Power of Forgiveness

Key Scripture:  “If you do not forgive others their trespasses (their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment), neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15 Amplified Bible

Power Point:

Forgiveness is moving forward free of burdens. Unforgiveness is trying to strain forward without freeing yourself from those past burdens. Forgiveness is freeing. Unforgiveness is a strain on your heart. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. Unforgiveness is a hole you dig yourself into.

When you begin to realize that unforgiveness hurts you more than it hurts anyone else you can understand why your heavenly Father encourages you to take action to overcome it.  I saw a TV program the other night where a man was stabbing someone.  He not only put the blade in the person’s chest, he turned it and pushed it and caused "extreme agony". That’s what unforgiveness is like for us. It gives Satan the freedom to put a knife in our heart and turn it and twist it until we can’t breath and all we can think about is the wound that is destroying our life. We can’t hear God and we can’t move forward. That is living your life in "extreme agony".

You may try to cover it up and pretend everything is okay but until you sincerely, determinedly and adamantly choose to forgive you will never be free to move on.

“If you are struggling with unforgiveness, you are struggling with your own destiny and no one really wants to do that.  God will never overlay His divine plans for your destiny on top of your soul’s baggage from yesterday no matter how kind and nice and giving you act today.  He will never whisk you on to great things without any change of your packrat ways. NO, HE WILL NOT!  You must choose to stop going back over what has been done to you, taken from you, or said about you and surrender it all to God.  You will not move forward in your ministry or your destiny until you do.” (From Liberty Savard, Binding and Loosing Prayer Manual)

Okay, now you know “why” you forgive but you can't quite "get there".  Can you ask Holy Spirit to help you get into the position of forgiveness and stay there? Here is a prayer from Liberty:

            “Lord, your Word says that if I love you and I am full of your Word, I will have great peace and nothing shall offend me.  I’m feeling pretty offended right now and there is certainly no peace in my thoughts, so I need your help. I bind my will to your will, my mind to the mind of Christ, and my emotions to the healing balance and comfort of Holy Spirit.”

Take the first step, Beloved. He's already met you more than halfway.

Power Thought:

You can’t change your past but you can definitely change your future. Tomorrow is your choice.