You're Strong Enough by Kassi Pontious Page B

hard to gain that forgiveness from those who you’ve harmed and until you do, you will suffer.
    To illustrate a deceased person’s suffering, let me tell you an experience a friend of mine had. One night, as she was sleeping, a presence woke her up. When she opened her eyes and looked upon him, she instantly knew who it was. It was someone who had harmed her earlier in her life and changed her life forever. She was startled to see him because he had been deceased for quite a while. As she looked upon him, she noticed he was drenched in his tears. She realized those were tears of pain, regret, suffering, and of despair.
    He finally spoke and begged her forgiveness for the wrongs he had done to her when he was alive. He told her he would continue to suffer in spirit prison until he was forgiven. She could see he was in a state of sorrow and panic. She felt compassion for him instantly. Forgiving others and obtaining forgiveness is very real.
    The Innocent
    Though God does not demand immediate justice here on Earth, He will take care of justice in the next life.With this in mind, let me explain a truth concerning the innocent. No matter what has happened to you physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or sexually, your spirit will be and has always been protected . If you were to die today after someone had raped you, do you think you would carry that insult of abuse to the spirit world when it was forced upon you here? Absolutely not. Physically and emotionally, you might have experienced pain here on Earth. But the abuser cannot touch your spirit.
    Your innocence will remain as pure as the day you were born. You are of royal birth and God protects the innocent with His might and healing power. In Luke 4:18 it states, “…he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” He will heal those that are bruised by others.
    God’s Plan of Mercy
    Where there is justice, there has to be mercy. As God’s justice claims those who have not repented, so will God’s mercy claim the innocent and those that have repented. The innocent who have been harmed by others will have the bands of mercy encircle them and heal their wounds. God will not allow the sinner to go unpunished. So, too, God will not allow the innocent to go unhealed. Mercy is alive in Christ’s atonement. The innocent can have hope and faith that God will deal justly with those that hurt them. Through God’s plan of mercy, the heart of the afflicted will be healed, thus bringing relief to a troubled soul.
    God’s plan of mercy is so powerful it can pull you out of an eternal Hell and save your life here. For example: let’s say while you and a friend are walking along your path you come across a fork in the road. You can choose to either take the path that looks used often, seems faster, but not as safe, or you can take the path less often used, has a longer road, steeper hills, but looks safe. As you’re deciding, your friend encourages you to take the road less traveled and safer. Despite your friend’s plea to take the safe road, you take the road often traveled because it looks faster. After thirty minutes of walking, you come to a very thin edge along this cliff. Again your friend pleads with you not to go and, though you feel you shouldn’t go as well, you do anyway. As you both are side stepping this edge, the edge starts to crumble. You and your friend know you are both about to fall and die so you cry and ask God for help. You tell God you messed up and your friend is not at fault. Because of God’s plan of mercy, you are both saved because you repented and your friend was innocent.
    Repentance
    Those who have harmed others and do not want the demands of justice imposed upon them have the bands of mercy extended to them as well, if they repent. If you come to Jesus Christ and repent with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, you will