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FORGIVING
The issue of forgiving and being forgiven is so critical in the life of a Christian that you should liken it to taking your next breath. Without your next breath……….. well you get the idea! So why is forgiving and being forgiven so important?
If you are a Born-again believer, and you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour then you obviously understand the following.
1. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins on the cross . Isaiah 53:6
2. If you are a Born-again believer then God through Jesus Christ has unconditionally forgiven you of all your sins. Ephesians 4:32
3. If you should sin and then confess your sin God will forgive you. 1 John 1:9
Once you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life, and God has forgiven you of all that you ever did then THE RULES CHANGE! By that I mean you no longer have the right to harbor unforgiveness or hatred in your heart toward others.
If you are finding this hard to
accept. Then lets think about this for a moment with our logical minds. If you believe that God sent his only
begotten Son to die a horrible death on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins.
If you believe that God through Jesus Christ is willing to forgive you of
everything that you have ever done. Then
how could you not logically believe that God
would expect you to extend that same Love and Forgiveness toward
others.
Well you may be thinking. “Maybe I should be forgiving others”. After all God really did go out of his way to forgive me. But I’m having a really hard time forgiving certain people for what they have done. Anyway what’s the big deal about forgiving. What if I just continue not forgiving someone. What harm can that do?” Well I’m glad you asked. Look at what God said about that.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26
God definitely connects praying and forgiving so closely that one should not happen without the other. The devil loves to see God’s children going through life in a state where they have not forgiven, and consequently are not forgiven by God. And all along thinking all is ok. God commands us to forgive!
These things I command you, that ye love one another. John 15:17
Could this be why our prayers sometimes go unanswered? I may not be the worlds smartest person………..well actually I’m quite a ways down on the ‘smart list’…………….come to think of it I may not even be on the list! Well anyway I’m smart enough (by the Grace of God) to understand that with unforgiveness in my life, I am in big trouble. It is absolutely clear that unforgiveness will cause the bottom to drop out of your prayer life and your walk with God.
Ok lets get down to where the rubber hits the road. I’m not going to tell you that you should forgive that person, I think you know that by now. That’s like telling you to take your next breath. The question is, how on earth can you do it? The point is you truly can’t forgive as long as you’re thinking about it in earthly terms. You need to begin to approach the problem from the spiritual side using the Word of God and only God’s word.
There is no magic wand that we’re going to wave here. The truth is you are going to have to get up off the other side of your tummy and roll up your sleeves. You have some work to do. I can tell you that you will not only forgive that person. You will actually love them as Jesus Christ loves them. Knowing the truth from the Word of God, and acting on it, will set you free!
And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32
Here is the truth. The basic principle in forgiving is to see that person the way God sees them, and not the way you or anyone else sees them. In other words you must see them without whatever it was that they did that got you so mad at them in the first place. This is the way God sees you if you have made Jesus Christ your Lord and savior. Your sins have been washed away by the shed blood of Jesus. When God looks at you, he only sees you, not all the bad things you did prior to that. So the steps that you will be taking on your way to forgiving and being forgiven are based on God’s word, which is able to separate worldly things from Spiritual things.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Get together with God in your “prayer closet”. Talk to him about your problem. Mention that person by name and tell God that you forgive them. Make the decision that you are going to forgive and do what God wants you to do. You may not even mean it the first few times you do this. Mention the scriptures above and tell God that you are going to abide by his word.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ:
As you continue to forgive by faith you will begin to notice a change in the way you are thinking about that person. What is actually happening is you are allowing the word of God to renew your mind.
And have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him
Colossians 3:10
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24
Refuse to be moved:
Continue
to pray every day and speak God’s word about your situation. Stand fast and don’t allow the devil to feed
you any lies about not being able to forgive. Remember your problem is not with
that person but with your real enemy, the devil. Refuse to be defeated!
Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13
Remember
forgiving is not optional. If you want
to live the abundant life and walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, then
forgive and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to cause you to come alive.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10