How to Forgive...When You Don't Feel Like It

Hunt June

Description

When someone hurts us, our natural response is to strike back. Rather than let go, we cling to our rocks of resentment, our boulders of bitterness. The result? We struggle under the weight of unforgiveness.Though we know God has called us to forgive others, we find ourselves asking:What if it hurts too much to forgive?What if the other person isn't sorry?How can I let someone off the hook for doing something so wrong?Biblical counselor June Hunt has been there herself, enabling her to speak from experience as she offers biblical help and hope with heartfelt compassion. If you've been pinned down under a landslide of pain, here's how to find true freedom through forgiveness.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736955904
• Langue: English

Extrait

Endorsements
People the world over come to June to find God s truth for today s problems. Her amazing insights have helped me personally through the difficult issues of forgiveness. I know they will help you.
-Debbie Brunson
Author, speaker, and colleague in ministry to pastor s wives
Page by page, June walks you through the step-by-step process to forgive yes, even the unforgivable. If you want your days ahead to be better than the days gone by, this is a must-read for you.
-Dr. Tony Evans
Senior Pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
President, The Urban Alternative
True forgiveness is possible, no matter how much you ve been hurt. June s personal journey is proof!
-Suellen Roberts
Founder and President, Christian Women in Media Association
Those of us who have had to forgive the unforgivable will find tremendous hope in healing. She speaks from the heart with truth, directly to your broken soul.
-Stephen Arterburn
Founder, New Life Ministries and author of Healing as a Choice
June has practiced what she preaches! She knows the forgiveness process because she s had to go through it. Her journey brings credibility to what she shares and you will love the grace, the support, and the direction you receive when you put How to Forgive When You Don t Feel Like It into practice. It works!
-Dave Carder
Author, Torn Asunder: Recovering from an Extramarital Affair
One of the hardest things for us to do is forgive. We all know we should be willing to forgive and that God gives us specific ways to do so. But when someone hurts us deeply it s difficult. Through June s experience and God s Word on forgiveness, you ll be able to forgive those you really don t feel like forgiving. It s a great read for everyone!
-John Baker
Founder, Celebrate Recovery
Pastor, Signature Ministries, Saddleback Church
June Hunt knows how the power of forgiveness frees us from the burden of resentment. How to Forgive tells true stories of forgivers who ve found freedom and release by forgiving those who hurt them. June teaches that the victim suffers more from an unforgiving heart than the perpetrator. And I know from experience the forgiver experiences greater freedom through forgiveness than the one being forgiven.
-Wayne Pederson
President, Reach Beyond
Author, Reach Beyond: Comfort, Courage and the Cause of Christ
I am grateful for the very personal and biblical approach to forgiveness presented by June in How to Forgive When You Don t Feel Like It . The Messiah s words in Matthews 5:7- Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy -mean more to me now after reading this wonderful book. I also deeply appreciate June s very practical suggestions on how to overcome the resentment, bitterness, and negativity arising from an unforgiving heart.
I recommend this book to those who want to forgive others as the Messiah has forgiven us, but who need help-like I do-in finding the motivation and strength to do so. June s book will help you!
-Dr. Mitch Glaser
President, Chosen People Ministries
Coauthor, The People, the Land, and the Future of Israel
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Verses marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Italicized text in Scripture quotations indicates author s emphasis.
Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, Minnesota
Cover photo Peter Gerdehag / Jupiterimages
HOW TO FORGIVE WHEN YOU DON T FEEL LIKE IT
Copyright 2007 by Hope for the Heart, Inc.
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-5589-8 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-5590-4 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hunt, June.
How to forgive-when you don t feel like it / June Hunt.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7369-2148-0
1. Forgiveness-Religious aspects-Christianity. I. Title.
BV4647.F55H86 2007
234 .5-dc22
2007007023
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication

This book is dedicated to my forever friend, Barbara to the first friend willing to extend full forgiveness to me to my grace friend who was willing to look beyond my fault and see my need. Thank you for allowing God to use your forgiving heart to be a part of my emotional and spiritual healing. You consistently give me hope for my heart.
Acknowledgments
I have the privilege of working with what I believe is the greatest ministry team on earth-the dedicated staff and volunteers of Hope for the Heart. Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.
With heartfelt appreciation to:
-Carolyn White, Elizabeth Gaston, Jill Prohaska, and Barbara Spruill, who worked countless hours to fine-tune the manuscript
-Keith Wall, who converted a mountain of interview notes, audio archives, and written materials into a wonderful first draft
-Mark Overstreet, Brad Ray, and Jeanne Sloan, who helped me think about rocks in a new way!
-Connie Steindorf, Bea Garner, and Titus O Bryant, whose behind-the-scenes support work was invaluable
-Steve Miller, my Harvest House editor, whose deft touch graces these pages, and
-Kay Deakins (who deserves a medal) for keeping the rest of us on task during this entire process.
Finally, I give highest praise to my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, for not giving up on me. His forgiveness is why I have a story to tell about the lifechanging freedom of true forgiveness.
On a Personal Note
Throughout the writing of this book, I have repeatedly thought about those whom I have hurt in the past and my heart has grieved. I am without excuse. I cannot help but ask forgiveness from the deepest part of my heart. Many times I have prayed, Lord, may I see my sin as You see it-may I hate my sin as You hate it. He has painfully answered my prayer. His cleansing love has enabled me to walk in the light as He Himself is in the light (1 John 1:7 NASB ).
Contents
Endorsements
Dedication
Acknowledgments
The Struggle to Forgive
1. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones
Words Can Break My Heart
2. The School of Hard Rocks
Stockpiling My Stones of Spite
3. Stone Her! Stone Her!
What Forgiveness Is, What Forgiveness Isn t
4. What Father Gives His Child a Stone?
Extraordinary Love, Extraordinary Forgiveness
5. Getting Rid of the Gravelly Remains
The Freedom of Full Forgiveness
6. Removing Hard Rocks of Resentment
Choosing Forgiveness over Feelings
7. Cutting the Bottom Out of the Bag
Resentful Thoughts Released, Not Rehearsed
8. Rocks Aren t Removed Overnight
The Four Stages of Forgiveness
9. Steering Clear of Stone Throwers
Forgiveness Is One Thing, Reconciliation Is Another
10. Breaking the Power of Your Pelter
Praying for Those Who Pelt You
11. Blindsided by a God-sized Boulder
Oh God, How Could You Allow This?
12. Buried Under Rocks of Regret
When the Person You Need to Forgive Is You
13. The Power of the Empty Bag
Fringe Benefits of Forgiveness
14. A Heart of Stone Finds Hope and Healing
Asking Forgiveness, Finding Freedom
My Prayer to Forgive My Offender
APPENDICES
A PPENDIX A
Why Should We Get Rid of Unforgiveness?
A PPENDIX B
What Does the Forgiving Heart Look Like?
A PPENDIX C
The High Cost of Unforgiveness vs. the High Reward of Forgiveness
A PPENDIX D
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds
A PPENDIX E
How Can You Find God s Forgiveness?
A PPENDIX F
God s Heart on Forgiveness
A PPENDIX G
How to Pray for Those Who Hurt You
A PPENDIX H
Principles for Forgiving Monetary Debt
N OTES
About the Author
T HE S TRUGGLE TO F ORGIVE
R ESENTMENT RAGE RETALIATION . Ever struggled with forgiveness? Ever thought it was impossible? Ever knew you oughta but didn t wanna ? I believe the majority of the world s population is struggling with forgiveness-right now! If you are human (which you are) and if you are reading this book (which you are), you have been hurt-deeply and profoundly-and have faced the formidable foe of un forgiveness.
Each weeknight, I host a two-hour call-in counseling program- Hope in the Night -during which people across America pour out their hearts on live radio. I m constantly amazed at their candor and profoundly touched by their pain.
I m also grieved over the steady stream of people personally wronged and mistreated by others-from their own family to their church family from casual acquaintances to close neighbors from complete strangers to best friends.
My heart goes out to the hurting-to those who just want their pain to stop and want to have hope again.
After more than a decade of hearing hundreds of heartrending stories, I come to the challenge of forgiveness with tremendous compassion. I don t want those who are hurting to be further hurt by living with embedded bitterness -simply because they don t grasp the true meaning of forgiveness or they don t