Everybody knows that if you stick your hand in a fire you're going to be burned. This is a fact that was branded in our minds since childhood, therefore we usually take special precautions when dealing with fire. You wouldn't intentionally burn yourself because you are aware of the pain and discomfort it will cause you.
But what if I told you that you could be causing yourself and even more painful and deeper discomfort?
What I'm referring to is the pain and suffering caused by holding on to a unforgiving spirit.
A common misconception that people believe is they have a right to be unforgiving based on the amount of pain that was caused to them. Also since they feel alot of pain every time they think about what happened it's only logical to hold on to that resentment.
It seems right not to accept the guilty parties apology and sometimes they never apologize, but I'm here to tell you today that forgiveness is for you not them! It's so you can move on with your life and not dwell in the past on things that are not praiseworthy.
Holding on to unforgiveness is very painful to the unforgiving person and alot of times causes you to experience sleeplessness and stress which in turn could make you sick.
In addition it makes you meditate on angry thoughts toward the person who did you wrong which could lead to hatred.
Hebrew 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
Beyond a shadow of doubt, our spiritual enemy, the devil, will try to get us into a state of unforgiveness so that he can have an advantage in our life.
He will remind us of past hurts that occurred months, weeks or even years ago, if that will work for him. What he is trying to do is to get us to ponder them long enough so that we will act out on them. To "resist" these thoughts is to resist the devil.
I know first hand from my own personal experiences that the above statements are true and terrible, but the worst part of all is that unforgiveness keeps the all mighty, all knowing, all powerful, most high God from forgiving you!
In Matthew 18:21-35 The man who received personal forgiveness but refused to forgive the man who owed him a mere "hundred denarii's," was labeled a "wicked servant" because he was forgiven his debt which was far more than the debt he refused to forgive.
The power of forgiveness is immeasurable. It is a power that Jesus used often and even delegated to his followers.
Luke 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying I repent, you shall forgive him".
God loves us very much and is very forgiving, even when we make mistakes. God gives us chances to work on our behavior and be the best we can be. When you pray, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
Matthew 6.14-15 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
In conclusion, to be unforgiving is to: anger God (Mt. 18:34), to give the devil an advantage in your life (2 Cor. 2:10,11), to conform to this wicked generation (2 Tim. 3:3), not to walk in love (1 Cor. 13:5), to stop God from forgiving you (Mt. 6:14,15) and to negate your own salvation (Mt. 18:32,34,35;).
David Hopkins is a "Christian Article Writer" who specializes in helping people remember to glorify God in everything that they do, so they don't miss out on any of His wonderful blessings.
Visit daily word of god group to read additional articles and to sign-up for a free newsletter to learn everything you need to know about why you should be putting God #1 in your life.
Ford Excursion rentals Bolingbrook ..Second Isaiah, so called because his book of prophecy was... Read More
Those living on the highest levels of life have learned... Read More
Some may ask why in a disaster some people are... Read More
One of the saddest times in any child's life is... Read More
Remember me! It's me! Joseph here in touch with you... Read More
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as... Read More
Come on now!? Really? This is going too far, you... Read More
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself... Read More
Be filled with the Spirit.? always giving thanks to God... Read More
Do you go to God seeking His will for your... Read More
The Bible tells us that we must be led by... Read More
Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible.... Read More
The earth is wrapped in a thin, loose shell of... Read More
What type of person grabs your attention and motivates you?... Read More
There was a time in my life when I seriously... Read More
Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the... Read More
Can I be honest with you? There are days when... Read More
An Introduction to MatthewSETTINGHave you ever been promised something wonderful,... Read More
Today we do not experience great manifestations of God as... Read More
Religion is "absolute truth of life" of the physical manifested... Read More
Anyone who tells you that the path to self-actualization is... Read More
I am not enlightened, and yet,... Read More
Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the... Read More
As we go through life we all have to deal... Read More
Throughout history, what is portrayed in all religions as being... Read More
Bluffs Ford Excursion rentals ..I have discovered as I grow older in Christ Jesus... Read More
Last Saturday, the children were down at their grandparent's house... Read More
Observations from the Town Car... "Home James!"The bulk of driving... Read More
In looking back at my process over the years I... Read More
The deeper beauty of spring is its process. In winter's... Read More
Today is the day that I'm getting back into exercise.... Read More
Actually, loving does not take any great effort on our... Read More
When King David was old and well advanced in years?... Read More
Animal spirit totems can be viewed in different ways according... Read More
What is success? It probably means different things to different... Read More
Chaos: "complete confusion" and "the formless void before the creation... Read More
Originating in what is now modern India; Tantra is at... Read More
Water of Enlightenment, Angel of Peace and Harmony for Nature... Read More
THE GNOSTICS, ESSENES AND THE 'OCCULT':Throughout this book I have... Read More
John Eldredge writes in his book Waking the Dead, "God... Read More
I want to share with you something that happened to... Read More
Christians all over the world will all be tempted in... Read More
Do you have a servant's heart? Has God blessed you... Read More
Those of us, who are familiar with Apostle Paul's sermon... Read More
"Let me take you down to a town called Paradise."Van... Read More
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and... Read More
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.... Read More
In Corrogue it is frosty.The ramp into our "acre of... Read More
As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize... Read More
I am beginning a journey starting tomorrow. I have decided... Read More
Spirituality |