WALKING IN FORGIVENESS
Walking in forgiveness means that we no longer blame others or are angry at those who did us wrong. This is easier said than done, but with God's help and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can forgive.
"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:26)
God tells us that unless we forgive others, we will not be forgiven ourselves. Since we are not perfect and we all make mistakes, we must forgive those who intentionally or unintentionally hurt us. Not forgiving those people is not an option if we want God to forgive us.
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
There will be moments when we are upset, feelings are hurt, or worse, the other person purposely inflicted pain or loss. In those moments, when anger seems like the only reasonable response, we must not become slaves to anger. We need to repent for holding on to bad feelings against others so that we can be set free ourselves.
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
We want to stand before the Lord and know that God is pleased with us. We do not want to have the sin of unforgiveness in our hearts. When we pray, we want to know that God will answer our prayers. We do not want unforgiveness to get in the way of all the blessings God has for our lives.
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)
If we continue to have anger, bitterness, hatred, or any unforgiveness in our hearts and lives, we do not show God's love to others. The Bible tells us that we cannot even say we love God if we have hate toward other people.
“If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20)
The lines are drawn. The Word of God is clear. We must forgive. No matter what happened in the past, no matter how much pain we feel, we must forgive. We can not take revenge or even gloat when something bad happens to the person that has wronged us.
We need to ask God to fill our hearts with His love for those who have offended us. We need to walk in love and peace, and when we do, we will be glad we did.
What does God see when He looks at your heart? Forgiveness or hate?
Heavenly Father, You have offered forgiveness to me by sending Your Son to take my place. What kind of person am I if I do not take what You have given me and not extend it to others? I want to influence others for Your Kingdom, and the first step is Love. That is Your heart, and if I have Your Holy Spirit within me, leading me, then I must show that Love to others around me. It is so easy to get caught up in the negative feelings for some we do not care for, but You have commanded us to Love. Bitter water and sweet water do not flow together. I must have a heart that forgives. I ask for Your heart of Love to be my guide as I forgive others and walk in Your Love. You, God, are Love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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We Need To Ask God To Fill Our Hearts With His Love For Those Who Have Offended Us. We Need To Walk In Love And Peace And When We Do We Will Be Glad We Did.
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