“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have anything against any, that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father, who is in heaven, forgive your trespasses”
Mark 11:25-26 (KJV).
One of the greatest barriers to effective prayer and spiritual vitality is an unforgiving heart. An unforgiving heart binds the Holy Spirit’s ability to work. It becomes a barrier to effective and fruitful ministry and a hindrance to living the abundant life that God has promised. Forgiveness not only releases us physically and emotionally, but it also releases us spiritually.
Every one of us has been hurt deeply by someone else. It may have been a parent, an ex-spouse, a current mate, a sibling, a former friend, a relative, or perhaps a stranger. The command to forgive can be difficult because sometimes we don’t want to forgive. We must extend forgiveness anyways as an act of trust towards God. We must forgive because we choose to follow God’s instruction as obedient children, not because of the response we hope to get from the other person. We cannot wait for someone else to make the first move. God made the first move towards us; while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Forgiveness is a great virtue. It is a choice on one’s part, out of your free will to let go. In Genesis 50, Joseph forgave his own brothers who had thrown him into a pit and sold him into slavery, and told everyone that he was dead, saying, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore fear ye not; I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them” (Genesis 50: 20-21, KJV).
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for extending forgiveness to me through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Just as you have forgiven me and continue to forgive me, I also choose forgiveness and extend it to anyone that wrongs or hurts me.
WISDOM NUGGET
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV)