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What Happens When We Stop Judging And Start Forgiving

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Manage episode 515438148 series 3477505
Content provided by Heather Drake and Dennis Drake, Heather Drake, and Dennis Drake. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Heather Drake and Dennis Drake, Heather Drake, and Dennis Drake or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

What if most of our daily conflict could be diffused by one hard choice: dropping judgment and choosing forgiveness? We open with Jesus’s words from Matthew 7 and move into the real places where accusation takes root—traffic, politics, and even the kitchen sink at home. The challenge is blunt and freeing: the measure you use will be used on you. Lay down the habit of judging, and you’ll recover the clarity to see your own blind spots and the courage to forgive.
From there we lean into a better operating system: life in the Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave a rulebook; he promised his Spirit. We talk about prayer that listens as much as it asks, how silence becomes a doorway to guidance, and why hope matters when change feels slow. The persistent widow reframes perseverance, not as nagging a reluctant God but as staying focused on the only One who can help. Justice, in Jesus’s vision, looks like mercy embodied and cruelty rejected—and it arrives with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
We also wrestle with the tension between zeal and doctrine. Tithing and study matter, but not at the expense of the weightier matters: justice, mercy, and faith. A vivid story shows how stubborn love can turn outrage into connection, revealing a revolution that doesn’t wait on better leaders or systems. It starts with us, at the table and in our neighborhoods, where communion trains us to be known by love. If God is love, then our faithfulness is measured by how we love our enemies, our neighbors, and ourselves.
Listen for practical ways to forgive quickly, pray with attention, and act justly without cruelty. Share this with someone who needs hope today, and if it speaks to you, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on so others can find their way home to love.

Support the show

This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church you can donate at https://www.firstlovechurch.org/giving
In the service of LOVE,
Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Welcome, Belonging, And Blessing (00:00:00)

2. Weekly Amnesia Therapy: Matthew 7 (00:02:23)

3. The Trap Of Judgment And Accusation (00:05:00)

4. Forgiveness As Daily Practice (00:07:10)

5. Life In The Spirit Over Rules (00:09:05)

6. Don’t Lose Hope: Keep Praying (00:11:30)

7. Quiet Prayer And Listening (00:13:40)

8. The Persistent Widow’s Courage (00:16:10)

9. Support Note And Generosity (00:18:30)

10. God Is Love: The Only Measure (00:19:10)

11. Justice, Rights, And Mercy (00:21:00)

12. When The Spirit Is Poured Out (00:23:05)

13. A Dream Of Disarming Anger With Love (00:25:00)

14. Love As Revolution, Not Empire (00:27:00)

15. Persistent Faithfulness That Stays In Love (00:29:10)

16. Spirit-Empowered Love For Enemies (00:31:20)

17. Justice, Mercy, Faith Over Empty Zeal (00:33:10)

18. Doctrine Without Love Paralyzes (00:36:00)

115 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 515438148 series 3477505
Content provided by Heather Drake and Dennis Drake, Heather Drake, and Dennis Drake. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Heather Drake and Dennis Drake, Heather Drake, and Dennis Drake or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

What if most of our daily conflict could be diffused by one hard choice: dropping judgment and choosing forgiveness? We open with Jesus’s words from Matthew 7 and move into the real places where accusation takes root—traffic, politics, and even the kitchen sink at home. The challenge is blunt and freeing: the measure you use will be used on you. Lay down the habit of judging, and you’ll recover the clarity to see your own blind spots and the courage to forgive.
From there we lean into a better operating system: life in the Spirit. Jesus didn’t leave a rulebook; he promised his Spirit. We talk about prayer that listens as much as it asks, how silence becomes a doorway to guidance, and why hope matters when change feels slow. The persistent widow reframes perseverance, not as nagging a reluctant God but as staying focused on the only One who can help. Justice, in Jesus’s vision, looks like mercy embodied and cruelty rejected—and it arrives with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
We also wrestle with the tension between zeal and doctrine. Tithing and study matter, but not at the expense of the weightier matters: justice, mercy, and faith. A vivid story shows how stubborn love can turn outrage into connection, revealing a revolution that doesn’t wait on better leaders or systems. It starts with us, at the table and in our neighborhoods, where communion trains us to be known by love. If God is love, then our faithfulness is measured by how we love our enemies, our neighbors, and ourselves.
Listen for practical ways to forgive quickly, pray with attention, and act justly without cruelty. Share this with someone who needs hope today, and if it speaks to you, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on so others can find their way home to love.

Support the show

This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church you can donate at https://www.firstlovechurch.org/giving
In the service of LOVE,
Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Welcome, Belonging, And Blessing (00:00:00)

2. Weekly Amnesia Therapy: Matthew 7 (00:02:23)

3. The Trap Of Judgment And Accusation (00:05:00)

4. Forgiveness As Daily Practice (00:07:10)

5. Life In The Spirit Over Rules (00:09:05)

6. Don’t Lose Hope: Keep Praying (00:11:30)

7. Quiet Prayer And Listening (00:13:40)

8. The Persistent Widow’s Courage (00:16:10)

9. Support Note And Generosity (00:18:30)

10. God Is Love: The Only Measure (00:19:10)

11. Justice, Rights, And Mercy (00:21:00)

12. When The Spirit Is Poured Out (00:23:05)

13. A Dream Of Disarming Anger With Love (00:25:00)

14. Love As Revolution, Not Empire (00:27:00)

15. Persistent Faithfulness That Stays In Love (00:29:10)

16. Spirit-Empowered Love For Enemies (00:31:20)

17. Justice, Mercy, Faith Over Empty Zeal (00:33:10)

18. Doctrine Without Love Paralyzes (00:36:00)

115 episodes

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