Titus 2 Woman and Guest Blogger: Pastor Daphne Delay

I met Mrs. Daphne 3 1/2 years ago on my Walk to Emmaus. Her personal testimony and love of God's Word was contagious; it was a fire that lit a spark within me. She gave me hope that even though I was saved later in life, it was never too late to know God through His Word. God has used Mrs. Daphne in my life in MIGHTY WAYS through her audio teachings, books, devotionals, conferences, and personal words of encouragement. She will FOREVER be part of my FAITH story, and I thank God for placing this Titus 2 Woman in my life. Here is a little bio I copied off her website:

"Daphne Delay knows first-hand what unworthiness, guilt, and condemnation can do to a believer. Not being raised in a Christian home, she carried all her insecurities from the world into her walk with God when she was born-again at the age of 21. After several years of struggling as a Christian, God planted her in front of the mirror and told her to tell the girl looking back that she loved her and forgave her. It was then Daphne realized God had not been withholding Himself or His promises from her – she had simply been ignorant of her righteousness in Christ.Through the years, God has developed a gift in Daphne to teach and minister His Word to others concerning righteousness in a simple and easy-to-grasp-and-apply approach. What she once thought was a “Daphne” problem, God revealed it as a “believer” problem – one that can and must be overcome in order to bring in the end-time harvest! Mirror Ministries was launched in 2003 by Daphne Delay with the release of her first book, Take A Closer Look, which explains righteousness interwoven with her own testimony. The mission of Mirror Ministries is to spread the message of righteousness to the Body of Christ in order to help believers walk in their God-given authority. Daphne believes one of the biggest hindrances to advancing the Kingdom of God is a lack of understanding by the believer of who they are in Christ.Mirror Ministries is located in Seminole, Texas, where Daphne serves alongside her husband, Tod Delay, who is the Senior Pastor of Family Harvest Church. They have three beautiful children: Emily, Benjamin, and Christopher."


Now, so you can get a little taste of her writing, here is this week's devotional:

PROTECT THE BRIDGE

Forgiveness. The very thing that will set us free is often the very thing we withhold the longest. In many ways, I believe it's because we don't understand why forgiveness is so important. In our mind, we think if we forgive it is the same as saying what the other person did was okay. But that's not true. It is never okay to hurt another. Forgiveness is simply God's opportunity to heal our brokenness.

Jesus gave us this instruction: "And whenever you stand praying, if you have ought against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25-26). The word forgive means to release, let it go, dismiss it, cancel it, and give up resentment. Easier said than done, huh? When we have been deeply wounded by another, it's hard to let it go. Even if we wanted to, our flesh (and broken heart) struggle with the pain of it.

What we fail to understand is that those who choose not to forgive burn the bridge over which they themselves must pass. In the beginning, there was a great valley of separation between God and man. In an act of great love and mercy, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the bridge between our separation. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Jesus laid down His life and restored our access to God. "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). He became the bridge which crossed the valley of separation and brought forgiveness from God to mankind.

And now, Jesus declares we must do the same. I must admit, I have wrestled with this at times wondering how God could expect us to be like Him and extend such forgiveness. After all, we are only human, right? But then I thought about it again: when we fail to forgive we burn the bridge over which we ourselves must pass. Jesus is the bridge between me and God. And everything I have need of is in God. In most cases, when I've been hurt and wounded, what I need most is comfort, peace, and healing. Yet when I refuse to forgive, I have burned the bridge which carries comfort, peace, and healing to me. No wonder it remains hard until I relent and forgive.

Another thing we fail to realize is forgiveness is an act of our will, not a feeling. Sometimes, we must grit our teeth and do it anyway. If we wait until we "feel" like forgiving, we never will. Forgiveness is two parts faith. First, it is faith in God's Word. We forgive because His Word instructs us to do so and we trust that He always has our best interest in mind. Second, forgiveness is faith that someone can change. In the moment, that may be hard to believe but we must remember we are not the person we once were. "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). Every person can change through the power of God. No one is without hope.

And when Jesus said forgive "...that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses," He was referring to our failings and shortcomings. None of us have arrived. I may be the one hurt today, but tomorrow the roles could be reversed and I'm the one who hurt another. In that hour, I will need forgiveness from God and man. David said it well when he declared, "Against You, and You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight" (Psalm 51: 4). When we hurt another person, we have sinned against God as well. We need His forgiveness lest we find ourselves separated from everything His presence gives us (hope, peace, joy, healing, safety, etc.).

And lastly, we must understand forgiveness is required for any little thing. That is what the word "ought" means in the original language. "Whenever you stand praying, if you have [any little thing] against anyone, forgive him..." Why? Because those little hurts are like small bombs slowly attacking the bridge you must cross. It's not always the big bomb which destroys the bridge. A small bomb targeted just right can do the same job as a big one. So release it, let it go, dismiss it, cancel it, and give up the resentment. In the end, your act of faith has protected the bridge.
Until next time...Daphne Delay

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