At one point or another many of us have said, “I’ll never forgive you for that”.  Some may still be holding on to those words till this very day.  As most would say; forgiveness is easier said than done.

THE PRISONER OF UNFORGIVENESS

Holding on to unforgiveness is like being a prisoner.  It holds you captive and only person in that prison is you.  I heard it said once, “Harboring unforgiveness is like taking poison, while expecting the other person to die”.  In other words, our failing to forgive only hurts ourselves and keeps us bound from ever experiencing true freedom.  By not forgiving, we can literally keep ourselves from moving forward in life.

SET YOURSELF FREE

Unforgiveness is a bigger deal than we think and the only way to heal from the hurt is to forgive.  When we forgive those people who hurt us, we release anger and bitterness from poisoning our lives.  Forgiveness is a process and it won’t be easy, but I encourage you to realize that it is really to your benefit to forgive not anyone else’s.

LET GO

Don’t let what others do to hurt you hold you back from  your life’s destiny.  LET GO!  You have to realize that you have far too much going for you to hold on to the hurt.  LET GO!  God has a blessing for you when you let go.  I love the way Isaiah 61:7 says it, “They were terribly insulted and horribly mistreated; now they will be greatly blessed and joyful forever”.  Don’t let what someone did to hurt you keep you from the blessing God wants to release in your life.  LET GO!  Just keep believing that your reward is on its way.

NEVER SEEK REVENGE

We all have flaws and if we take time to really think about it, the people who are hurting us are also hurting themselves.  Our oppressor gains nothing in hurting us, nor do we in seeking revenge.  Instead pray for them believing God will settle things for you.  Matthew 5:44 say it so clearly, “But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you”.  It doesn’t matter how bad the offence is, when you forgive God will make it right in your favor.

EVERY COIN HAS TWO SIDES

Many will fail in the process of forgiveness because they feel the need to be compensated for being wronged, yet Jesus died on a cross and forgave us our sins even when we didn’t deserve it.  What right do we really have of holding unforgiveness when we ourselves undeservingly have it from God.  The bible says it this way in Matthew 6:15,16 “If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins”.  At the end of the day the choice is yours.  Choose to forgive.

 My prayer is that can we truly experience the freedom of forgiveness.

From The Heart, Dan Chavez