There are more ways than one, in which we know how God's love and forgiveness can help us get through life. I want to share one recent example of one such way that God's love and forgiveness helped me manage a spiritual attack.

Last Saturday I was hosting a home Bible study. It happened during a discussion on cell-phone plans, and a spiritual enemy (demon) manifested thoughts in my mind that I don't want to repeat. The voice of the enemy wanted to plant the thought of saying things that would embarrass someone I love about a mistake they made that cost me alot of money and just dogpile this person until they are adequately punished. I called out to God, and right there, this is what He said in my heart: "Trent, haven't you ever done something that was a mistake and cost you alot of money?" BOY HAVE I! "Then, my son, what of this thing that your beloved has done that cost you money? Can I not rescue and forgive?" Yes! That was the problem ... that is what the devil used to gain access to me and make a temptation to ridicule this person that I loved for their mistake ... that I was not seeing that I make mistakes and that I am forgiven. I was miserable and enraged and upset all because of my own unforgiveness and inability to meditate on how deep and wide is the love of God. So, there in my chair (while the DVD rolled on the screen for Bible study) I repented and thanked the Lord for the fact that I have been forgiven and rescued from my mistakes and thus I do not have ANY right to punish those that have made mistakes of their own. My burden was lifted and the attack went away instantaneously.

Reminds me of another story: a man calls in a debtor and forgives them of a million dollar debt that he could never pay ... and so this ungrateful forgiven debtor goes about town and beats people who own him nickels and dimes ... What a wicked thing to do! Wouldn't it be better for everyone if he just realized that the nickels and dimes can be forgotten by the person that has been forgiven millions?

In short, I think that satan is operating in full effect in those that have lost sight of God's love and forgiveness.