Forgiveness: A Healing Force

Scriptures: Matthew 6:12, Matthew 6:14-15

The Key That Unlocks the Door

Do you harbor secret resentment or hatred for someone? Do you relish planning the revenge that you want to take? Today is the day to release that person from your hatred … and free yourself from bondage, too!

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of hatred and the handcuffs of resentment. Forgiveness is the power that breaks the chains of bitterness and anger. Forgiveness brings restoration and healing from rejection. Forgiveness is something that you must freely give before you can experience a healthy spiritual life. 

Forgiveness was one of the major themes in the ministry of Jesus Christ. A very simplistic, one-sentence summary of Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness would be, “If you don’t practice forgiveness, it will destroy the quality of your life on earth and guarantee that you never walk through the gates of heaven.”

During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15).”

Listen to the thundering truth of this verse. If you don’t forgive other people, God can’t forgive you. And without God’s forgiveness, you will not enter the gates of heaven. 

Forgiveness is a decision that will indeed determine your eternal destiny!

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace. Let forgiveness start a revolution of love from heart to heart, home to home, person to person, family to family, and church to church until this entire world knows that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and the only begotten Son of God. Lord, give us the courage and strength to obey your Word that we may receive this blessing today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: Matthew 18:21-35, 2 Corinthians 2:7-8, Matthew 5:23-24, Numbers 6:24-26

Absolute Freedom

Forgiveness is the secret of absolute freedom. Forgiveness brings freedom from those that have hurt you. The sweetest revenge you will ever experience is to totally forgive and forget the incident; then you will be free. 

If you choose to hold on to the violation, you create a personal prison, allowing the offender to hold you captive. You should not allow someone else’s foolish actions to shape your destiny or allow your past to control your future. Forgiveness is the key that removes revenge, bitterness, and hatred from the soul. Jesus used His last breath on the cross to forgive the Romans who were executing Him. That was His last example to the church. 

During the dark days of the Korean War, a South Korean Christian was arrested by the communists and was ordered to be shot. When the communist commander learned that the foreigner was in charge of the local orphanage, he decided to spare the leader of the orphan but decided to shoot his 19-year-old son. The communist leader took the believer’s son and shot him dead in front of his father and mother. The fortunes of war changed, and the young communist leader was captured by U.N. forces. He was tried and condemned. 

Before the execution was carried out, the Christian whose son had been killed came and pled for the life of this communist leader. The Christian said, “This man is young. If you will give him to me, I will train him in the ways of the Lord.”  The U.N. forces granted this strange request, and the father took the murderer of his son into his home. He forgave him and showed him love instead of exacting revenge. 

This young man gave his heart to Christ and served the Lord as a missionary until the day he died. That is the power of forgiveness!

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace…peace to know that Jesus Christ has paid the price. He has paid the price not only for us to be personally forgiven but also given us the power through the Holy Spirit to forgive others. Release your burden of unforgiveness and lay it at the feet of Jesus. Amen.

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11, John 8:36, Luke 11:4, Psalms 32:3-5

The Destructive Nature of Unforgiveness

The weight of unforgiveness is simply too heavy to carry on your own. We were never designed to thrive with the anguish of the past residing on our shoulders. We were meant to forgive and move on. As human beings, we do not have the ability to forget a wrong…only God can do that. But we can make the choice to forgive and move on to a healthy and happy future.

Another good reason to forgive… because we cannot be set free to move on to a bright and healthy tomorrow until we let the pain of yesterday go. God has great things in store for us (Jeremiah 29:11), but if we are busy clinging to the pain of the past, we will miss out on the joy of tomorrow.

If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, they own you. Did you hear that? Picture yourself in a jail cell and throw away the key. This is where you have voluntarily placed yourself if you allow your enemy to control you through your own lack of forgiveness. But the moment you make the conscious decision to forgive, the doors of your self-imposed prison will swing open wide and you will be set free. For “…whom the Son sets free, is free indeed (John 8:36).”

We are most like God when we forgive. Forgiveness is a full pardon. It’s a fresh start. It’s another chance. It’s a new beginning. It’s the canceling of a debt. It’s not burying the hatchet with the handle up so you can grab it, just in case.

Forgiveness is also essential for your emotional healing! It’s not optional! Forgiveness is, first, an act of your will. In an act of courageous faith, forgive those who have offended you…then watch God go to work in your defense. Watch how everything they put their hands to crumbles, and everything you put your hand to is blessed. 

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace. Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Forgive, so that Christ can forgive you. Forgive, so that you can be completely set free. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: Hebrews 12:14-17, Job 5:2

The Bitter Root of Resentment

Is there someone in your life that has deeply hurt you? Perhaps you had a father that never really loved you, and it has left a scar on your soul. Maybe something in your past made you angry, and you find yourself entrenched in bitterness. The very thought of a certain person or event might cause rage or resentment to explode in the theater of your mind. 

Maybe your mother wasn’t there for you as a child. She abandoned you. She forgot about you. Seldom, if ever, did she call or check on you. The very thought of her makes you sick to your stomach. 

Perhaps someone in the church lied about you or slandered you, and their words were poisonous darts that caused you great pain. Perhaps you were in business with a partner you completely trusted…until he cheated you out of a great business deal. Maybe a former spouse betrayed you and left you for someone else. Any of these events can easily lend themselves to so many human emotions centered around anger and hurt but based completely on unforgiveness.  

You will never be happy until you let go of the bitter root of resentment and forgive those who have hurt you. Forgiveness is not for their benefit, it’s for yours. Forgiveness brings health and peace. It brings emotional and sometimes physical healing. Forgive those who have offended you and watch your relationship with God blossom into a thing of great beauty.   

Forgiveness is, first, an act of your will. If you wait until you feel like forgiving somebody, you’ll be waiting till your hair turns white. It will never happen. 

Forgiveness will release a healing force that will forever change your life. Joy will replace grief. Peace will replace anger. Love will replace hate. Contentment will replace frustration. Your mental, emotional and physical health will surge with new life!  Do it, in Jesus’ name!  

Today, I want to lead you through a prayer of forgiveness. Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, today I forgive [name of the person] for [what, when, where, and why (be specific)], and now that the spirit of forgiveness has been released from my lips, I am liberated from the burden I have carried for too long. May the Lord Jesus Christ fill me with His love and peace. Amen.

Scriptures: Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13, Matthew 5:23-24

For Christ’s Sake

Ephesians 4 is Saint Paul’s miracle formula concerning forgiveness. “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Notice the golden chalice of forgiveness presented by Saint Paul to the church, “…for Christ’s sake (KJV).”

Colossians 3:13 reads, “Forgiving one another even as Christ forgave you, so also are you to do.”

Jesus also taught the principle of going first to be reconciled to the person with whom there is unforgiveness. You must make the first move. When Jesus of Nazareth was teaching, He presented the “you make the first move principle.”  He said, “Therefore, if you bring your offering to the altar, and there you remember a spiritual brother who has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother (sister/whoever), and then come and present your gift to the Lord (Matthew 5:23-24).”

The point is you must make the first move. 

There’s a grudge. There’s resentment. There’s anger. There’s a bitterness that you feel towards another person (maybe even a group of people) for something that has been done to you. According to Jesus, stop praying. God is not listening. 

The forgiveness process does not begin until you go to the person (or persons) with whom you have offense and make the effort to be reconciled. You may need to make a phone call or send a letter to begin removing the barriers of resentment. If the other person rejects your effort, that’s on them, not you. You are clear to return to the altar to be heard by God with a clear conscience and clean heart.

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace. Who is it that you need to forgive? What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is an act of your will. It’s not a warm and fuzzy feeling. Go to your brother or sister who has offended you to make amends and be reconciled. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures: Galatians 6:7-8, Ephesians 1:7, Romans 4:7

Continuous Circle of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not something you earn for years of service after you come to Christ. Forgiveness is not infinite works. Forgiveness is by the grace of God. Forgiveness is not a prize. It’s a blessing that is received the instant you accept Jesus as your Savior. Forgiveness is not a matter of hope; it’s a matter of fact. Christ paid the debt for your sins at the cross. Your sins were thus blotted out, never to be remembered against you. The blood of the cross has cleansed you. You are whiter than snow, kings and priests, royalty unto God. 

Forgiveness is a continuous act. “Father, forgive us as we forgive those who transgress against us.” When you forgive me and I forgive you, it is a continuous circle of forgiveness, manifesting God’s love and unity in the church. The moment that we stop being a forgiving church is the moment the Holy Spirit walks out the door and says, “I can’t stay here.”  

“God forgave them but they wouldn’t forgive a soul, not even the people that sat in the church pews with them,” will be written on the tombstone of a lot of church members. Do you know why people in the church don’t tell other people in the church their problems? Because they don’t want their secrets to be all over town by dark. That’s a fact…and that’s a shame. 

Forgiveness is freedom from the past. When you refuse to forgive another for any reason, it corrupts your life. You might hear the word “corruption,” but it really doesn’t register. Paul writes in Galatians about corruption. “Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh, shall from the flesh, reap corruption (Galatians 6:7-8).”

Who are you that you would not forgive another, considering that God has forgiven you? Your unforgiving spirit has tied the corpse of that person that you resent to your back. The moment you cut that thing loose, you will experience joy, peace, happiness, and contentment beyond your imagination. The power of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit will fill your house. Run to the place of forgiveness! Forgive totally! And do it today. 

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace. May you be set free from your yesterday, free to become the person God wants you to become 

Scripture: John 8:2-11

Forgiveness Demands a Change

Forgiveness is full of compassion, but it demands a change in conduct. To forgive another person without demanding change is to make the grace of God an accomplice to evil. 

Let’s look at the ministry of Christ. The Pharisees brought the woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. Obviously, by the law of Moses, she was to be stoned. Jesus, being absolutely perfect and pure, looked at the woman and said, “Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more (John 8:11).”

The message is…I expect you to change. Grace gives you the opportunity to repent. It’s not a license to sin…ever.

How do you forgive? Totally. 

Jesus, our teacher, told the story of the unmerciful slave. The king, who wanted to settle his accounts, called in a slave that owed him ten million dollars, which was ten times the national debt of that nation. And when the slave announced that he didn’t have the resources, he pleaded with the king not to throw him, his wife, and his child into debtor’s prison. The king forgave him of that enormous fortune. So, what does the slave do? He went right out in the streets and found somebody who owed him $20. And he had that guy thrown into debtor’s prison because it was his right as a debtor. The other slaves heard about it, and they went to the king, and said, “Do you know what happened to that guy that you forgave of ten million dollars? He went out and found a guy that owed him 20 bucks, and that guy is now in jail.” 

The king went back to the slave that was released from the ten-million-dollar debt and said, “You unmerciful servant. I forgave you, and you went out and incarcerated another person.” And the Bible says, “and he was turned over to the tormentors.”

When you refuse to forgive someone else, God will turn you over to the tormentors. And in our society, medical science calls these tormentors bitterness, rage, resentment, ulcers, and high blood pressure. These issues destroy your health, producing major physical illness. 

How often shall I forgive? There is a Jewish teaching…if you forgave three times, you were good. So, Peter thought he’d impress the Lord and say, “seven times.”  But Jesus said, “Seventy times seven times.” The message is, you forgive until it becomes a habit. Don’t keep records of anybody’s faults but your own, and you’ll find that you have very few to keep.

May the Lord bless you and may the Lord keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, giving you His peace. Every day is a glorious adventure with God on your side. From this day forward, release the burden of unforgiveness from your life. The handcuffs have been broken. Prison doors have been shattered. Walk out and live your life with all the glory that God has designed it to have. In Jesus’ name, we pray this blessing. Amen.