Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14
(14-15) Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.
Forgiveness is often defined as an individual, voluntary internal process of letting go of feelings and thoughts of resentment, bitterness, anger, and the need for vengeance and retribution toward someone who we believe has wronged us, including ourselves.
Living a life of Christ could be difficult at times, and one of the practical qualities of being in Christ is to have the heart of forgiveness.
If we wish to live according to the nature of God, and aspire to have an eternity with Him, forgiveness is a must.
Forgiveness has a great impact on both the offender and the offended.
Forgiveness releases the offended from the prison of bitterness, anger, and resentment, and it gives peace and grace of second chance to the offender.
Forgiveness is a divine principle
We can be only forgiven by God if we forgive those who has wronged us.
Many of us had committed several crimes and offences that warrant we end up our lives in hell, but the death of Christ has given us the grace to be forgiven by God and provides us the hope of eternal rest.
If God forgives your iniquity, how then shouldn't you forgive fellow man. "Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
How long should I continue to forgive?
Apostle Peter asked Jesus. "Matthew 18:21-22Then Peter came to him and asked, “Sir, how often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?” [22]“No!” Jesus replied, “seventy times seven!
Jesus' response to Peter's question was very shocking, because, how possible is it for someone to keep record of four hundred and ninety offences... This is to tell you that there is no limit to forgiveness... We should always forgive.
The danger of lack of forgiveness.
1. Lack of forgiveness has broken many homes.
There is no way there won't be an avenue couples won't offend each other, no matter the depth of love they both claim to have for themselves.. In fact love is not in "never offending" but in "forgiving when offended"
There shouldn't have been divorce cases today, if there is an avenue of forgiveness. No matter the pain the sin might have caused us, we are admonished to forgive... It will creat peace in our heart and allow God to take over the matter... But if we refuse, the devil will use that avenue to strike the more.
2. Unforgiving spirit makes us an enemy of God.
John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Forgiving is one of the commands of God, and if we do not forgive, we automatically becomes an enemy of God.
3. Unforgiving gives room for the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27
[26]If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly;
[27]for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil.
Keeping grudges gives the enemy the chance to amplify the bitterness in your heart... It will birth hatred, vengeance, retaliation, it can even lead to murder.
4. Unforgiving hinders prayers and breakthrough
v15. but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.
God will only answer our prayers of forgiveness if we have duly forgiven those who offend us..
It is a direct implication that, if God has not forgiven us, how then can you ask anything from Him, how then can He fight your battle?, how then can you say, you are sure of His protections.
Unforgiving can even make the offended becomes an offender of the same sin.
Forgiving is hard to do, if we live by human nature and standard, but if we are truly born again in Christ and we carry His new nature, forgiving is a very easy thing to do.
Forgiveness comes from the heart and not just from saying it from the mouth. When you forgive, you have a natural peace of God that fills your heart.
As long as we live a new life in Christ, we have the understanding that man will always offend us, and provoke us to anger, but as long as Christ lives in us, we have the peace to always forgive.
There is no gravity of sin that does not deserve forgiveness in whatever form it may come... Either among friends, family, couples, boss at work, in the church of God or among neighbours.
Always forgive just as Christ has forgiven you... That's the nature of God.
God bless you.
Prayer key :
1. Lord, thank you for the blessing of another day in Jesus name
2. Lord, forgiving me for not forgiving those who offended me in Jesus name
3. Lord, give me the grace to forgive those who has offended me in Jesus name.
4. Thank you for answered prayers in Jesus Christ name. Amen.