Thank you everyone who has read and subscribed to the Fullness Magazine Online. The staff here hopes that it is a blessing to you and that it brings help and encouragement to you as we address real life challenges and issues facing Christians today. After this issue of the magazine we will make some changes. Beginning in January of 2025 we will offer republished versions of the original Fulness Magazine. Fulness played a very important role in offering teaching on the role of Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian. We encourage you to read “What the Lord is Saying Today” at www.fullnessonline.org and watch for the republished version of the January 1978 issue of Fulness Magazine entitled “The Fulness of Christ”. In this, the final issue of Fullness Magazine Online, our collection of authors deals with offense and forgiveness. We have all been offended and we have all offended someone else. Jesus had many opportunities to be offended. Remember, He was crucified for just being who He was. Even though He had those reasons to be offended, He did not allow offense to manifest. How did He do that? Look at what He said when He was being tortured on the cross…“But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’” Luke 23:34a (NASB1995) Jesus is the best example that we have to demonstrate how to deal with offenses. First, choose NOT to be offended. Secondly, when you have been offended, CHOOSE to forgive as soon as possible so the unforgiveness does not take root and grow. Our writers in this issue, WOW, hit the nail on the head when it comes to offense and forgiveness. These are some of the best articles on this subject that I have ever read! Read these, read them again, and allow them to be encouragement to you as you navigate the world today filled with so much offense and unforgiveness.
The Language of Heaven COVER STORYMagazine article by Vikki Burke When we’re offended, we become our own worst enemy because offense is the forerunner to “refusing to believe.” Offense — no matter how big or small — can hinder God’s blessings from flowing freely in our lives. Yet although offense has the power to prevent us from experiencing God’s blessings in our lives, there is a much greater force that paves the road to His blessings and makes them accessible to us. Whereas offense can prevent miracles, this godly force can enable them. What is this prevailing force? It is nothing less than the power of forgiveness.
Let it Go FEATURE ARTICLE by Kathy Bohlin We have all been offended at some time. We have all offended others. Many times, probably most of the time, an offense is unintentional. The offending person may not even be aware of it. Often offense occurs when an individual or family is going through a particularly stressful time and emotions are on edge. It is a good time to “let it go.” When you “let it go,” it does not mean you are excusing the behavior. Letting it go does not justify the behavior of the offender. It releases you from the negative emotions.
Unoffendable FEATURE ARTICLE by Francis Frangipane “...I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) God has a new heart for us that cannot be offended, an “unoffendable” heart. Beloved, possessing an unoffendable heart is not an option or a luxury; it’s not a little thing. An offended heart is in danger of becoming a “heart of stone.”
Offense and Forgiveness: It's a Choice FEATURE ARTICLE by Wanda Rogers We can choose to be offended, or we can choose not to be offended. That is it, in a nutshell. Do, or do not! Who are we that we say we cannot forgive? Who has made us God? Often, we will say “Well, I have forgiven them, but I sure will not forget!” Yes, it is true because we are human, and we might not forget the injustice done to us or our loved ones. Only God can forget, if He so chooses. When we are fully healed from the hurt though, we may still have memories of the hurt, but not the pain associated with it.
The Gift of Shift FEATURE COLUMNby Jennifer Peikert I have been sensing from the Spirit of God that the gift of shift is coming from Him in the coming months. Many have felt stuck or as if they aren’t moving in any direction at all. We have wanted to move forward in life and with Him. He is saying to us, “Shift is coming. I am shifting you. You are entering a shifting season in the coming months. As you enter into your new year, it will be exactly that, NEW. I am shifting you into so much more. You will come alive in 2025. Your destiny will come alive in 2025. There will be no more shrinking back, I am shifting you from the back to the front, from delay to advancement, from non-movement to an accelerated advancement. I am doing a new thing in your life and I want you to be prepared. I am telling you now before it happens. Shift is coming!!! It will no longer be the way it has been. So quit saying “It has always been this way, I have always been this way. It is time to shift with Me.”
FORGIVE Like Your Life Depends on it FEATURE COLUMNby Pam Jackson The Oxford dictionary defines the word forgive as “to stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake”. Forgiveness can mean different things to different people. Generally, it involves an intentional decision to let go of resentment and anger. As a child, I don’t ever remember anyone ever talking to me about forgiveness. In all honesty I don’t think I ever even considered that word in my vocabulary. Anger and hate, I could relate to. I knew those words all too well. I understood wanting to get revenge on the people who had hurt me. People who failed to protect me, those are the ones that fueled my hate and anger.