5 words that WILL change your life!

Not so long ago, someone who professed to being passionate about Jesus, told that God had told them to get revenge on another believer for hurting them.
In fact they had a set number of days they believed God told them to seek this revenge.
When I as gently as I could reminded them that scripture (Hebrews 10:30) tells us to leave any revenge up to God, I was shot down as not knowing what I am talking about...

The reality of that situation and many others like it, was humility, grace and five small and yet infinitely powerful words could have saved us all so much grief.
Relationships could have been saved.
Good could have come from the bad.
With grace would have come growth.
Instead all we got was the worst that people can dish out to each other.

We live in a world it seems many times to me where we feel some need to defend ourselves. To make sure we are safe with being on the offence at best, getting defensive as the secondary strategy.
Maybe because we recognise there are it seems so many issues bigger than us, protecting ones self seems to many to be a priority.

The Kingdom of God shows another supernatural way.
Today I want to give you 5 words that WILL change your life!
They only work if you use them to the best of your ability and without over thinking, over analysing everything. They work because God honours them! And what God honours works!

The first of the five...
"I'm sorry"

For some reason I am discovering people are finding this harder and harder to say. They think those two words are a sign of weakness as opposed to strength.

We tend to fish for reasons for why not to say them instead of the opposite.
"I shouldn't have to because they started it"
"It wasn't my fault"
"They don't understand what I am going through"
"You don't know what it is like living with my spouse"
"People need to show me more grace"

I am always sorry. Why?
I recognise that I not as amazing and perfect and infallible as I might hope. Everyday I need to say sorry to someone at some point.

The second of the five...
"Please forgive me"

23“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

Have a think about this for a moment with me...
They other person has the problem with me and yet I am seeking forgiveness...
Why is Jesus asking us to do the opposite of what makes human sense?
Because you show strength when you make the first move, even if it not your fault, others don't understand, they started it etc.
You get be to Jesus in that moment to bring healing to all involved.

Grace like forgiveness is a living thing. Everyday. In every way.
Living to the point where it should be the first thing we think of, not the last.
Maybe you could put those 5 words into practice this week?
Maybe make them a habit?
It will change your life!

Something to think about...