As you read, we pray God would open your heart to His faith and give you the grace to apply this message into your daily life!
Forgiveness means that God looks at you as if you had never sinned.
When you receive His forgiveness, you are blameless before Him.
God’s forgiveness does not sweep your sins under the carpet. Instead, He completely washes them away.
Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
Forgiveness paves the way for harmonious relationships, even with your enemies.
Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Being unwilling to forgive shows that you have not understood or benefitted from God’s forgiveness.
If you have been forgiven, that forgiveness will create in you a forgiving heart towards others.
When you love your enemy and pray for those who hate you, this releases you from the destructive emotions of anger, bitterness, revenge and others.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Luke 23:34 – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Jesus forgave even those who mocked and killed Him.
We should be more concerned about our offenders and their relationship with God and less about nursing our own grudges and self-pity – that is, ill-will.
Because the person most hurt by unforgiveness is you. An unforgiving attitude not only destroys your relationships but also poisons your soul.
1 Peter 3:9 – “…not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with hurt. Instead, when people hurt you, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called us to do and He will bless us for it.
Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”
When people say hurtful things about you, God wants us to respond by blessing them.
If you fail to receive forgiveness and forgive those who sin against you, you also will find yourself in a torture chamber.
You will find yourself having to be everything, do everything, and accomplish everything totally in your own strength, ability and intelligence. Since that is not possible, you will be under high stress and emotional torture.
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