On of the most destructive devises Satan uses to keep believers from drawing closer to God is unforgiveness. He knows what a deadly trap this is. If he can keep us focused on how badly someone has hurt us, he knows that we will not move forward in doing the will of God. But, the Bible teaches us in Matthew 6:15 ”If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive yours sins. Jesus give us a warning about forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others, God will also refuse to forgive us. Why? Because when we don’t forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. It is easy to ask God for forgiveness but difficult to grant it to others. Not forgiving others is like so many other good teachers have said, “it’s like you taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” We should be willing to disregard the faults of others because we ourselves have faults. For any relationship to grow and mature , we need to be quick to forgive. Proverbs 17:9 states: “love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. To forgive the way that God forgives is to forget the offense as well. Ps. 103:12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. If we have not forgotten the offense, we have not truly forgiven. And if we have not truly forgiven, then we are locked in and will never obtain the joy that Jesus died to give us.
It is difficult for us as humans to forgive completely when someone has hurt us, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us to do just that. Greater is He that lives in us, than he that is in the world. God wants us to live our lives victoriously. But to do that we must follow His example. Look to Jesus on the cross. After all they did to Him, His prayer was: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
Maybe you have yet to meet this wonderful Jesus. You can do so right now. Confess your sins to Him and ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart and life. He’s just waiting for the invitation. Don’t waste another moment of your life, because without Him you have no life. Ask Him now. It’s the Best Decision you’ll ever make. God Bless.
