Showing posts with label forgive. Show all posts

Forgive Others As God Has Forgiven You

COLOSSIANS 3:13 NKJ
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

Forgiving others for deep hurts seems to be one of the hardest things a human being can do. In fact -- very few are successful in forgiving.

Yet, in the Bible God commands us to forgive. Is God overly demanding, or...?

God is smart. That is why He commands us to forgive. (Also because He loves us and desires the best for us.) God knows how terribly destructive it is for us to harbor unforgiveness. Not forgiving someone can literally kill you.

Unforgiveness is a poison that eats away at your spiritual, mental, and physical health and life.

Knowing that, God strictly tells us to forgive. But how can we? We are just human, and we don't feel like forgiving when someone has wronged us severely.

(You may think it is impossible to forgive someone who hurt you. With God it is possible. He never asks us to do something we cannot do.)

The answer is in receiving God's help, enabling you to forgive. First, you must be "born again" spiritually by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord. That means you receive new life in your inner being, giving you a new nature -- a nature of love instead of selfishness.

Next, when you are wronged, you need to ask the Lord to help you forgive the person who hurt you. Having done that, you must make a firm decision to quit holding anything against that person.

Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision to quit holding something against someone. When you forgive you must release them and forget it.

You must forgive by faith, after asking God to help you. Feelings always follow faith -- not the other way around.

How can we humans forgive others just as God has forgiven us? Having God's help is necessary. Only His love in our hearts can enable us.

You must forgive others -- no matter what they have done. To not forgive hurts you. You must forgive.
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When You Stand Praying Forgive

MARK 11:25 NKJ
25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

Forgiveness is a choice -- not a feeling. Your feelings may not change while you are praying, but you can choose to forgive at any time. It does not take long to make a choice.

How long does it take to forgive? How long can you stand and pray?

Jesus never said anything about the person deserving forgiveness. Nor did He say to forgive only after they asked for forgiveness.

Anytime you talk to God, Jesus said to forgive if you had anything against anyone. That would include people who hurt you without even realizing they hurt you. Even people who were still trying to hurt you. "Anyone" in this verse includes everyone, no matter what their attitude may be.

Why should you forgive them? Not because they deserve it. But because of the harm it will cause you if you don't forgive. The reason you are to forgive others is to maintain your status with God.

Jesus indicates there is something about us refusing to forgive others that hinders our relationship with God and the free flow of blessings God desires for us to receive.

I understand that forgiving someone who horribly wronged you is not easy, especially if they are not even sorry for what they did. But Jesus makes it clear that you have no real option. You MUST forgive if you want God's forgiveness. I need not tell you how vital that is.

If Jesus appeared to you right now and asked you face-to-face to forgive someone who hurt you -- would you do it for Him? We should respect Jesus' Word just as much as we would respond to Jesus appearing to us face-to-face
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