Matthew 6:12 “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Forgiving the person who offended us is a big deal. It also is a big challenge. I suspect one reason we struggle forgiving is because we do not want the person who offended us to be free of consequence. The irony is that when we forgive others we actually free ourselves.
Harboring unforgiveness results in the loss of the Fruit of the Spirit, damages our relationship with other people, nullifies our testimony and can even hinder our own prayers from being answered (see Matthew 6:15).
The Lord wants us to walk in freedom from bondage to sin and hurts from our past. Our physical, emotional and spiritual healing begins by making the conscious decision to forgive those who have offended us.
Scripture:Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
Colossians 3:12-14 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Let’s sing: “Jesus, be Jesus in me, no longer me but Thee; Resurrection power fill me this hour, Jesus be Jesus in me.” (JESUS BE JESUS IN ME, by Eddie Carswell, Gary & Shawn McSpadden)