Forgiven!

Hello Reader!, Welcome to Olive Grove! Below is an article I wrote and published for prison inmates many years ago on the Olive Grove Print Copy. I tell you it is still as powerful and liberating as it was the very first day I was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it. Be blessed and receive the forgiveness you need. And may the Lord deliver you from any prison you may be locked in Jesus name.

A couple of years ago, a young man in prison wrote to me after reading Olive Grove. He wrote because he was confused about the subject of forgiveness. He listed all his crimes and sins and wondered if he would ever be forgiven. He had raped, robbed and even murdered innocent people and he was wondering if it was possible for someone like him to benefit forgiveness from God. I wrote back and through scriptural references assured him of God’s forgiveness to all who confess and repent of their evil ways. God will never turn away from a contrite and remorseful heart. This is the power of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.

A few days ago whilst meditating on the scriptures, I came upon the account of Jacob’s reunion with his estranged brother Esau. As I reflected on Jacob’s schemes to secure the forgiveness of Esau whom he outwitted of his birthright and blessings some twenty years previously, it occurred to me that like many of us today, Jacob did not understand the subject of forgiveness. Money and cattle cannot buy true forgiveness. Forgiveness is a free gift from one to another. Esau had already forgiven Jacob for stealing his blessings but unaware of this free gift, Jacob in his usual pattern schemed to secure the favour of Esau with material wealth. Needless to say, Esau was also a very wealthy man and did not need Jacob’s gift.
What Jacob and his mother did to rob Esau of his blessing was wicked and wrong, but Esau was able to forgive Jacob even before he asked or sought to be forgiven. In the same way, God has already prepared before hand a feast of forgiveness for us. However we partake of this feast if we confess our sins and forsake them. (See 1John 1: 8-10)
Forgiveness remains a confusing subject for many people today, especially those who have violently taken innocent lives or done things that are unspeakable. The forgiving grace of God is not selective. When Jesus died on the cross, He did so bearing in mind every imaginable and unimaginable crime or sin that man could ever conceive or commit in his lifetime. God cannot turn His back on those who ask for His forgiveness especially those with a contrite heart. (See Ps 34:18; Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:2)

Forgiveness is one of the very ready and accessible blessings of God. When you give your life to Christ forgiveness is the first of the blessings you receive. It is on this platform that you build your personal relationship with God. Without the foundation of repentance and forgiveness, there is no new birth. Satan understands this process that is why he confuses people and holds them bound in their dark past so that they cannot receive the light that comes from God.
Like every blessing from God, forgiveness is received by faith. In other words, you do not have to see it before you take it rather you take it and accept you have it before you see its effect in your life. In any case God’s forgiveness is not a tangible or physical blessing so there is no way you can see, feel, smell or touch it. However, the blessing of God’s forgiveness has tangible fruits. For instance, those who have asked and received forgiveness by faith enjoy a feeling of assurance that they are God’s children. A sister fruit to this divine assurance is the fruit of peace. With this peace comes joy and flowing from joy is the strength to face the consequences of our past mistakes knowing that God is faithful to see us through. Inmates who have had this divine experience of forgiveness stand out amongst their peers in and out of prison. They carry themselves with dignity and self respect because they know that they have been divinely elevated. They understand that they have been pardoned in the highest court in the universe i.e. the Supreme Court of God. Jesus whom they accepted as their Lord and Saviour was their advocate. He is the lawyer with more qualifications than all the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) put together!
The Psalmist in Psalm 86:5 says, “For you Lord are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you.” God is ready to forgive us, but are we ready too to receive. There are some of us who are still unrepentant in spite of our present condition. Do you think God created you to be in prison? Of course not! God created every man with a definite purpose. And that purpose is greatness and fruitfulness, not prison. Now that you find yourself there what you can do to make amends is to seek and receive the forgiveness of God so that you can receive divine help to trace your steps on to the path of purpose and fruitfulness.

The prison should be used as a place to get your life back on track by spending quality time in the word and presence of God. Do not waste the time with idleness, but attend church regularly; fellowship with other inmates who have given their lives to Christ and not with those who are still unrepentant. Indian hemp, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes will not help you now, but the Lord. You are not too far gone in sin and crime to be forgiven. Armed robbery and militancy were not the original plan of God for your life. There is a definite plan and purpose for your life in Christ Jesus. When you locate this plan life would become sweet and stress free again.
Some of you may be estranged from your families and loved ones and you are wondering what you could do to be back in their favour. This is easy as all you need to do is to make peace with your Maker. The bible says that ”when a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7) Stop trying to get back into the good books of those you have disappointed and hurt without first getting into the good books of God. God is able to right every wrong and heal all broken relationships, but you cannot.
What is it that you seek and desire now? What do you want to correct or make right if the hand of the clock could be turned back? All you seek and desire is in the hands of the Almighty God. It sounds simplistic, but it is true. When you give your life to Him and forsake your old ways, He is able to supernaturally make things right again. Seek first the kingdom of God, the bible says and everything you desire would be added to you.
When all is forgiven, God walks with you by His Spirit to ensure that everything you lost in the days of sin and crime is restored to you. In Christ, to be forgiven is a ticket to get your inheritance in God.