After the Mask

For many years, I possessed the Jonah spirit. I was so rooted in legalism and laws, that I never learned or even considered God's grace and mercy. If I did wrong, I expected punishment. Not only did I expect it, I felt that I deserved it. I felt I had to suffer the consequence and/or work to earn God's favor. Not only did I feel this way about myself, but I also carried this idea when dealing with people. I had a need to see that people were punished for their wrong doings. My Jonah spirit kept me from truly forgiving people who had hurt me. People could only be forgiven after they had paid for their mistakes. For many years, I had been the judge and the jury.