Forgiveness

Forgiveness can be a touchy subject. It is one of those areas that I struggle with and am still learning to walk through the way God instructs. Although it is not an easy subject, it is a vital part of our walk with God and as we strive to increase our maturity in faith, we must learn this crucial concept. Conquering forgiveness is one of the many ways we mature in Christ.

Affliction can cause an array of spinning emotions. Most of the time when we think of forgiveness, we tend to think why should we forgive if we were the one who was wronged? Well, the answer is clear in the Bible that we do not have an option. We are to forgive as we were forgiven. 

Matthew 6:15
"For if you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you". (New King James Version)

So how do we work through the hurt and pain inflicted upon us by someone? Let us take a look at what the Bible says about forgiveness and hopefully by the time we finish reading, we will have a new sense of understanding of forgiveness and why it is so important to our continued walk with God.

Let us look at what the message version of the Bible says about Matthew 6:15 - 
"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part"(The Message). 

Wow, this is so powerful. So, in essence, there is no option for us to forgive. If we want God to hear our prayers, we can not come to Him with ill feelings or unforgiveness in our hearts no matter what the circumstances were. If you and I were wronged, we must forgive so that when we pray and ask God for what we need or adore him for what He has already done, then forgiveness is the gateway to get our prayers heard. 

So, we must release that person and turn them over to God. Let him deal with the judgments. We are not judges or never were intended to be. God is our judge and we have the Holy Spirit as our advocate, who fights and defends us against all things. 

I know I do not want my prayers to be hindered. So, it is a mandate to forgive others so that God can forgive us. None of us are perfect beings. We all fall short, some in one area, another in another area. At the end of it all, we are all sinners and redeemed by Jesus Christ. 

From this day forth, we will walk in forgiveness and follow God's instructions in forgiving those who trespassed against us and extend the hand of mercy and keep moving forward. 

Let us pray this prayer of forgiveness:

Dear Lord,
We come to you right now in the name of Jesus. We release any feeling of unforgiveness that is in our hearts. There were some people who dealt with us in a dishonorable fashion. We have been wronged and suffered because of selfish gain by others. We release these people today to you, Lord. We obey Your Word and forgive them for all trespasses committed against us. We desire to walk in godliness and honor You in everything we do. Therefore, we honor and obey your Word by extending our hands of forgiveness over every person and situation that worked against us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. They meant it for our bad, but You meant it for our good. We do not need any apologies from them. We will move along with gladness in our hearts and lift the heavy burden that unforgiveness has carried over us. This day, it is released, the person or persons is(are) released. The situation is over. May You continue to teach me to draw closer and closer to You so that I can inherit Your character and it not seem so hard to forgive. I know I am a workmanship, I am constantly changing and evolving and I want to become more and more like You. This is one of those critical areas that I desire to become more like You. I know that with the help of the Holy Spirit You will continue to lead me towards all truth. I thank You in advance for allowing me to come to You with my supplications and for Your help in maturing me in this area. I forgive today and from this day forward, I extend forgiveness and pray for those who have hurt me. I will not be bound by any of the feelings that came with the hurt, rejection, injustice, abandonment, or neglect. I walk FREE today. I am free to live as you have called me to live and I know that by me releasing the spirit of unforgiveness, you have already forgiven me for any of my trespasses I have committed. I thank you for the revelation and I give You all the glory and honor. 

In Jesus' Name, 
Amen

Extending Forgiveness,

~ LaKenya