Dec. 14, 2005 - Forgiveness
Forgiveness
God wants us to experience secure, fulfilling, and lasting relationships. The most important thing in life is relationships- our relationship with God and others. Sin destroys relationships, but God can restore relationships through starting with us.
Matthew 6:14,15
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Jesus saw the importance of living in freedom and instructed his disciples to forgive. We are also commanded to forgive even when we are offended, wounded, and have a good reason for being angry. The action that has been done to us does not need to be justified or excused. We need only to acknowledge that, yes, it was wrong and it hurt, but we release that person from punishment in our thoughts and actions. When we forgive we are saying that we choose not to harbor judgment and punishment in our hearts for them. This doesnt mean we are willing to be a victim again, we are not foolish. And we are not saying that they are innocent. But we choose to forgive in order to obey Christs command and follow Him.
Matthew 18:2,22
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
It is easier to forgive if we remember that we need mercy for the wrongs we have done. Jesus said if we want to be forgiven by God, we must forgive. That person needs the mercy that we can give them. Jesus died for your sin and theirs too, why would we keep their sin? Forgive!
Forgiveness is releasing the arrows in our bow not at the person, but into the air. We release them as an act of faith, releasing the hurt that goes with it, to God. When we forgive we are saying that we do not wish to hurt that person or wish ill upon them. If we find ourselves wanting something to happen to that person to punish them, it reveals that in our heart we have not yet forgiven.
We may not be aware of our anger or hurt because it is suppressed deep within, but many times it will manifest in other ways in our life- ill health, back pain, wrinkles, angry countenance, feelings of suppression, inability to express displeasure for fear you will explode, feelings of embarrassment or shame, as well as other physical and psychological conditions. Feelings of unforgiveness and bitterness kept hidden deep inside become a dormant volcano that one day may erupt when provoked. Release them and you will be free.
Ephes. 4:3,32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
If we dont work through our problems and receive healing, we will keep on having our pain and because of that pain, we will sin more and more and others will be affected by our sin.
Proverbs 17:9
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
Our children and those we love the most will be the ones who hurt the most by the bitterness that we allow to remain in our lives.
Hebrews 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Offence is allowing our hearts to be hurt by a wrong done to us and internalizing the pain. Many times, our pain is coming from inside us that are triggered by memories of past events and not solely as a result of anothers actions. We also may attach significance to an event, thinking, This is happening because of me. or They are doing this to me because I am not valuable or loveable. We can also compound our problems by looking around for someone to blame and become trapped in our offence.
Proverbs 18:19
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
In order to walk free from offence and bitterness, we must forgive all who have offended or hurt us and ask God to take away the roots of bitterness. We also need to ask for healing of our emotions that have been damaged. We must release people from our judgments.
Forgiveness prayer
1. Write down those who have offended you through:
Rejection
Injustice
Abuse
Neglect
Betrayal
Control
2. Face the hurt, acknowledge, yes they did wrong.
3. Look at the cross
4. Put that sin on the cross
5. Give up your pain to and put it on the cross also
6. Decide you will forgive, release judgments, and not hold them in prison in your mind. Ask God to forgive the offence and your bitterness. Speak it out: I now forgive____ for ______
7. Destroy the list
Prayer for forgiveness of others, yourself and lifting judgment off yourself, others and God.
Thank you Jesus, for your death on the cross so that I could receive forgiveness of my sins and failures. Right now I choose to forgive from my heart and release myself from judgments of others that have caused me pain _______(say the names of the people you will forgive and release) . Please help me to show your love and bless those who have hurt me.
Please forgive and cleanse me now also through the Blood of Jesus. Lord, please grant me forgiveness for those whom I have hurt also.
Father God, please forgive me for the sin of judging you in different situations in my life. I realize that this was wrong and I ask you for forgiveness.
Thank you Lord for forgiveness.
I also forgive my self for all the times that I have done wrong. Please help me to be set free and enter into the freedom that you want me to have.
In Jesus Name I pray, AMEN
You may have much hurt associated with your memories and are reluctant to even think of them. It is important to realize our memories have no power over us to hurt us again. We can pray that God will heal our hearts after we acknowledge our damaged emotions are real.
Prayer for receiving healing for damaged emotions:
Dear Father God,
I receive your unconditional love for me. I know that you gave me emotions. I acknowledge now that I have been wounded in my life and this has brought me pain and anger. Please help me now to forgive the one who caused me this pain. I choose now to think about that person and imagine myself forgiving ______(name) I release him/her/them now from judgments that I have made against them.
I now repent from letting myself be controlled by emotions that were not from God. I now lay these feelings down and release these painful emotions along with the anger that I have allowed to control my life
I now ask you Lord to please help me to be able to identify the various feelings and emotions that I have buried deep inside my heart. I choose to release the hurt and pain now in Jesus name. ( I lay it down at the foot of the cross. Jesus you took it all for me so I can be free.) I ask you to replace those feelings and emotions with you and your love.
I ask all these things in Jesus name, Amen
In some cases where you feel a certain connection with a person (sexual or emotional) because of their control over you in the past, it may be necessary to break the soul ties that are attaching you to other peoples judgments of you. Break free from that control and vicitimization. Break free and shut the door to the doors you have left open for the enemy. Break soul ties with those you have been immoral with and break the ties with the lies people have told you.
Prayer of breaking ties
In Jesus Name, I now cut off relationship with Satan and all his evil works he has been doing in my life. I now decide and with the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that Jesus has given me I now shut the door, every door, and every way the evil has come in through my past, though sin I have done.
I repent of all sin done in the body or in thought. I turn from every evil way and believe that through the grace and mercy of Jesus, I am now forgiven of my sins.
I now speak out in the Name of Jesus Christ who has complete victory through the cross that Satan has no right from this day forward to come and bother me especially in these areas of sin that I have already confessed and repented of already. Satan has no right to remind me of these sins. I have already received forgiveness and cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ.
In the Name of Jesus Amen
Note:
If you have offended someone else, it is important to ask them to forgive you and try to make peace with them if it is possible. To do this it takes a lot of humility and grace. But we will feel close to God once again if we know that we are free from others judgments.
Comments
Dec. 14, 2005 - excellent!
Posted by hippiechyck
Dec. 15, 2005 - Untitled Comment
Posted by KarenW
