I met Chris Wark in London recently when he was speaking at an event aimed at those facing cancer but wanting to use natural therapies to heal themselves. The pinnacle of Chris’ talk resonated with me and was reminiscent of this, this and this post I wrote a while back.

The following summarises the final part of Chris’ presentation; once you’ve read it, be sure to pay a visit to his site, ChrisBeatCancer.com

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The power of peace to set you free

Fear. Envy. Jealousy.

Guilt. Hatred. Unforgiveness.

All negative emotions raise your stress hormones. These promote inflammation in your body and suppress your immune system. Living in a state of chronic stress sets you up for sickness.

You can do everything right, eat real food, exercise and take the best medicine, but if you have bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness there is a massive barrier to healing. If you hold on to bitterness it will poison your heart, and a sick heart leads to a sick body.

No one likes to think about the people that have hurt them, but we need to. We must forgive them. Every. Single. One. Only then can we experience inner peace.

What is forgiveness?

Some people say, “When they’re sorry then I’ll forgive them.”
But what if they’re never sorry?
Will you live and die with your dis-ease?

Forgiving someone is not a feeling. It’s a choice. It is a decision not to hold whatever stupid thing they did against them. It’s a decision to let it go, to hand it over to God.

“God you know what they did and how I feel about it, but I’m letting it go and giving it to You. They’re all Yours! You can deal with it however you see fit.”

Perhaps we sometimes still secretly hope that God will strike them with lightening?! But if you ask God to bless the people that have hurt you, bless their family and their business, that speeds up the healing process. Now that’s the hard part.

If you can do it with sincerity you’re opening up your heart to let God come in to change you and heal you. You’ll start to change the way you think about those people; you’ll see them the way God sees them. That’s when your emotions and feelings will change. Your feelings follow your choice to forgive – it’s not the other way round.

How do I do this forgiveness thing?

1. Sit in a quite place and think through your life. Open the door in your mind to the place where you’ve stored all those memories of people that have hurt you since you were a child. As you think of someone, forgive them. No matter how trivial or traumatic. Forgive them. Let it go. Bless them.

2. Ask for forgiveness from others. If you feel guilt about anything go and say, “I was wrong, please forgive me.” They may say yes, they may not. Either way, it’s okay. You don’t have to defend yourself; “I understand why you feel that way, but I wanted you to know I really am sorry.” Humble yourself and be prepared for whatever response.

3. Ask God for forgiveness – Whatever you feel guilty about, He loves you and is quick to forgive.

4. Finally, forgive yourself. This can sometimes be the hardest. When you really understand that God loves you and is willing to forgive you, it’s way easier to forgive yourself.

People can do all the right things as far as diet and lifestyle are concerned, but if they stay locked up in bitterness and resentment, they don’t get well. Making peace with God, with others and with yourself really is that important.