Believing in God's Power for Relational Healing

Devotional

Day 1: Remember God’s miracles to raise faith-filled expectation.

When you feel your hope running low, choose to remember—rehearse God’s past deeds, call to mind His power, and let that memory stoke fresh expectation for today; expectation is not presumption but a posture that says, “God, You’ve done it before and You can do it again,” so dare to dream again for relational healing and approach Him believing He still works wonders. [03:33]

Psalm 77:11-14 (NIV)
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

Reflection: Today, write down three specific miracles or answered prayers you’ve witnessed; then name one strained relationship and ask God for a concrete miracle in it—what daily action (a 3-minute prayer of thanks, a sincere text, or an apology) will you practice this week to show your expectation?

Day 2: Don’t settle in hurt; pursue God’s promised future.

Unresolved pain can make you stop short—like settling in “Harran”—but God invites you to keep moving toward His promises; ask Him to reveal where bitterness or grief has parked you, and with His help take the next step out of that stuck place so your story doesn’t end in the valley of hurt but continues into healing and wholeness. [18:28]

Genesis 11:27-32 (NIV)
This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

Reflection: What “Harran” are you camped in right now—what specific hurt is keeping you parked? Choose one tangible step today (write a letter to God naming the hurt and releasing it, schedule a counseling appointment, or plan a humble conversation) and put it on your calendar.

Day 3: Forgive endlessly because you’ve been forgiven much.

Jesus calls you to release offenses as quickly as they come, not because the other person is right but because forgiveness frees your heart; like the king who canceled an impossible debt, God forgave you fully—so draw on the Holy Spirit’s power to extend that same mercy, again and again, and refuse to live imprisoned by what others did. [23:32]

Matthew 18:21-35 (NIV)
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
“When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
“In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Reflection: Who is the one person you need to forgive today? Speak this aloud before God: “In Jesus’ name, I forgive [Name] for [Specific offense], and I release them,” then choose one small act consistent with that forgiveness (e.g., stop rehearsing the story, delete a venting draft, or pray blessing for them).

Day 4: Pray for and love those who mistreat you.

Jesus doesn’t tell you to pray for flat tires; He tells you to pray blessing over those who hurt you and to speak well of them—this reorients your heart, breaks bitterness, and aligns your words with heaven so that life, not cursing, flows from your tongue. [26:43]

Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

Reflection: Set a 5-minute timer today and pray by name for the person who hurt you; write one sentence of sincere blessing for their future, and if appropriate, send a short message that speaks well of them without reopening conflict.

Day 5: Bless, do good, and leave justice to God.

Participate in peace by doing what is right, blessing instead of cursing, refusing revenge, and entrusting outcomes to God’s just hands; as far as it depends on you, choose the good and let the Lord handle the scorekeeping while you overcome evil with good. [30:35]

Romans 12:14-21 (NIV)
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Reflection: What one concrete good can you do for someone you’re at odds with this week (a helpful favor, a gift card, a kind note, or practical assistance)? Plan it now, do it without explanation or defense, and intentionally entrust the outcome to God.

Sermon Summary

I invited us to believe again—specifically, to believe God for relational healing. Scripture calls us to remember His mighty deeds and expect Him to move now as He did then, because He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Expectation is the breeding ground for miracles, so I challenged us to raise our faith and ask boldly for God to heal what feels too broken to mend—marriages, friendships, parent-child wounds, and the deep places marked by betrayal or loss.

We looked at Jesus’ ministry pattern—teaching, preaching the kingdom, and healing—and I reminded us that a healthy church follows Him there. I shared testimonies to stir hope: a woman set free from bitterness when she forgave the man whose choices caused a devastating accident; a couple God restored after divorce; and a sober reflection on the gritty, Christ-centered work of forgiveness. Then we went to the story of Terah, who lost his son and stopped in Haran—settling in a place named after his pain rather than reaching the promise. Unhealed pain can freeze a life. Many of us know that gravitational pull toward bitterness or unforgiveness that keeps us stuck.

The path forward is simple to say and hard to do—yet it is where miracles live. First, let God heal your heart. Before God deals with “them,” He wants to do surgery in “me.” Second, ask God to heal them. Pray for your enemies, bless those who curse you, and do good to those who mistreat you. Not because they’re right or safe or deserving—but because forgiveness is a gift you give yourself, and because unforgiveness infects the people you love. Jesus’ 70-times-7 is not a math problem; it’s a rhythm of release. The parable of the forgiven debtor reminds us: we owed a debt we could never pay, and God canceled it. That’s the lens through which we forgive.

We left space to invite the Holy Spirit to empower obedience: to repent where we’ve clutched resentment, to relinquish revenge, and to let God fight our battles. I prayed for miracle after miracle in your relationships. And I invited anyone far from Jesus to come home to the One who forgives first and heals fully. Let’s not die in Haran. Let’s take the next step toward the promised land.

Key Takeaways

1. Expectation sets the table for God’s power. When we come to God already convinced He’s distant, we often live at the level of our doubt. But when we remember His works and lift our faith, we create room for Him to move again. Dream again; God meets us at the level of expectation. [03:33] - Unhealed pain can derail a destiny. Terah’s grief became a zip code, and he settled in a town named after his loss instead of moving toward promise. Bitterness and unforgiveness do that to us—they freeze motion, shrink horizons, and disguise bondage as “prudence.” Don’t die in Haran; take the first step toward healing.
- Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself, not a verdict you grant them. Jesus’ 70-times-7 trains us to release quickly so poison doesn’t seep into our hearts and homes. The parable of the unmerciful servant warns that unforgiveness multiplies harm to the people around us. Mercy received must become mercy extended.
- Pray, bless, and do good—these are not soft options but spiritual weapons. Intercession shifts the atmosphere, especially when you pray for those who wounded you; blessing retrains your tongue to partner with God, not with accusation. Doing good disarms cycles of retaliation and places outcomes back in God’s hands. Words carry life or death—aim them at healing.
- God heals me first, then He moves through me toward them. Every testimony we heard started with the offended person letting God transform their heart—repentance, boundaries, truth, and mercy. When I surrender my need to control the outcome and trust God’s justice, I become available for His miracle. Obedience opens doors that anger keeps closed. [03:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:03] - Remembering God’s miracles and raising expectation
[03:33] - Jesus’ ministry model: teach, preach, heal
[05:09] - Discipleship and TJ’s transformation story
[06:45] - Making room to reach people: “make heaven crowded”
[08:12] - Relational healing focus and personal vulnerability
[10:46] - Testimony: forgiveness after a devastating accident
[13:44] - Testimony: David and Lucinda’s restored marriage
[15:08] - The grit of Christ-centered forgiveness
[16:17] - Terah and Haran: when grief becomes a destination
[19:34] - Step 1: Let God heal your heart
[21:54] - 70x7 and the freedom of releasing offense
[22:49] - The unmerciful servant: forgiven to forgive
[25:47] - Pray, bless, and do good to your enemies
[30:35] - Leave room for God’s justice, not revenge
[31:39] - Applying God’s plan and praying for miracles
[35:22] - Invitation to salvation and fresh starts

Sermon Clips

I'm going to teach sometime. Maybe it'll be on the ending of our small group, life groups that we're doing with freedom. I'm going to talk about an idea that I heard a long time ago, that expectation is the breeding ground for miracles.And I would just encourage you that even today, your expectation is a big deal of how we approach God and even how we come into God's house. Because I believe God meets us at the level of our expectation to expectation.So I want you to dream again. As your pastor, part of my job is to challenge your faith, is to help strengthen your faith, is to help to persuade you to dream again, to believe again, and to trust God one more time. [00:03:48] (53 seconds) #ExpectationBreedsMiracles

But yet, there are four men, as you listen to TJ, that had a huge impact on his world and his relationship with God. And that is just one story of the many that are in here that have been impacted by the discipleship that happens, not just on a Sunday morning, but Monday through Saturday at this place. [00:05:56] (21 seconds) #DiscipleshipEveryDay

So we're going to take a few weeks and believe God together for people to be healed. Healed in their bodies. Healed in their finances. Healed in their marriage. And healed in their emotions. Because God wants you whole. Spirit, soul, and body. Today we're focusing again on relational healing for marriages to be healed. For relationships with kids to be healed. For relationships, I'm sorry, for friendships to be healed. For relationships with people that did things to us that never should have happened to be healed. [00:07:17] (33 seconds) #RelationalHealingFirst

Like, I'm sure mine is not to the depths of somebody else in the room, but can I tell you, I had stuff that happened to me when I was around nine or ten years old that never should have happened. Never should have happened.And I'll be honest as I always am and tell you that it took me some time to process through some of this stuff.Some time to realize that it actually impacted my life more than what I even gave it credit for.But there's still a process that you and I have that God has given you and I as children of God.That if we follow, He promises a miracle.I can't guarantee you a miracle in a lot of things.I can almost guarantee you a miracle when you follow His way of doing things with relational healing. [00:07:52] (60 seconds) #HealingProcessLeadsToMiracles

Now, let me just, let me clearly say this. Jesus is saying, as fast as they offend you, I want you to let it go.As fast as they offend you, I want you to let it go. As fast as they offend you, I want you to let it go. Listen, not because they're right, not because they're perfect, not because they're spotless, not because they didn't hurt you, not because they didn't let you down. I want you to let it go because forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.See, Jesus understands why he asks us to do these things that we call impossible.Because without the Holy Spirit's power working on the inside of us, it probably is.But because of his power working on the inside of you and I as believers, you and I now have the juice that would produce a heart that says, I forgive you. [00:21:49] (44 seconds) #UnforgivenessHurtsAll

See, what you don't understand is that later Jesus goes on, not later, right after this, goes on to give one of my favorite parables.Which he basically says that there is a king who is putting his books, he's getting his books in order.And he comes across this guy who owes him like 10 ,000 talents, like a lot of money.He says, you go get that guy and get him in here. And if he can't pay, not only am I going to deal with him, but I'm going to deal with his kids and I'm going to deal with his wife as well. By the way, unforgiveness impacts not just you, but the world around you. [00:22:34] (34 seconds) #WeAreAllBroken

Something starts to break when Britt and I pray for each other.We do not pray a lot together. I'll give reasons for that another time.We do not pray like a lot together, but we pray.And when we have prayed for each other personally, something shifts in the atmosphere, something shifts in our marriage. As a matter of fact, I told first, that's what I'm going to start doing when people come for counseling.Before we even get into counseling, I'm going to stop.I want you to pray for her, and I want you to pray for him.And we're going to start with that. I can't do that. Well, obviously we can, or God wouldn't ask us to. [00:26:55] (41 seconds) #PursuePeaceNotAttention

Apply God's plan for healing in the relationship.What's that mean? What we're getting ready to do, and that's, we're going to take two minutes and we're going to ask the Holy Spirit every single one of us that are looking for healing relationally.We're going to ask the Holy Spirit for his conviction in our lives to apply these two things we just talked about.It's [00:31:06] (32 seconds) #ForgivenessAgainstTheGrain

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