The Father was talking to me about forgiveness this morning. He said, "Forgiveness isn't a feeling, it's a choice." You see we have to choose to forgive and then the feeling will follow. Sometimes, the feelings of forgiveness take a while to come.
Do we have to forgive? As Christians (i.e. followers of Christ) we are required to forgive. We must make the choice to forgive quickly before the root of bitterness springs up! Mark 11:25,26 says that if we don't forgive others their trespasses then our Father in heaven will not forgive our trespasses. This is serious business! Unforgiveness can keep you out of heaven!
Matthew 18:21,22 says that we must forgive our brother up to 77 times in one day alone!
One aspect of forgiveness that we often overlook is praying for and blessing the person we are forgiving. Matthew 5:44 says to love our enemies, to bless our enemies, to do good to our enemies, and to pray for our enemies! Wow! How many of us would like to tear that page out of the Bible? Ha ha! But when God tells us to do something it is always for our own good! I've had the opportunity to practice this scripture many times! And surprisingly, when I pray for and bless someone who I am in the process of forgiving, the feelings come much easier!
So here's the forgiving process: Choose to forgive, give all your hurt feelings to God, ask Him to take them and replace them with love and compassion. Next, pray for the person. Then, when possible, do something good for that person such as an act of kindness, a kind and sincere word, and say a prayer for them. When bad feelings for this person come back (and they probably will at first) remind yourself that you have forgiven them and go on!
Enjoy your freedom from the heavy burden of holding a grudge!
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