Help Ministries

Help Ministries Help Ministries is a faith-based counseling service with a concentration in individual and family counseling. It is "Biblical Counseling that works!"

08/22/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today we will discuss the importance of forgiving oneself.

A little boy and his younger sister were playing tag. He chased her around a large chair, as both laughed. When the little girl abruptly stopped playing, the boy hurried to his pregnant mother and cried, “Mom, sis is not playing anymore.” Rushing to where the child lay, the mother scooped her up just as the little girl drew her last breath. Later, it became clear that the little girl’s finger had touched an exposed wire from a nearby lamp, while her body was on a heat register on the floor. This sent volts of electricity through her little body and killed her.

Whose fault was it that the child died? Was it the boy’s, the mother’s, the girl’s?

Was it God’s fault? Sadly, the mother would spend years holding herself and God responsible for the death of her little girl. She would constantly ask herself, “Should I have watched them more closely? How could I not know about the lamp and wire? Why would God allow such a thing to happen?”

Sometimes, forgiving ourselves is the most difficult thing to do. We may think we should have known better, been watching more closely, or done things differently. We blame ourselves and perhaps God for mistakes or events that result in sorrow, pain, and even tragedy. Just as forgiving others is a choice, an act of your will, so is forgiving yourself.

God promises to forgive you. Once you have received God’s mercy, you must choose to forgive yourself. The Lord does not want you wallowing in self-pity or regret. God does not wish to see you suffer. He still has a purpose and a plan for your life. So, accept His forgiveness, and stop punishing yourself.

If a painful experience or tragedy occurred that somehow involved you, realize that you are not alone. Others have suffered similar tragedies. It is part of what happens as we live in a fallen world. You cannot change the past or eliminate the consequences of that painful event. It is important in such cases, that you forgive yourself. Doing so allows you to go on with life rather than become bitter over what cannot be changed. Do not destroy the future God has for you.

Overcome by evil and greed, Judas agreed to betray Jesus to the religious leaders for a sum of money. Later, wishing he had not done so, he hanged himself. The apostle Peter also sinned by denying Jesus repeatedly, yet he went on to become a great leader of the early church. What was the difference? While Judas went out in grief and hanged himself, Peter wept bitterly in disgrace for what he had done. One could not forgive himself, but the other found forgiveness in Jesus. While Judas died a failure, Peter lived to bring great glory to the Lord. Which will you choose? I urge you to forgive yourself! Your life is valuable to God and precious in His sight. Let Him do great things through you.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, keep trusting and believing…..

08/15/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we are continuing our study on forgiveness, and today we are looking at the importance of forgiving others.

Since we have received God’s forgiveness, we must show love and forgiveness to others, no matter how undeserving and unworthy they may seem. When we forgive others, we prove that our faith in Christ is genuine and that our own hearts have been changed.

Stephen, one of the early disciples, was arrested by hostile Jews because he did great wonders and miraculous signs (read Acts 6:8-11). In defense, he described God’s miracles and faithfulness and Israel’s rebellion. Convicted by the truth of those words, the Jews dragged Stephen out of the city and stoned him. Before he died, Stephen cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). In asking God to forgive his killers, Stephen wanted his heart to remain free from anger and resentment. He followed the example of Jesus who prayed as He was crucified, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24).

Can you imagine this? Here were two men, Jesus the Son of God and Stephen. Both of them preached truth, took part in healings and other miracles, sought the salvation of men and women, and did God’s will. Yet they lost their lives cruelly. Each was unjustly accused, tried, condemned, and murdered. But each was able to look at the accusers with compassion and forgive them. Can you think of someone or others who have done you wrong? Compare what that transgression was with what Jesus and Stephen endured. How does your heart for forgiveness line up against Stephen’s and against Jesus?

God expects us to be willing to forgive, also. Jesus made the point even clearer when He said, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15). In other words, if you continuously refuse to forgive those who hurt you, you will eventually jeopardize your standing in God’s kingdom. So, let me ask you, Is there anyone you need to forgive? Take the time now to forgive those whom the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Call them or write them today. You’ll be glad you did!

That’s it for this week. Next time we will look at the importance of forgiving oneself. Until next time, keep trusting and believing…..

08/08/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today we are continuing our study on forgiveness. We will try to explain how to seek forgiveness.

Many have said, “You do not know what I have done. God could never forgive me!” These words call into question the Lord’s ability to do what is His nature to do. We must never forget that Jesus came to earth “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

There are religions around the world that require their adherents to perform extreme acts in order to obtain forgiveness. (Examples: Washing in unclean water, reciting prescribed prayers daily, offering repeated confessions, etc.)
As a result, their acts of self-humiliation and repentance are repeated, daily, monthly, and annually.

What is different for the Christian? Do we have to go to Jerusalem and pray at the Wailing Wall. Do we have to make a pilgrimage to some distant place? Do we have to beat ourselves, or say a certain amount of special prayers? No!

Read the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It is a story of a young man who demanded his inheritance, left his father’s home, and wasted his money in a distant land. He lived a wild life and spent days gratifying his carnal desires. The son eventually became so destitute that he found work on a pig farm. There, he longed to eat the pigs’ food. Finally, he decided it would be better to return home, confess his sins to his father, and hopefully be allowed to labor in his father’s fields as a servant (Luke 15:18).

There is no question - this young man had sinned greatly. He had treated his father with great disrespect and failed to take care of the possessions his father had given him. This young man had lived for the moment and lost everything. He was even willing to perform perhaps the most disdainful job any Jew could imagine - feeding pigs. Fortunately, he came to realize the futility of staying where he was. His only chance was to repent and return home.

Then something amazing happened: “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Still, the young man said to his father, “I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). Though the son was willing to be hired as a mere servant, the happy father prepared a feast and restored his son.

Are you harboring sin in your life? Are you wondering if God will forgive and restore you? Whether you have never given your heart to Christ or whether you are a believer who has fallen into sin, there is hope! I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Self-belittling, endless confessions, physical pain, and personal humiliation do not bring forgiveness of sin. Why wait any longer for freedom and forgiveness. Ask now and be set free! Confess your sins to the Lord and He will be quick to wrap His arms of love around you and forgive you. Do it now! A simple prayer of “Father, forgive me,” is a good place to start. Try it now.

That’s it for this week. Next time we will look at the importance of forgiving others. Until then, keep trusting and believing…..

08/01/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we are continuing our study on forgiveness, looking at God’s forgiving nature.

Once, while Jesus was teaching, some religious leaders presented a woman whom they had caught in the act of adultery. They took the woman to Jesus and asked Him what should be done with her. They reminded Jesus that Moses had said that adultery was an offense punishable by death. The leaders’ intent was to trap Jesus into saying something that they could use against Him. Jesus simply knelt down and wrote in the dirt. After awhile, He raised up and said, “if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:2-11)

Perhaps Jesus was writing on the ground sins these religious leaders had committed against God and the Mosaic Law - the same Law they were now trying to use to condemn the adulterous. After making His statement, Jesus continued writing in the dirt. Then, “those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there” (v.9).

After the accusers had departed, only the woman remained before Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? ‘No one, sir,’ she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’” (verse. 10-11). Though the sin she had been accused of was grievous, Jesus willingly offered forgiveness. He did not condemn as the Jewish leaders did. Jesus opened the door of grace, and the woman was given the opportunity for a new beginning. The psalmist proclaimed, “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you” (Psalm 86:5).

It’s God’s nature to forgive. He takes no pleasure in seeing any sinner continue in his or her evil ways. We need to be confident of God’s willingness to forgive us, too. The Lord’s capacity to forgive is greater than our capacity to sin. Even today, we can picture Jesus eagerly waiting to respond to people who cry out,”Please forgive me!”

That’s it for this week. Join me next time as we look at the topic, “How to seek forgiveness”. Until next time keep trusting and believing…..

07/25/2026

Welcome back to the Devotional Corner. Today, we’re going to begin looking at the topic of forgiveness.

“He r***d me and destroyed my life. I can never forgive him!” The women in the courtroom testified before the jury about that horrible night and its sordid events. She still felt unsafe, insecure, and distrustful of men as the emotional trauma continued.

“I killed a man in a drunken rage. How can I forgive myself? I deserve to die.”

A condemned man sat in his prison cell rehearsing his actions that resulted in the death of another man - a husband and father of three children. The accused man’s own wife and children want nothing to do with him.

What do these and multitudes of other people around the world have in common? They have been deeply hurt or have hurt others. They feel strong emotions of loss, anger, fear, resentment, shame and regret. Maybe you, too, have your own experiences of pain and need to forgive someone or to experience forgiveness. Every day we have to make choices about how we will respond to those who hurt us and those who are hurt by us.

Forgiveness begins with God, and it is a cornerstone of our Christian faith. Because of Jesus’ death on the Cross, God offers us the gift of complete forgiveness - no matter what we have done. Forgiveness is not easy for most people. For instance, rather than forgive, friends part in anger, marriages end in divorce, children become estranged from their parents, and siblings fight. Feuds even erupt in local church families. People remain angry, bitter, and unhappy because they refuse to forgive. Unforgiveness can ruin the relationship between people for years and years. Many times, after such a long time, most forget what the point of contention was, but they know that they were hurt and still unforgiveness remains. Thus, what could have been years of growth and happiness in the relationship is squandered and shattered.

The apostle Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). The common teaching of that day was forgiveness could be extended up to three times to an offender. Peter must have thought he was being generous by offering to forgive up to seven times. Then Jesus answered Peter, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven” (v.22). Jesus was presenting the idea of forgiving as many times as necessary - without limit.

Christian counselor Richard Dobbins says, “Forgiveness frees the offender from guilt and shame and it delivers you (the forgiver) from anger. It is an act of the will that brings wonderful freedom. Forgiveness allows those involved in an offense to go forward and experience God’s blessings rather than bitterness and ongoing pain. May each of us choose to forgive.

Over the next few weeks, we will look at different topics on forgiveness. Next week we will look at God’s forgiving nature. Until next time keep trusting and believing…..

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