Corrie Ten Boom on Forgiveness

It was in a church in Munich where I was speaking in 1947 that I saw him--a balding heavyset man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat, the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones.
Memories of the concentration camp came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment of skin.
Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. This man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent.
Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: "A fine message, fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!"
It was the first time since my release that I had been face to face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.
"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard there. But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein--" again the hand came out--"will you forgive me?"
And I stood there--and could not. Betsie had died in that place--could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?
It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.
For I had to do it--I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses."
Still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling."
And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"
For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then

Walking Disorderly

2Thess 3:6-15, Now we command you brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us. For yourselves know how you ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. But you brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
This was the very first thing that Jesus delivered me from when I was born again back in 1975, and He put me to work in construction, laboring with my hands to provide for myself and my family.
The scripture does say that they that preach the Gospel have a right to live by the Gospel , but Paul said he did not use that right but labored to support himself and those that were with him to set an example for us. If God truly has you in full time ministry, laboring in the word, you will be doing just that; laboring, in prayer and in preaching and teaching his word, and you will be bringing forth fruit. Until God has you get so busy doing those things that you no longer have time to work a job, you need to have one. That includes most of you preachers; you need to be working like Paul did to set an example for those to whom you minister.
1Ti 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
We must obey this command of the Apostle Paul and withdraw ourselves from any brother walking disorderly according to this word, that they might be ashamed, not counting them as an enemy but admonishing them as a brother.

A Word of Warning

It is a good thing to have knowledge of the Word of God. Amen.
However, a word of warning, the farther I go by the grace and mercy of God in this walk with Jesus I am beginning to see something in the body of Christ developing, a great amount of deceit, a great falling away, and the question of my heart has been,"How is it that someone with such knowledge can do what they are doing and keep on doing it, and even though they have knowledge and faith, and can speak for hours on the very truths of the word ?
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
The Lord will lead us in righteous paths to deal with the deceit of our hearts, paths that will expose the deceit and the iniquities. He will give you space to repent, and he will give to you according to your doings. Will you humble yourself as a little child and receive correction confessing your faults to him and receiving forgiveness and cleansing, or will you put away faith and a good conscience and suffer ship wreck. Will you not fear Him?
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
It is good to have knowledge of the word, but as James says, we must be doers of the word.
Luk 11:28 Jesus said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
The scripture says that knowledge puffs up. We must guard our hearts with all diligence against this deceit of being lifted up with pride because of our knowledge , or ministry, or works, or honor of men, and humble ourselves as obedient children, and let our Father in heaven correct us when things are exposed in us; and determine to keep his word.
There is a wonderful and terrible promise that Jesus made to us:

Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

 We must deny ourselves, take up our cross(we are crucified with Jesus, baptized into his death and ressurection, we are not our own, we are bought with a price, ) and follow him. The only way you can follow him is to receive the Holy Spirit and learn to be led by the Spirit, be filled with the Holy Spirit every day and he will lead us to do his will.It will always be according to his word.
Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors-not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Here is the deceit: that we can do the works of the flesh and not die. No! We must deny ourselves and put to death those works by obeying the truth through the Spirit and live!

To My Sisters in Christ:

I would like to share some practical truth with you today concerning how you dress and how it affects your brothers. Today I was working at a church doing some carpentry and it was a Saturday with many other brothers and sisters helping move furniture, painting, and other tasks, to improve the facility.
There was one young woman who came to help who was very pretty with a very curvy figure which was fully on display because she was wearing skin tight clothes. Perhaps she is very young in the Lord and no one has taught her better concerning this matter. Perhaps she goes to a church where the Pastor or older women are afraid to deal with this matter. This is not a matter of being free from the law, or trying to bring someone into legal bondage as many of you would say.
The apostle Paul said "Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid." Jesus said "If you continue in my Word then you are my disciples indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free"
It is when we continue doing the Words of Jesus and of his apostles that we will know the truth and be made free.

Jesus said to us men that if we look on a woman to lust after her we have committed adultery with her already in our hearts. Romans 14:13 says "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."
This is not to judge or condemn any of you lovely ladies, but to encourage you with all meekness to not put a stumbling block before your brothers.
Modest clothing, as referred to by the apostle Paul in 1Tim2:9 is clothing which is not so revealing. There are many lines of women's apparel that are very tasteful without being too revealing. The judgement is between you and the Lord. If you love your brothers you will make every effort to edify them, not to tempt them or give them an occasion to stumble. Let the rest be a secret, reserved for your husband. If you are single, believe God and get married. If you are a christian single woman most likely your Father in heaven has a man He wants you to
love and marry. It will be a lot easier for you to find him if you don't draw men to you through lust. That kind of attention is trash. Get the Father's attention and favor and grace as Mary did by becoming the hand maiden of the Lord.
God bless.