I choose to forgive By Jeanne Theriault
Have you ever been hurt, lied to , rejected, been betrayed, and you felt bitter and resentful, and unforgiving towards them? I think we have all been there at one time or another.
I am reminded of scriptures that says
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men they sin against you , your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
When we deal with past hurts it is one of the biggest obstacles we have to face. Whether we are dealing with anger, bitterness, offensives, or disappointments. We can’t allow it to have power over us.
God’s word says to love and forgive one another for he forgave us of our sins, otherwise it will hinder our prayers.
Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins , otherwise it will hinder our prayers.
Walking in unforgiveness will block God from answering our prayers. God has given us an important commandment to follow.
John 15:12 Love each another as I have loved you 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends .
Holding on to pain , pass hurts, and anger does nothing but causes stress and unhappiness. You are not hurting the other person you are only hurting yourself by holding on to the pain. When you forgive you will be able to move on.
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all the bitterness, rage, and anger brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 12 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as Christ God forgave you.
I often time would hear people say, I forgive but I can’t forget….When God forgave you , he totally forgets all of your sins
Isaiah 43:25 I even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Jeremiah 31:34 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
I believe that God requires the same for us. It is all about choices. Ask yourself do I choose to walk in forgiveness or do I choose to stay in unforgiviness?
I have struggle with this for many years, until I finally realized that I no longer wanted to feel or stay miserable. Until one day the Holy Spirit spoke to me and showed me that I needed to walk in love and to forgive and to move on. So every day whenever I had ill feelings I would release Love, forgivenesss, healing and blessing . The bible clearly says to love your enemies and to bless them.
Luke 6:27 But I tell you who hear me. Love your enemies do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
This verse says it all, Love, bless and pray this is pathway to your healing
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you . And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together. Love never fails.
Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Our words will bring healing to our soul , when speaking out words of love, blessings we are entering into a place of freedom and liberty, and healing will take place in our hearts.
Never speak out words like I can never forgive them, I can never forget what they have done to me, but instead your prayers should be Lord I release love, I forgive them, I bless them and I receive my healing. These are the words that should be spoken. It will not happen overnight but as long as you choose to walk in forgiveness it’s a start were you are surrender it all to God. Then healing will take place in your life.
Even Jesus when being crucified said, Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and yet Jesus forgave him
I believe he requires us to do the same, Jesus set and example for us all.
Luke 17:3 So watch yourselves if your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents forgive him 4 For if he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you and says I repent forgive him.
Start praying for your enemies , forgive them and bless them . The quicker you let all the offenses go, healing will flow. Then you will feel presence of God , for in his presence there is fullness of joy and at his right hand there are pleasure forever more. So today choose to forgive, choose to pray and bless for those who have offended you, what a blessing it is that Jesus chose to forgive us all, he wants us also to do the same.
Lord you have thought us on how to pray , You prayed forgive us our depts, as we forgive our deptors it is our desire to forgive others in the same way you have forgiven us. Help us to walk in that kind of forgiveness and forgive us wherein we have failed to walk in love and forgiveness. Teach us to forgive out of a pure heart. Walking in your love being obedient to your word and be pleasing to you O Lord. Then healing will take place in our hearts and lives. Amen
