Dr. Ray Pritchard Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

Hot Coals--Part 3

  • Dr. Ray Pritchard
    Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries, an Internet-based ministry serving Christians in 225 countries. He is the author of 29 books, including Stealth Attack, Fire and Rain,… More
  • Published Jul 15, 2005

A woman wrote me to say that she realized she needed to forgive her husband who left her for a younger woman after more than 25 years of marriage. She found out later that he had been having an affair for the previous year. To make matters worse, she discovered that some of her friends no only knew about the affair, they were aiding her husband and helping him cover up his infidelity. When she wrote her note to me, she said that she realized she had never truly forgiven those friends for what they had done. Here is her story:

Today I wrote to four people that the Lord brought to my mind that I needed to pray for, ask for a blessing for them, and I felt the drive to write to them and tell them I had asked God for them to receive a blessing from God.  At first it was the hardest thing I had done in sooooooo long, but then as I started writing the quick message telling them after hearing a sermon (didn't say on what) that I was writing to tell them I'd asked God to give them a special blessing.  Three of the four people have claimed to be a Christian, but they all contributed to my ex's infidelity and adultery. Yet, after writing the emails, I felt better and more at peace.

This is an especially good example because she did not mention their sin. She simply wrote to say she was praying for them to receive a blessing from the Lord. How did they respond to those notes? I don't know and it doesn't matter. She did what she needed to do, and it set her free. By pouring hot coals on those who betrayed her, she is set free, and now God can deal with them any way he chooses.

(On July 1, Harvest House released my newest book, The Healing Power of Forgiveness.)


To sign up for Pastor Ray's free weekly sermon email list, click here. You can find his daily weblog, online sermons, travel schedule, and other resources at www.keepbelieving.com. You can write Pastor Ray at raypritchard@calvarymemorial.com.