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Is it possible to hinder the Spirit of God? John Bailey and Mark Renfroe discuss how unforgiveness can inhibit God's movement in our lives. God makes our relationships with others a huge priority even in his own relationship with us. How do we practically work through forgiveness with other people when situations are complicated?

Key Points from the Podcast

  • When we are not in right relationship with others—walking in bitterness and unforgiveness—it can dramatically impede our spiritual development and fervency.

  • Four relationships were destroyed at the fall in the Garden of Eden: man’s relationship with God, creation, himself, and others.

  • The Bible tells us that our misconduct can actually quench the Holy Spirit.

  • Relationships are so important to God that Jesus instructed us to be reconciled to others before bringing our gifts to God’s altar.

  • Pain is directly proportionate to intimacy. The closer you are to someone the more potential they have to hurt you.

  • If someone has hurt or offended you, before taking the issue to them, stop and humbly consider and repent of the portion for which you are responsible.

  • All that we do, how we live our lives, should be motivated by a love for God and others.

  • The Bible instructs us to live at peace with others as much as it is up to us. It won’t be easy, and reconciliation may not always be possible, but forgiveness is.

  • If you have gone to someone who has sinned against you, and they are not repentant, you may need to involve others and eventually church leadership.

Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast

Genesis 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:15–22; Matthew 5:23–24; Romans 12:18; 1 Corinthians 13:1,3; Acts 15:36–41; Matthew 18:15–20; Psalm 133:1–2; Philippians 2:5–7; Romans 12:20

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

About John Bailey

Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.

About Mark Renfroe

Mark married his college sweetheart, Amy, with whom he has four adult children—one girl and three boys. The Renfroes have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. They served in the Arab community of San Francisco for four years before becoming foreign missionaries in 1995. Mark was asked to serve as the Area Director for Assemblies of God World Missions in 2007. As part of his role, he led missionaries and interfaced with national church leaders in the 18 countries of the Arab World. In 2017, Mark created Reaching Africa’s Muslims, an initiative to mobilize, equip, and deploy indigenous African missionaries to reach Muslims on the continent. Mark has graduate degrees in Intercultural Studies and Executive Leadership. He currently serves as the Chief Missions Officer for World Challenge in Colorado Springs.