Are you ready to be free?

Today I read a friend's facebook post (apparently they're lyrics to a song I've never  heard):
I don't need your forgiveness
I don't need your hate
I don't need your acceptance

Here's what God spoke to me through her post. It's nothing new, but here's what hit me:
Christ's forgiveness, acceptance, love is the only that truly matters.
Then, through His grace, He asks us to forgive, accept and love the unforgiveable, the unacceptable, the unlovely.
For HIS sake.
Not theirs.
Not even our own.
For HIS sake.
And the only way we're able to do this is by God's grace.

"But he doesn't deserve to be forgiven, I hear you say. Neither did I. Neither did you."
(I don't remember where I read that, but I can't take credit for it)

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
― C.S. Lewis

I found this powerful video from a website I stumbled upon one night. Just reading about this radical forgiveness, I almost felt physical relief! Their story gave me hope that, by God's grace, maybe I can forgive the same way God has forgiven me:

I want to experience the freedom God offers through forgiveness - Both being forgiven by Him... and by forgiving others the way He has forgiven me.

As much as I want this, I'm not there yet. It's a process of little baby steps toward this. It's often challenging for me to forgive small perceived offenses, let alone real ones. And I know it's only by His grace that I'm taking the baby steps toward the freedom of being able to forgive like this.

Are you ready to be free?

The Bait of Satan by John Bevere is an easy and short read... unless you let the Lord work on you through it. It was pretty tough stuff about being offended and forgiving, and totally worth it. In fact, I need to be reminded of this stuff and will be reading it again soon: