOOKED?
I have certainly been hooked now and then. What do I mean? Well, let’s look at Ben’s fish. He was lured in by the bait, accepted it and got hooked. Right? A similar thing can happen to us. Just as Ben used bait to attract a fish, the evil one uses bait too. His bait isn’t really attractive, but then neither are worms. The evil one lures us in baiting us with an offense. Once we accept the bait, the reminders of the offense grow like weeds. Then unforgiveness sets a hook in our hearts like the hook in the mouth of a fish.
HOW DO WE ESCAPE?
1. RECOGNIZE THE BAIT
Once an offense occurs, it’s hard to keep it from swimming through our thoughts. Recognizing the bait of the offense is the first step to avoiding the hook. Don’t worry. If the hook of unforgiveness is already set, the Lord can still guide us to escape.
Then the Lord knows how to deliver
the godly out of temptations,
2 Peter 2:9a
2. AVOID THE WEEDS
When we take the bait of offense and focus our thoughts on those memories, they grow in our mind like weeds. And we all know how fast weeds grow! Then our thoughts, like Ben’s fish, get stuck in the weeds. We avoid or escape the weeds by keeping our focus on the Lord and off of the offense.
Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God,
and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
2 Corinthians 10:5 ASV
3. GET UNSTUCK WITH LOVE
What could Ben do when his line and fish got stuck in the weeds? Knowing the fish would harm itself struggling to escape, he did the loving thing. Ben waded into the weeds and set the fish free.
When we are stuck in the weeds hooked by unforgiveness, we, like the fish, can harm ourselves. We are harmed by the attitudes and diseases we develop. However, we too can escape with a little love.
Like the fish needed a powerful loving hand to help it escape, we often need the Lord to help us escape unforgiveness. In His great love for us, He is faithfully there ready to help.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,
that you may be able to bear it,
1 Corinthians 10:13
By faith, we can ask our loving Lord to help us to forgive as He has asked us to do.
And whenever you stand praying,
if you have anything against anyone,
forgive him,
that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses,
Mark 11:25
Forgiving out of obedience, is an act of faith as we trust the Lord to help us escape. Like Ben’s love set the fish free, God’s love sets us free as well.
4. SWIM IN STRONG WATERS
Staying in strong, flowing water helps us to recognize the bait and avoid the weeds so that unforgiveness cannot hook our hearts. Joel’s hook couldn’t set securely in Bubba’s mouth when it moved into the stronger flowing waters. So too, it is harder for unforgiveness to set securely in our hearts when we swim in the living water that Jesus gives to those who believe in Him.
He who believes in Me,
as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,
John 7:38
Living water is not still or stagnant but continually moves and flows like a strong river. This living water enables us to loosen the hook of unforgiveness in our hearts and watch it float out of our lives.
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT!
STAY IN JESUS’ LIVING WATER
AND WATCH UNFORGIVENESS FLOAT AWAY.
REFLECTION
Have you been hooked by unforgiveness?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, as I write Mark 11:25 and say it aloud, show me if unforgiveness has hooked my heart. Help me to escape and stay in Your living water. In Jesus name, Amen.
BY FAITH UNHOOK UNFORGIVENESS
Want tips on how to forgive?
Check out There’s Faith In Forgiveness – WHOSE SHOES?! – DianeLese
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*For information on making Jesus Christ your Savior, email me or visit, http://www.peacewithgod.net/
Photo fisherman, Greysen Johnson
Photo hooked fish, Macrochirus
