This past Summer my church did a class on forgiveness. It was powerful and made me stop and think about unforgiveness and how it can be a detriment to our well-being and definitely to our spiritual walk with God.
A Story of forgiveness
The gentleman leading our class shared his story of forgiveness. His mother, who was 80 years old, was murdered. She was awaken out of her sleep when someone broke into her home. In confronting the stranger, he brutally took her life. He said he hated the man for a long time until he finally came to realize forgiveness was for him and not for the man. Think about that. You forgive someone who has taken your mother’s life, not for their sake, but for yours.
The Impact of Forgiveness
Unforgiveness impacts our walk with God. By choosing not to forgive others, we are holding on to hurt, pain and anger; things that negatively impact us spiritually and physically. By forgiving, we open the door for God to forgive us of our transgressions and to bless our lives. The Bible says that by forgiving, you will be forgiven,
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:” (Luke 6:37 NIV)
“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:26 NIV)
Remember, we all have shortcomings.
Self-forgiveness: Becoming New and Letting Go
As we think about forgiveness, we must also think about forgiving ourselves. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As we continue to grow spiritually, we have to learn to let go of hurt and trauma associated with our own sins and step into our purpose.
The Bible says, ‘therefore, if anyone is in christ; the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
God’s forgiveness makes us new; embrace it!
Once you confess the sin, the thing that is a burden on your life, let it go.
In Psalms, it states “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12 NIV)
Don’t hold on to what God has removed from your life.
Scriptural References about Forgiveness:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Matthew 11:25 NIV)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.“(Ephesians 4:32 NIV)
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13 NIV)
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15NIV)
“Then peter came to jesus and asked, ‘lord how many times shall i forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? up to seven times?’ jesus answered, ‘i tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NIV)
“I, even i, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remember your sins no more.” (Isaiah 42:25 niv)
it is important that we don’t let unforgiveness block our blessings from God!
Questions to Ponder
Do you believe forgiveness is just as important for you as it is for the person you need to forgive?
Have you given yourself of your own transgressions and have you let go of the hurt and pain which it brought into your life?
Comment on this post so we can start a conversation about forgiveness and the impact it has on our spiritual walk with God.
