Freedom Track

Giving forgiveness leads to real mental, emotional, and spiritual freedom. However, giving, receiving and asking for forgiveness is extremely hard. Our freedom process facilitates freedom. It involves working with a 1-on-1 coach to develop a Resentment, Fear, Shame (RFS) inventory (men with men / women with women) that will help you understand what is going on inside of you, why it hurts, and how it is hindering you. Often these resentments, fears, and shame are driving us in ways that we do not fully understand. Once these RFS are identified, experiencing Jesus healing them brings freedom.

This video will explain the process and what you can expect. Feel free to speed the video up if needed.

Part 1: The Process

Video length: 16:36

Timestamps:
0:00 - What is freedom?
1:26 - The 4 steps of our freedom process
8:34 - Understanding how ungodly beliefs (UGBs) are formed and drive us. We borrow the UGB cycle from a ministry we support called "Restoring the Foundations." (RTF)

Fill out this form to explore entering into the freedom process.

Forgiveness Sermons

Forgiveness, Part 1 - Getting right with God
Matthew 6:14-15 ESV, "[14] For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, [15] but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Main takeaway: Getting right with God is the most critical and necessary step before giving forgiveness to another. It involves acknowledging that our unforgiveness is sin and then receiving God's forgiveness.

Actions steps to take:
1. Decide - Choose this day to start the forgiveness process. We must will ourselves to do this. If we wait until we feel like it, we will not.

2. Confess - Confess to God our sin of harboring unforgiveness.

3. Ask - Ask to experience God forgiving you, not just for this unforgiveness, but to experience that you are accepted by Him. We suggest everyone do our "Hearing from God Experience" prayer time. You can get more information here: Click here for more information on the Hearing from God Experience.

Forgiveness, Part 2 - Forgiving others
Ephesians 2:1-5 ESV, "[1] And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2] in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. [4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

Main takeaways:
1. Just as Jesus has and is seeking after you, He is also seeking after the one you need to forgive.
2. Jesus has brought you from death, calling you a child of wrath (v1-3) to life (v4-5). He is rich in mercy. So we must also be to the other who needs forgiveness.
3. Surrender the need for justice.

Actions steps to take:
1. Decide - Choose this day to start the forgiveness process. We must will ourselves to do this. If we wait until we feel like it, we will not.

2. Name and condemn it - Give yourself permission to name the violation of the other against you and condemn it.

3. Surrender justice - Surrender to Jesus the desire and need for justice. This is the hardest part of forgiving another because of the many hindrances that keep us from doing so.

4. Ask and pray it out - Ask for Jesus to change your heart and pray, everyday for the next 45 days, "God, bless them the way I want to be blessed." This will be hard in the beginning but our heart softens.

Forgiveness part 3 and 4 - Asking for forgiveness.
Matthew 5:21-26 ESV, "[21]You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. [23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. [25] Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. [26] Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."

Main takeaway: We inevitably will hurt another. Asking for forgiveness is paramount.

Action steps to take:
1. Decide - Choose this day to start the forgiveness process. We must will ourselves to do this. If we wait until we feel like it, we will not. Deciding is both an act of obedience and love (agape).

2. Prepare

Own your stuff. Acknowledge to yourself how you have wronged the other and how they are feeling. Do this without qualifying it with "but I hurt you because you did this..."
Determine when and where you will ask for forgiveness.
Discuss / Role play it with a Christian friend. Your small group has some great people to reach into.

3. Ask. Ask the other for forgiveness.

Acknowledge our wrong to them.
Acknowledge how we have hurt them.
Ask for forgiveness, not just say that you are sorry. Asking for forgiveness is entering into Biblical reconciliation.