Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202325S
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00:00 [theme music playing]
00:03 ♪♪ 00:37 [gentle piano music playing] 00:40 ♪♪ 00:44 >> Welcome to It Is Written 00:45 Canada. 00:46 Thank you for joining us. 00:47 The word "impossible" means that 00:50 it is not possible and Jesus 00:51 talks to His disciples and He 00:53 says that it is impossible that 00:55 no offences should come. 00:57 In other words, you are going to 00:58 be offended. 00:59 I am going to be offended. 01:01 But He also goes on to say... 01:28 We really do need an increase of 01:29 faith to forgive 01:31 multiple times. 01:33 And our special guest today is 01:35 Don MacLafferty, 01:37 who has experienced 01:40 what it means to have to 01:41 forgive multiple times. 01:45 >> Don, welcome to It Is Written 01:47 Canada. 01:48 It's so wonderful to have you 01:49 with us here today again. 01:51 >> I'm happy to be here. 01:53 Canada means much to me. 01:56 >> So why is that, Don? 01:58 >> When I was a little boy, you 01:59 know, I grew up in Hawaii, but 02:01 for about eight summers of my 02:02 life, we had the privilege of 02:04 spending summers with Grandpa 02:06 way up in northern Saskatchewan. 02:09 And he was a beekeeper. 02:10 And so I fell in love with the 02:12 forest of Canada and the lakes 02:14 of Canada and the rivers and all 02:17 the wildlife out there. 02:18 It was just beautiful. 02:20 [RENÉ] So, Don, you mentioned 02:22 that you were with your 02:23 grandfather and 02:25 we're speaking about forgiveness 02:27 today, like Mike mentioned, 02:28 so can you tell us about 02:30 your grandmother? 02:32 About Grandma Mac 02:34 and the impact that she had 02:36 on your life? 02:37 [DON] Yes. 02:38 And Grandma Mac is on the other 02:40 side of my family. 02:41 And she was a great storyteller, 02:44 like a fantastic storyteller. 02:47 And she was just also a great 02:49 mentor in my life. 02:51 So not just a storyteller to 02:52 entertain, but would use these 02:54 stories to also 02:56 encourage me 02:57 about how much my Heavenly 03:00 Father loves me, how much He 03:03 calls me to live for Him and to 03:05 fall in love with Jesus through 03:07 all these stories. 03:09 >> So, Don, it is no doubt that 03:11 you probably got your 03:12 storytelling abilities from your 03:14 grandmother. 03:15 She sounds like a very 03:16 vibrant person. 03:17 Did she ever go through some 03:18 tough times? 03:19 [DON] Oh, yes. 03:20 Oh, yes, and I think that those 03:23 tough times not only moulded and 03:26 melded her character, but God 03:29 used her journey to do the same 03:32 for me. 03:33 You know, forgiveness is a big 03:36 thing in life, whether we will 03:38 forgive or not, if we find it 03:40 impossible to forgive. 03:41 I remember when I was a little 03:42 boy and this was probably my 03:45 first big time in life where I 03:48 was really confronted with a 03:49 need to forgive 03:51 and it was by watching what my 03:53 grandmother went through. 03:55 So my grandpa and grandma 03:57 on my dad's side 03:58 had moved to 04:00 a very rural area, 04:02 and they noticed that the people 04:04 needed a church. 04:06 And the people were very poor in 04:07 the area and they made the 04:10 church, like, made the bricks 04:11 with their own hands, like, you 04:12 know, like form them out of the 04:14 clay and put them out under the 04:15 sun, and there's just not much 04:16 to work with. 04:18 But my grandparents knew how to 04:19 build, and so they really put 04:22 their shoulders to the work 04:23 personally, physically, and 04:25 helped make this church just 04:28 rise up out of nothing. 04:30 And they started ministering to 04:32 the people there in their 04:33 retirement years and just loving 04:36 the people and visiting the 04:38 people in the hospital and when 04:40 they were sick. 04:41 And that sounds beautiful, 04:42 except my grandfather wasn't 04:44 really accepted by the people in 04:45 that area too much. 04:47 Maybe because of his education 04:49 level, maybe because his accent 04:51 wasn't the same as what they 04:52 were used to. 04:53 Probably a whole bunch 04:54 of reasons. 04:55 He was just not fitting in with 04:56 the culture, but he loved 04:58 the people. 04:59 Well, they 05:01 started talking bad about him 05:02 and criticizing him. 05:04 It's one thing if it happens 05:05 once or twice, but this started 05:06 happening in heavier and 05:08 heavier waves. 05:09 And my poor grandfather was a 05:11 very sensitive person, like, 05:13 very, he had a big heart for 05:15 people, loved people, was very 05:17 sincere and so he took 05:18 it to heart. 05:20 And one day after months of 05:22 this, and he was just starting 05:24 to drag from the emotional... 05:28 ...strain of it all. 05:29 My grandmother said at the end 05:30 of one such day, 05:33 "Honey, can I get you anything?" 05:35 And he was in his favourite 05:36 chair, and he said, 05:38 "Just get me a glass of water. 05:39 I'm just so thirsty." 05:41 So she went into the kitchen to 05:42 get a glass of water. 05:43 When she came back, he was dead. 05:45 [RENÉ] Oh, no. 05:47 [DON] And she always said of 05:49 that, she said he really died of 05:50 a broken heart. 05:51 It was just so much it just 05:53 broke his heart. 05:54 Well, I was just a little boy, 05:56 probably eight years old or 05:58 something. 05:59 I was shocked. 06:00 I had just visited them out in 06:01 this beautiful rural area, maybe 06:03 a few weeks before my 06:04 grandfather died. 06:06 My grandma was in shock because 06:08 they had carved their little 06:11 place, their little home right 06:12 out of the deep woods and it was 06:14 to be a place for their 06:16 retirement years and they had 06:17 put much thought and love into 06:19 building that with their own 06:20 hands. 06:21 And now she was by herself way 06:23 out in the middle of nowhere. 06:24 No family or friends very close 06:26 by at all and what to do? 06:30 And she prepared for the funeral 06:32 and she started realizing 06:35 she had much bitterness 06:37 about the passing of 06:39 my grandfather. 06:41 I remember she pulled me aside 06:43 and she said, for the first time 06:45 I remember ever having my 06:47 grandmother confide in me 06:49 her own personal need for the 06:50 intervention of Jesus. 06:52 [MIKE] And you're a little eight 06:53 year old boy. 06:54 [DON] I'm thinking probably 06:54 eight years old, and she said, 06:56 "Donny," that's what she called 06:57 me, "Donny, would you pray for 06:59 Grandma?" 07:00 I said, "Why do I need to 07:01 pray for you?" 07:02 She always prayed for me. 07:03 She said, "The people here have 07:06 been hard on your grandpa and I 07:09 want to forgive them, but I 07:11 don't know how to forgive them." 07:13 Now, isn't that amazing that 07:15 she'd be that open? 07:16 I don't see that as a bad thing, 07:17 but it was a big trust 07:19 on her part. 07:20 And I remember 07:22 her saying that 07:24 at the funeral, you know, people 07:26 would come up and say how much 07:27 they loved my grandfather and 07:29 what a fine man he was and how 07:31 they loved him visiting. 07:33 But my grandmother wrestled with 07:34 it because some of those same 07:36 people had talked behind his 07:37 back and had criticized him and 07:39 led him to being so hurt over 07:42 these situations. 07:44 And it was galling for her and 07:45 it was a very bitter time. 07:48 "Yes, Grandma," I told her, I 07:49 said, "I'll pray for you." 07:51 And I remember getting on my 07:53 little knees and holding her 07:54 hands and praying for my grandma 07:56 and pleading with God as only an 07:58 eight year old can, "God, would 08:00 You please help my grandma to 08:01 forgive all these people that 08:03 hurt Grandpa?" 08:04 That's the way I said it to God. 08:06 And, you know, she did 08:08 a hard thing. 08:09 She basically had to sell off 08:10 that little place almost for a 08:12 song, you know, because in 08:13 desperation, she had to get out, 08:14 she couldn't take care of it 08:15 by herself. 08:16 And so she left that beautiful 08:18 little place and 08:20 she left also 08:21 her bitterness behind. 08:23 [MIKE] Oh, wow. 08:23 [DON] And was able to forgive 08:25 the people of that whole 08:27 countryside and those woods. 08:28 [MIKE] That's beautiful. 08:29 So God answered your prayer. 08:30 [DON] Yes, He did, and God 08:31 showed His faithfulness. 08:33 Now, that was just the first 08:35 time I remember Grandma having 08:37 to deal with forgiveness. 08:39 The second time was after some 08:41 years when she had gone down to 08:43 Brazil and had come back 08:45 and, you know, she decided she 08:46 was not going to just mope 08:48 around without my grandpa. 08:49 She wanted to serve. 08:50 So she had gone to Brazil and 08:53 she had spent some years with my 08:55 uncle and aunt, and she had 08:57 served Jesus with them, caring 08:59 for the people in Brazil. 09:01 And she loved the children and 09:02 the young people of Brazil and 09:04 helped some of them learn 09:05 English, and you get the idea. 09:07 Well, one day she was back on 09:08 furlough, you know, taking a 09:10 vacation from that, and she was 09:13 with her cousin, I believe it 09:14 was a cousin, a close relative. 09:17 And they were driving along 09:19 beside a 09:21 railroad track. 09:23 And as they're driving along, 09:25 they knew they were about to 09:26 cross a railroad track, when 09:28 around the bend came this train 09:29 choo-choo-choo-choo, just coming 09:31 along and the cousin of my 09:34 grandma said, "Oh, I can get 09:36 across before that train." 09:37 And my grandmother said, 09:38 "Oh, please don't." 09:39 She put her hand on his hand and 09:41 said, "Oh, you don't need 09:42 to do that. 09:43 We're already old and we can 09:45 wait five or ten minutes for it 09:46 to go by." 09:47 And he said, "I can do it." 09:49 He said, "Don't tell me what to 09:50 do," and he stepped on the gas 09:53 and he went right up on top of 09:55 the track and it was a double 09:56 set of tracks, and you know what 09:58 happened, you probably can guess 09:59 what happens. 10:00 He stall is right on it and 10:02 choo-choo-choo-choo, here's the 10:03 train, I mean, it's barrelling 10:04 down on them 10:06 and the cousin 10:09 and I think another relative, 10:10 they were able to escape the 10:11 train and she was stuck in the 10:14 car and she was getting out. 10:15 She had just swung her little 10:16 legs out, she was a little tiny 10:18 little thing, and when the train 10:20 hit, boom, it hit the car. 10:23 And she went flying. 10:26 And what's amazing is 10:27 she survived it. 10:28 And the cousin and the other 10:30 relative, they came out just 10:31 fine, but my grandma was really 10:34 broken up, like physically 10:35 broken up. 10:36 She had to be in a huge cast 10:38 and, you know, the impact just 10:41 threw her. 10:42 And it's amazing she 10:43 survived it. 10:44 [MIKE] Absolutely. 10:45 [DON] But this is the second 10:45 time I remember her coming to me 10:47 and saying, "Donny, 10:50 you know that I have always been 10:52 a physically fit and energetic 10:54 grandma who likes to get around 10:56 fast," and she would move fast. 10:58 Not only could she tell stories 10:59 with much animation, but she 11:01 would hike with us, pick 11:03 blackberries, go places, she 11:05 would take her little skirts and 11:07 tuck them in and hop on the back 11:08 of a motorcycle and go. 11:09 She was that kind of grandma. 11:11 And now 11:12 she had much pain and agony 11:15 because she was all broken 11:16 up, they had to remove one or 11:18 more of her little toes. 11:20 There was just many things that 11:22 happened out of that wreck. 11:24 And she said, "But the worst 11:25 thing is I keep replaying in my 11:28 mind how I reached over and 11:30 said, "Cousin, don't go." 11:32 And he did a stupid thing, 11:35 a crazy thing and 11:37 forced me to go over that track 11:39 and get stuck there 11:40 and he escaped. 11:41 The one who did it escaped and I 11:43 wasn't trying to do anything 11:44 wrong and this happened to me. 11:46 And she said, "And I resent him 11:49 and I am bitter towards him." 11:51 Now, I was now I think a 11:53 teenager, late teenager now 11:55 and again she said, "Donny... 11:59 ...this is not of God 12:00 that I would have these feelings 12:02 towards my cousin. 12:03 Yes, he made a mistake 12:05 and he did the wrong thing, 12:06 but I should have the heart of 12:08 Jesus for Him and I don't. 12:10 Would you pray for me?" 12:12 Now, that's so tender to me 12:13 because she had mentored me so 12:14 many times and now she was 12:15 coming now again to me and 12:17 pleading with me, "Would you 12:18 please intercede and 12:19 pray for me?" 12:20 So I prayed. 12:21 I took her hands and I prayed 12:23 and I cried out to God that God 12:24 would help her forgive the man 12:27 who had not just put her life in 12:29 jeopardy, but now, because of 12:31 that one decision, now changed 12:33 the way she walked. 12:35 Now she walked with pain and she 12:37 would until the day she died. 12:39 So every day she had a reminder 12:40 of that. 12:42 And, you know, maybe our viewers 12:43 have stories, too, in their 12:45 lives where one crazy, 12:48 bad decision on someone else's 12:50 part has hurt the rest of their 12:51 life, right? 12:52 This happens. 12:54 So we prayed 12:55 and grandma had to wrestle with 12:57 that because every day she had 12:59 this physical reminder. 13:00 But God gave her grace to 13:02 forgive her cousin 13:04 and she became free. 13:06 You know, when you forgive, you 13:07 become free. 13:08 It's freedom to forgive. 13:10 So I kept on 13:13 growing up into, 13:15 now into my young twenties and I 13:17 became a pastor. 13:18 And I thought, "Wow, I'll never 13:21 forget how my grandma forgave 13:24 the impossible." 13:25 And-- but the biggest test to 13:28 forgiveness in my grandma's life 13:30 was still to come. 13:31 She had a big heart for little 13:33 children, and she loved telling 13:34 stories to children. 13:35 She always loved gathering up 13:38 clothes and sending them down to 13:39 Brazil for the children. 13:41 Early one morning, I think on a 13:43 Sunday morning, she was gonna go 13:44 early, early and package up 13:47 clothes at the church 13:49 and send them off. 13:50 And so she started going along. 13:52 Now, she couldn't walk like she 13:53 used to, but she still would 13:55 hobble along pretty good, pretty 13:56 good pace, and she made it 13:58 almost to the church. 13:59 But she did not know 14:00 that someone was watching her. 14:03 Not just watching, 14:05 but was following her. 14:06 In the mist and fog of the early 14:08 morning, somebody was following 14:11 her with evil intent. 14:13 And she just reached up to the 14:14 door of the church and to put 14:16 the key in, because she had her 14:17 own key, because she worked 14:18 there much. 14:19 All of a sudden, a hand grabbed 14:21 her from behind 14:23 and a big man swirled her around 14:25 and slung her over 14:28 his shoulder and 14:30 pulled her, dragged her, and 14:32 then carried her into the inner 14:35 part of the, like the courtyard 14:37 of the church. 14:38 And there he slammed her down on 14:41 the ground and 14:44 tried to strangle her and kill 14:46 her in all kinds of different 14:47 crazy ways, and then ended up 14:48 raping my 14:50 poor little grandma. 14:52 >> And how old was your grandma 14:54 at the time? 14:55 [DON] She was at least upper 14:56 eighties, yeah upper eighties. 14:58 And frail, you know, because 15:00 she's older, and then she's also 15:02 been through this other thing 15:03 with the, you know, the wreck 15:05 with the train. 15:06 So she's a frail little lady and 15:07 this was a big, big guy. 15:10 And so... 15:11 ...he heard 15:14 some children playing 15:17 and it scared him off 15:18 because he didn't want any 15:19 witnesses, of course, and he 15:20 left her for dead and went 15:22 racing off. 15:24 And little children came up and 15:26 they looked and they said, 15:27 "What is that?" because they 15:28 saw, you know, her-- she's all 15:30 in tatters and she's bloody. 15:33 And they said, "Mrs. Mac, 15:34 is that you?" they said. 15:36 And she could barely talk and 15:39 she said, "It is me." 15:41 She said, "Call 911 15:44 and get emergency help." 15:45 She could barely say that, she 15:47 could just barely croak the 15:48 words out. 15:49 And the children said, "Okay!" 15:50 And they ran off and they hopped 15:52 on their bicycles and they got 15:53 Mom and Dad and they called. 15:55 And praise God, the emergency 15:57 vehicle came very, very quickly 15:59 and gathered her up. 16:01 She was just like barely there, 16:04 took her to the hospital and 16:05 rescued her life. 16:07 But the worse was still to come. 16:10 Night after night, you can 16:12 imagine what happened, she had 16:13 nightmares. 16:14 Now, my grandmother walked in 16:15 the peace of God for all her 16:17 life, except for those two other 16:19 times, and she knew 16:21 the power of Jesus. 16:23 But now she had these terrible 16:25 nightmares of this big man, 16:27 you know, brutally... 16:30 ...terrorizing her 16:31 and coming at her and it was 16:33 just horrible. 16:35 She couldn't sleep and she would 16:36 scream in the night sometimes. 16:38 And... 16:40 ...I remember getting a call 16:42 and she said, "Donny, 16:45 I am in trouble." 16:47 I said, "Grandma, you survived 16:49 that attack." 16:50 "Yes, I did. 16:52 But now I have something in my 16:55 heart that I have never known 16:57 like this before. 16:59 I hate the man 17:00 who did this to me. 17:02 He has caused me to live in such 17:03 fear every night. 17:04 I'm scared to go to sleep." 17:05 She said, "I've never been 17:06 afraid of the dark and I'm 17:07 afraid of the dark. 17:08 I'm never afraid to be alone and 17:10 now I'm afraid to be alone. 17:11 I hate this man. 17:13 What do I do?" 17:15 I was in my twenties when this 17:16 attack happened 17:18 on my grandmother 17:19 and I found myself 17:21 also to be frightened 17:23 by the hate 17:25 that I had 17:26 towards the man that 17:27 had done this. 17:28 I, you know, 17:30 how do I say this? 17:32 When violence happens 17:33 to you or someone you love, 17:35 it also stirs up within you 17:37 all kinds of feelings. 17:39 And as believers, we get 17:41 confronted by our need for Jesus 17:43 in a whole different way. 17:46 And so here I was young, 17:48 wrestling with these same things 17:50 and I remember I had 17:52 in private, had to really ask 17:54 God some tough questions. 17:56 Where were You when this 17:57 happened to my grandma? 17:59 Sometimes we ask God that, 18:00 right, when terrible things 18:01 happened to us. 18:02 [MIKE] Absolutely. 18:02 [DON] Where were You? 18:03 [MIKE] It's a fair question. 18:04 [DON] And I had to 18:06 wrestle with God on that and 18:07 think through it and pray 18:09 through it and also go to God's 18:11 Word about it. 18:12 I had to ask God to do a heart 18:15 surgery on me so that He could 18:17 cut out my hate 18:19 out of my heart 18:21 and give me forgiveness 18:22 for this man. 18:23 And so, and that had taken me 18:26 some time, like I can't remember 18:28 now, but it, you know, some 18:30 months to really wrestle that, 18:32 like some months. 18:33 And then finally, now back to my 18:36 grandma, when she was sharing 18:38 that she was wrestling with her 18:39 hate of him, and I had not known 18:41 that when I had gone through 18:43 this myself concerning her. 18:45 Now I thought, "Oh, now my 18:47 grandma is confronted with her 18:50 biggest need to forgive in her 18:51 whole entire life. 18:53 The other two stories, you know, 18:55 were difficult, horrible in 18:57 themselves. 18:57 Losing my grandfather 19:00 and also then losing, you know, 19:02 the body that she 19:04 loved to have work for her. 19:06 But now this was being violated 19:08 in so many different ways, many 19:10 different ways, all in one, 19:12 you know, attack. 19:13 And so I remember saying, 19:16 "Grandma," I said, 19:18 "Tell me more." 19:19 And I didn't know what more was, 19:22 but she told me more about how 19:24 when she was being attacked, how 19:26 she cried out to God. 19:28 And she cried out to God to be 19:30 with her and to help her. 19:31 And she even told her attacker, 19:34 "I forgive you, I forgive you!" 19:37 And, but of course, it didn't 19:38 stop him, 19:38 but she was trying to... 19:40 ...she was trying to do the 19:41 right thing to offer him 19:42 forgiveness even while he was 19:43 attacking her, that just touches 19:45 my heart. 19:46 But, you know, she said, "But 19:49 God's still preserved my life." 19:52 And I said, "Yes, He did." 19:54 And I was still processing that. 19:56 But she said, "But what do I do 19:58 about my hatred of him?" 20:00 And I said, "God can give you a 20:03 heart surgery." 20:04 And she said, "What do you mean 20:05 by that?" 20:07 And I grabbed my Bible 20:09 and I said, "Grandma, do you 20:10 have a little Bible there with 20:11 you in the room?" 20:12 And she grabbed her Bible, it 20:14 was a tattered, worn Bible. 20:15 She loved the Word of God 20:17 very much. 20:17 And I said, "Go to Ezekiel 36:26 20:20 and 27." 20:22 And I prayed first that God 20:24 would send the Holy Spirit 20:25 to bless. 20:27 I said, "Grandma, God says to 20:29 you in His Word... 20:48 And Grandma was very quiet, 20:50 maybe a little too quiet, and I 20:52 wasn't sure how she was 20:53 processing this. 20:54 I said, "Grandma," I said 20:56 softly, "God's done this for me 20:58 and removed my hate 21:00 towards your attacker." 21:01 I said, "Grandma, I was scared 21:03 that if I ever saw that man, 21:04 what I would do to him and I 21:06 didn't wanna do to him 21:08 what I knew Jesus would 21:11 be so sad for me to do. 21:13 And He's given me the joy of 21:15 forgiveness by giving me 21:16 this heart surgery." 21:17 I said, "Grandma, is the Holy 21:19 Spirit calling you to have a 21:22 heart surgery?" 21:23 And there was again a pause and 21:26 very meekly and quietly she 21:29 whispered, "I need 21:31 this heart surgery. 21:33 I desperately need it." 21:35 And she said, "It seems so 21:36 impossible, though, for me to 21:38 think that God could do it." 21:40 But she said, "I know this is 21:41 the Word of God." 21:42 And so she said, "So I believe, 21:44 I choose to believe, but I don't 21:46 know how it's gonna work." 21:47 I said, "Grandma, you don't have 21:48 to understand how it will work." 21:50 I said, "That's God's business. 21:52 He'll take care 21:53 of your heart surgery. 21:54 So I prayed and I cried 21:56 out to God. 21:57 I said, "God, this is Your Word. 22:00 Give my grandma heart surgery 22:02 right now I ask in the mighty 22:03 name of Jesus, and remove 22:06 her heart of stone towards her 22:08 attacker. 22:09 Remove her bitterness and her 22:11 hatred towards the man who hurt 22:14 her in so many ways 22:16 and raped her. 22:17 And do this for the glory of 22:18 Christ in Her life, 22:20 in Jesus' name, amen." 22:22 And I can look you both in the 22:23 eye and say, because of the 22:25 glory of Jesus, 22:26 Jesus did hear 22:29 that prayer, 22:31 and He heard His Word 22:33 and He fulfilled it in my 22:35 grandma's life. 22:36 And her last, she still lived a 22:38 couple more years, and her last 22:40 few years were with freedom 22:43 before the Lord. 22:44 Why? 22:45 Because she was able to forgive 22:47 this impossible... 22:49 ...situation and this man. 22:51 They did find the man, by the 22:52 way, dragged him into court and 22:53 asked my grandma to testify. 22:54 They said, "We'll only give you 22:55 just a moment." 22:56 They knew she was frail. 22:57 They didn't want her to be there 22:58 for hours and hours of 22:59 questioning. 23:00 They put her up in front of an 23:01 entire court and they said, 23:03 "Mrs. MacLafferty, we'll just 23:05 give you just two minutes. 23:07 This is your moment to say 23:08 something about your attacker." 23:10 And because of the grace and the 23:11 power of Jesus Christ, through 23:14 the Word of God and because God 23:16 had given her a heart surgery, 23:18 she looked out across the court 23:20 to this big, huge man 23:23 shackled and with guards 23:25 standing beside him, very 23:26 dangerous man, he had done this 23:27 to other women. 23:28 And she looked out across and 23:30 her little wavery voice had the 23:31 strength and power of God, and 23:33 she looked out and she said to 23:34 him, she said, "I say to you, 23:37 because of the love of Jesus, 23:39 I can tell you I forgive you 23:42 for what you did for me 23:44 and Jesus loves you 23:46 And I hope one day you'll know 23:48 this love for yourself." 23:51 [RENÉ] Wow, that's incredible. 23:53 [MIKE] God performed 23:55 heart surgery 23:56 on your grandmother 23:58 and set her free. 23:59 [DON] Yes. 24:00 [MIKE] And usually when we hold 24:01 onto this bitterness, 24:03 we think that 24:05 the more we hold onto it, 24:08 the better we will be. 24:11 And it makes us not better, 24:12 but bitter. 24:13 [DON] Yes. 24:14 [MIKE] And it just poisons 24:16 our lives. 24:18 Not the life of the other 24:19 person, but our lives. 24:21 [DON] Right. 24:22 [MIKE] And I thank you for 24:24 sharing that with us, because I 24:25 know that there 24:27 are people who have a hard time 24:29 forgiving and we all do. 24:32 This is impossible. 24:33 It's impossible, Jesus said, you 24:34 know, it's impossible to do 24:36 something... 24:37 And the disciples said, 24:38 "Increase our faith." 24:39 So we need an increase of faith 24:41 to be able to forgive. 24:44 [RENÉ] Do you know, Don, what 24:46 ever happened to that man? 24:48 To your grandmother's attacker? 24:50 >> He was put in prison and 24:53 that is where he still is today. 24:56 And just about a couple years 24:58 ago, I heard that he was trying 25:01 to get out, he was trying to 25:03 make his case to get out. 25:05 And all these things came back, 25:07 rushing back, you can imagine. 25:09 And I thought, "Oh, I can't 25:12 imagine him being free again 25:14 to be on the streets again." 25:17 And as I prayed about that, all 25:18 of a sudden I realized 25:21 that God had done a heart 25:22 change in me for sure, 25:25 because I found myself praying 25:27 not "God, keep him in there," 25:30 but "God, do what would bring 25:32 salvation to this man. 25:34 If he'll find You better in 25:35 prison, then keep him in prison. 25:37 But, God, if he would find 25:38 Christ better by getting out and 25:40 being with his family, then 25:42 bring him out and help him to 25:43 get free again, but help him to 25:45 find his freedom in Christ." 25:47 And so that's not because I'm a 25:48 good forgiver, it's because God 25:51 has the power to help us 25:52 forgive. 25:53 >> So God kept Him in there 25:55 and God is still working on his 25:57 heart as He works on all of our 25:59 hearts every day. 26:01 So as we close up right now, I 26:03 wonder if you could pray, 26:04 pray for our viewers, pray for 26:06 ourselves, each one of us that 26:07 we can have a heart 26:09 that is free 26:11 from bitterness, from holding on 26:13 to these offences, from 26:15 un-forgiveness. 26:17 Could you do that right now? 26:18 [DON] Yes, let's pray. 26:20 Dear Father in heaven, 26:22 somewhere there is a viewer 26:24 who is struggling 26:27 to forgive. 26:29 For any viewer that just 26:31 holds their hand up to You 26:33 and says, "God, I am asking for 26:36 this heart surgery," would You 26:37 please give a heart surgery to 26:38 those requesting it right now? 26:41 Would You please cut out 26:44 what they have no power 26:45 to cut out? 26:46 Would You cut out hatred and 26:47 bitterness towards those who 26:49 have wronged them? 26:50 And would You also give them a 26:52 new heart, 26:54 a new spirit 26:55 and so that life can be like a 26:57 song lived out for Christ, 27:00 a song of freedom by the blood 27:02 of Jesus Christ and His power. 27:05 In Jesus name, amen. 27:06 [MIKE & RENÉ] Amen. 27:07 [gentle piano music playing] 27:10 >> Friends, our gift to you 27:12 today is Pastor Don 27:13 MacLafferty's book, God Still 27:15 Lives Even When You Wonder. 27:18 >> Don's true stories and 27:20 testimonies will encourage you 27:22 to trust God more fully 27:24 and completely. 27:25 >> We trust that our gift, Don 27:27 MacLafferty's book, God Still 27:29 Lives Even When You Wonder, will 27:31 inspire you to live by faith 27:33 and not by sight alone. 27:37 >> Before you go, we would also 27:39 like to thank all of you who 27:41 have supported the ministry of 27:43 It Is Written Canada, with your 27:45 prayers and financial 27:47 contributions. 27:48 Without your support, this 27:50 television ministry could not 27:52 have reached so many people for 27:55 so many decades. 27:56 >> Yes, thank you. 27:58 And we would also like to invite 27:59 you to follow us on Instagram 28:01 and Facebook and subscribe to 28:02 our YouTube channel and also 28:04 listen to our podcasts. 28:06 And if you go to our website, 28:07 you can see our latest programs. 28:10 >> You, too, can experience the 28:12 fullness of life found in the 28:14 words of Jesus when He said... 28:26 [gentle piano music playing] 28:30 ♪♪ |
Revised 2024-03-14