Our father who is in heaven is a good father

Last night's prayer line was powerful and God was definitely in our midst. Here are the things we discussed and what we should focus and meditate on as we finish the week up.

1. Temptation

James 1:13-15 KJV Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Our Father is always rooting for us. When we get tempted, we should never think that God tempts us. But it is through our own evil desires that we get tempted. The enemy brings them to the surface in different forms to attempt to make us sin. Remember that Satan does not tempt us with things that we don't desire. For example: if you have a deep desire for companionship, Satan will use that desire to lure you to sin. If you have a short temper when it comes to a particular person or subject, Satan will use those things to get under your skin. He will not tempt you with money, if you don't have a weakness for money. He won't tempt you with lust, if that's not an area you struggle with.

Satan knows that he's already doomed. He's been around from the very beginning. And since the beginning, he’s never seen God lose. So therefore he continuously tries to drag us down with him. Misery likes company. He studies us and knows when we're most vulnerable. He knows what to throw at us to trip us up. But there's good news, our good Father is on our side. He sent his son for us, so that through him we find righteousness. To overcome Satan, always check that our desires align with God's purpose for us. God created each of us because he has plan for us. Remain in prayer and retain an intimate relationship with God. Talk to him as you would to a friend. And remember, we are His before we are anybody else's.

2. Forgiveness

When it comes to this particular subject, it's the one that I find that I struggle with the most. What are we supposed to do with the pain associated with offenses from people? How do we move pass the pain to forgive someone. To answer these questions, we began by describing the process of forgiveness: defining, how to put it into action, why we do it and what we will do to execute it in our lives.

What is it?

· Forgiveness is a commandment from God. It's an order. We cannot make it to heaven without forgiving each other.

Matthew 6:12 ESV and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

· Forgiveness is letting go.

· Forgiveness is when we allow ourselves to love again.

· Forgiveness is the ultimate act of love

· Forgiveness is when we forget someone's bad action (offense)

· Forgiveness is healing our wounds

How do we forgive?

· Saying in our hearts that we forgive. The process happens within.

· By going to God through prayer.

· By making peace with the person and showing them love

· To help you move on, you can help others who may be dealing with the area of unforgiveness.

· By talking to the person that hurt you and articulating your hurt.

· Putting yourself in the other person's shoe. Think it over and try to understand. How many times do we break our promises to God or offend him with our actions. No matter how small the offense, we still hurt God. And those hurt still require forgiveness. Do like God does. We're created in God's image, he knows our hearts, our struggles and our concerns are his concerns.

Why do we forgive?

· We forgive to get closer to God.

· We forgive to have peace in our heart.

· We forgive because it is the right thing to do.

· We forgive so that we can grow spiritually. So that our relationships can grow to a better place

· We forgive so that God can forgive us

In your life today, what steps will you take intentionally to forgive?

Some of the answers our group shared:

I will keep praying.

I will read my bible.

I will put my pride aside.

I will work towards understanding my battle. Knowing who the enemy is.

Ephesians 6:12, NIV For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms