Forgiveness.....

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

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Has anyone ever hurt you so much that no matter how hard you try or pray you just can’t forgive? At one point or another most of us will be hurt, either intentionally or not. The key is to cultivate a forgiving heart. Why is it so important to forgive? Christ commands us to do so. The truth of the situation is that if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven. Think about the Lords prayer. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” So what happens if you won’t forgive those trespasses? The Bible has quite a few things to say about forgiveness: Proverbs 20:22, Micah 7:18-19, Matthew 5:24, Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:44-45, Matthew 6:9-15, Matthew 26:28, Luke 6:35-38; 42, Luke 7:47-48, John 20:22-23, Acts 2:38, to mention just a few, but my favorite verse on forgiveness is found Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times”.

Forgiveness is not as hard as we think. We don’t forgive simply because we choose not to, and because we let our pain dictate our behavior when we should let the word of God dictate our way of life. God often gives us choices but  He points us in the right direction by exposing the consequences of each choice. In the case of forgiveness it’s very clear why we should forgive: so He can forgive us. I know what you may be thinking right now… but I can’t forgive, you don’t understand what was said about me or you don’t know what this person has done to me and I am telling you “yes you can”. I know exactly how you feel. I have had wicked people around me as well. I have endured unnecessary heartbreaks as well. Listen,  I was angry for more than half of my existence, that’s a very long time. But I eventually realized that my anger was destroying my joy and keep me separate from God (couldn’t keep it going for long). I remember exactly when I started to get angry, and I remember exactly when God set me free from my bitterness and anger. It is important for Christians to understand that being unable to forgive has a lot to do with resentment/anger and both are from the deceiver, the devil. You have to be very careful not to give the devil a way in. He wants to destroy you and stops at nothing to do so. If it is hard for you to forgive, bring up your concern to the Lord in prayer promptly. Do not hesistate another second. Do not dwell in anything that makes the devil feel s welcome in your life. Choose joy, choose to be free from the devil’stronghold. Choose the blood of Christ, and choose forgiveness.

Perhaps you’ve been rejected or abused. In my case, the intense loneliness in my childhood and extreme anger in my adulthood came directly from the painful/terrible, and devastating  loss of my beloved mother at an early age and my anger came from the fact that I was forced to live with series of difficult stepmothers (lightly put). But now I help people overcome emptiness and loneliness. How is it possible you ask? Through Christ and Christ alone. When I think of what I have lost in my natural life and think of what I have gained in the spiritual through the blood of Christ, it seems unreasonable to dwell on my pain another minute. I had to release my sadness and forgive some people around me. Do I still miss my mother? Every single day, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I really miss her, but she would want me to forgive. She taught me forgiveness and I know that God wants me to cultivate a forgiving heart. Am I angry and bitter about losing her? Not anymore. Not since I understood the power of the blood of Christ. My massive loneliness and deep pain are now replaced by pure joy and a hope of a wonderful future. You can do this as well. Friend, release your anger and pain to God. Forgive those who have hurt you. Remember it is not about them. It’s all about Christ. Consider today, the first day of the rest of your joyful life and the first step in your spiritual growth and healing.

Forgive and be free.

Praise the Lord.