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.
cleaning lady near Des Plaines ...There is a concept in Jewish mystical thought known as... Read More
1. Gabriel means: "God is my strength" or "God is... Read More
Humanity is entering a very critical time in its path... Read More
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself... Read More
To many people in the Western world Metaphysical Healing is... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
What does it take to live life holistically?It definitely does... Read More
Woodstock, the watershed event for a generation, had a far... Read More
Limiting beliefs, just like positive, empowering thoughts, provide a foundation... Read More
Before we tread into the domain of Past Life... we... Read More
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you... Read More
Behold, a certain young maiden did often times and at... Read More
As we proceed further into the 21st century there is... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
There is a natural tendency to asociate spirituality with religion,... Read More
Tea-totalling Texans? Them's fightin' words!I live in a small Texas... Read More
Stress & Spirituality ? How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a... Read More
With those words recorded in Exodus 15:26, God proclaims to... Read More
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,... Read More
Seems that everyone who writes to me signs their letters... Read More
As more and more alternative and spiritual healings are being... Read More
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. --ROMANS... Read More
If you spend a hundred bucks and buy the right... Read More
Breaking with tradition, today's article comes from the 9-23-04 edition... Read More
I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just... Read More
disinfecting cleaning services Lake Forest ...An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
THE PREMISEFeng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that has... Read More
It was in the middle of the night and the... Read More
There is no incident in the life of Moses which... Read More
The normal Aquarian preoccupation with rational science is clearly seen... Read More
We as human beings consider ourselves the most intelligent species... Read More
I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More
You are a dual being. Part eternal spirit and part... Read More
I am disturbed by the tendency of some people to... Read More
Everyday I am challenged to find the good in things:... Read More
We as human beings travelled in small bands for hundreds... Read More
After first seeing my photography, people... Read More
The formula for spiritual growth is given briefly in 2... Read More
For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More
In a recent article entitled "Our Virtual Reality Reality" I... Read More
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.... Read More
Today is the day that I'm getting back into exercise.... Read More
In your quest for enlightenment, always ask what's in it... Read More
But my God shall supply all your need according to... Read More
There's a lot of talk in meditation circles about emptying... Read More
An exam is a test that is given at the... Read More
Most of our troubles are bought about by exercising our... Read More
I have been counseling people on weight loss, exercise efficiency... Read More
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and... Read More
"Let me take you down to a town called Paradise."Van... Read More
Spirituality |