Are you someone who has suffered emotionally, and perhaps physically at the hands of others?

Have emotions such as anger, resentment, hate, hostility, bitterness and revenge entered your heart and mind? Have you become filled with an unforgiving spirit?

Unforgiveness can be a hidden culprit. It can make you a prisoner within yourself.

When an unforgiving spirit LIVES inside you, it isn’t bothering those who have wronged you. They’ve gone on their way. But you are still holding onto something that has taken control of your thoughts, actions and words. It eats away at you like a poisonous cancer, and you find yourself bound, with no peace. In reality, you are punishing yourself.

But to forgive in your own power becomes futile, because your heart must first be cleansed of all that the things that unforgiveness creates. Only Jesus can make that happen. He laid down His life and shed His blood to give us the gift of salvation and clean up our hearts. Through Him, there is freedom and victory.

God says “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, KJV) Isn’t rest what we long for when filled with the torture of an unforgiving spirit?

According to 1 John 1:9, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to . forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (KJV). So why not dare to invite Christ into your heart? Cast your care upon Him. Let Him do the cleansing. Let Him to take that unforgiving spirit out of your heart and give you a new heart with a forgiving spirit.
You could pray a prayer like this – “Lord Jesus, forgive me for bearing a grudge toward the person who has wronged me. Come into my heart, take control of my life. Cleanse me of this unforgiving spirit, and fill me with a forgiving spirit.”

One man who prayed a similar prayer said, “I’ve got peace in my heart, and I’ve got love in my heart for those who have wronged me. One of the greatest possessions I own now is a forgiving heart.” His burden had been surrendered, and freedom was his.

The Bible says “If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14,15, KJV).

That may seem harsh. But why shouldn’t God expect you to forgive those who have offended you, when He has forgiven you of so much more?

Choosing to forgive, is a choice of your will. When you make that choice your heart is then open and ready for the Lord’s cleansing.

Choosing not to forgive, is also a choice of your will. But the door of your heart is then shut and God will not do His cleansing work.

THINK ABOUT IT. . .
Are you harboring an unforgiving spirit? What’s preventing you from letting it go? Remember, it is harming you far more than the person who has made you angry. Give it to God and ask Him to cleanse your heart and free you to experience His love and freedom.

By Dr. Henry Brandt
used by permission

Read : Matthew 6:14,15, Matthew 11:28, John 14:6, 1John 1:9, Psalm 55:22, Revelation 3

FURTHER READING

The Stumbling Block of Unforgiveness

Victory over Unforgiveness 

Prayer of Forgiveness and Release

The post The Power of Forgiveness appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”  (1 John 1:9).

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

Forgiveness brings you close to the heart of God and enlarges your capacity to love.

Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing.” Be blessed as you look to Jesus and receive healing from any resentment or unforgiveness you carry.

Ask Jesus to help you forgive yourself. He removes your transgressions from you as far as the east is from the west. Feel His cleansing washing you and making you whole. Be blessed to be released from condemnation, self-judgment, or self-punishment. You are pure and blameless in His sight.

Ask Jesus to help you forgive anyone who has hurt you. Forgiving others doesn’t mean that what they did was OK or right. Forgiveness brings complete freedom to your heart and lets God be the judge of all things. Allow God’s grace to free you from the bondage of resentment and bitterness.

Ask your Father if you hold any bitterness or anger against Him about what He has allowed in your life. If painful events have distorted your image of God, receive His healing love and compassion. May your spirit and soul see those things from God’s point of view through His spiritual insight and understanding

(Colossians 1).

May the grace of God do the deep work of forgiveness in you. The Lord says though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool (Isaiah 1:18). Be blessed to choose to live from that freedom.

Be blessed in the name of Jesus who paid the complete price for sin.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

From: Blessing For Life: Word Of Hope and Healing (p. 28)
© 2017 by Sylvia Gunter and Elizabeth Gunter.

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

FURTHER READING

Forgiveness is Good for Your Health

The Power of Forgiveness

Instant Forgiveness; Lingering Consequences

The post Forgiveness appeared first on Thoughts About God.

All of us have been hurt by others.

Make a quick review of the people in your story. Is there anyone who causes a level of anger or resentment to rise in your heart? While you may feel holding onto resentment and anger punishes the one who hurt you, the painful truth is it is your heart that is held captive. It is time to set yourself free from the prison of unforgiveness. Forgiving someone does not mean that what they did was ok. Forgiveness is trusting God to be your righteous judge and loving Father

Pray this way:

Dear Father, I have been hurt and wounded by others. While they were wrong in their actions and words toward me, I have also been wrong in my sinful responses toward them. Your Word says that Jesus was bruised for our transgression, and by His stripes we are healed. Take from me any pain I have been holding onto in regard to this person. I don’t want to carry it anymore.   

I confess the sin of judging them and their specific offences against me.  Forgive me for the anger and hatred I have had in my heart against them. Thank You for forgiving me through the blood of Jesus. I choose to forgive and release them of all my judgments. I let go of all bitterness, resentment, and ungodly attitudes. All judgment belongs to you. Where there has been injustice, I choose to let You be Judge, and I trust You to care for me. Your power and grace are at work in me. I receive all Your gracious work in my life and choose to live in tune with Your heart for this person. In Jesus’ Name,  Amen

Declaration Of Release
Now that you have asked God to forgive you, a declaration of release is needed. Release is spoken to the offender, whether they are present or absent, living or dead. It recognizes that our words and actions have bound them and, equally as important, bound us to the offending person. It is often very liberating to speak or write this release to them if we can. With God’s power it can be done.

Because Jesus Christ is my Lord, I free everyone from my judgments and sinful responses. I give you back to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I place you at God’s throne of grace. I want my heart to be free by His power. I entrust you to God for Him to work in you and in me in His time and in His way. I choose to see you as God sees you. I bless you to be all God called you to be. I will continue to ask for His love for you. I cannot impose my will or expectations upon you, so I place all my expectations on the cross of Jesus. I know that God has good plans and purposes for each of us. I release you. I give you entirely to God. I loose you and let you go. We are both free.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission
From: from Safe In The Father’s Heart

The post Prayer of Forgiveness appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:12-13   

The forgiveness we do not give, the forgiveness we withhold— will hold us back in our relationship with the Lord and the plans He has for us.

Unforgiveness will become a stumbling block in our walk with the Lord and with others. It doesn’t matter if the person receives it, and it doesn’t matter if the person does or does not acknowledge wrong doing.

Forgiveness is about our heart letting go instead of staying in bondage to that circumstance.  Forgiveness isn’t about changing the offender. It is about a change in us.

When we fully forgive, we will stop playing the same tape in our head, going over and over the wrong committed against us. When we stop playing that tape over and over again, life will become fuller and richer and the past pain will noticeably subside, leaving us wishing we had granted ourselves this freedom much sooner.

God is the ultimate healer and when we forgive and let go, He comes in with His balm of healing and tender care and does a work on our wounds that will truly change our lives. This change will take us to a place of continued and complete healing.

When you hear yourself saying this is too hard, ask yourself – is it too hard for God? Does God want you to stay stuck living in that pain, and living in that past that is keeping you from living today and embracing the future with hope?

Unforgiveness is the precise reason we can’t get past the pain. Letting go and moving past the pain will bring you peace and peace will bring you a new and fresh outlook on life as you discover a joy in your heart that you have not known before.

In the strength of the Lord, you can forgive and let go, you can heal and move forward in complete wholeness.

Matthew 18:21-22

“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. “

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

FURTHER READING

Feelings, Forgiveness and Peace | by Dr. Muriel Larson

The Power of Forgiveness | by Dr. Henry Brandt

How to Experience God’s Love and Forgiveness (3 parts)

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL: FOLLOW THIS LINK

The post The Stumbling Block of Unforgiveness appeared first on Thoughts About God.

When others have deeply hurt and betrayed us, may we find it in our hearts to forgive as God forgives,

I do not write this lightly, I’ve lived it and learned (slowly at times) that the way we forgive people who have deeply hurt us is nowhere close to the forgiveness with which God forgives us.

As I have repeatedly read the story of Joseph’s reconciliation (Genesis 37-50) with his brothers, I have been moved each time by the deep compassion and mercy he extended to his brothers. He taught us a valuable and beautiful lesson on forgiveness.

We don’t know how long it took him to reach that level of forgiveness after his brothers plotted to murder him, tossed him into a pit, and then sold him into slavery. In my personal opinion, I doubt it was early on because the hurt was so fresh and deep at that time. Maybe it was a work God accomplished in his heart through a slow and gradual process over the many years he was falsely imprisoned.

Maybe it was when he was released from prison and saw the enormous responsibility and position God had placed him in. Maybe his heart was opened then to a deeper understanding of God’s ways, as He learned God’s assignment for him was to save the people from famine.

Whenever it was that the healing work of forgiveness took place in Joseph’s heart, I am thankful that he obediently humbled himself and allowed God to bring this about in him. I have seen many people resist God’s work of forgiveness in their lives, and the result is always bitterness. Sometimes it is a very evident, outwardly visible root of bitterness. Sometimes it is a hidden, pushed down, denied form of bitterness, and yet it still spills forth in the life of the unforgiving person.

The evidence of genuine forgiveness was displayed when Joseph was reunited with his brothers and he didn’t condemn them.  He wept and cried and assured them that what they meant for evil, God meant for good. He took care of them and re-established relationship with them.

When others have deeply hurt and betrayed us, may we find it in our hearts to forgive as God forgives, as God taught Joseph to forgive, and as Stephen forgave those who stoned him (Acts 6 and 7). Stephen’s story is compelling beyond words. With his dying breath, he forgave those who were taking his life.

Following the example of Joseph, Stephen, and Jesus Christ, may we hold no charge against our offenders and betrayers and toss their offense ‘as far as the east is from the west’ (Psalm 103:12). God wants us to give mercy to others as He has been merciful to us. He wants us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Colossians 3:12b-13 teaches us to put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission
From: First Breath of Morning: Where God Waits For You Every Day.

Further Reading

•   Feelings, Forgiveness and Peace | by Dr. Muriel Larson

•  Freedom of Forgiveness  | by Katherine Kehler

•  Salvation Explained

Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

The post Forgiven appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid…. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….’”
Genesis 50:19-20

Joseph had every reason to be bitter: his brothers had just sold him into slavery. One could argue that he had it coming: his dad played favourites and Joseph really rubbed it in with his older brothers.

After being sold, he ended up in Egypt. After working his way into a good position, he was thrown into prison for two years. Even though he became a powerful man in the end, many would say he had a right to hold a grudge against his family.

Somewhere through a lot of ups and downs in his life, Joseph learned the value of forgiveness. When his brothers came to him in a time a great need, Joseph chose to put his hurt and anger behind him and acknowledge that God had used every circumstance for good. Many lives were saved through events that had originally caused him great pain.

Forgiveness is something that can be misunderstood. From small irritations to major life-changing hurts, we all need to forgive. It’s a choice, and it’s also a process. Often a hurt must be dealt with before forgiveness can come.

Most of all, forgiveness is for us, not our offenders. It releases us to live in freedom and to learn from the hurts in our past. But it’s not for weaklings; it makes us stronger.

Lord, show me if I need to forgive. Deal with my hurt and guide me to set things right before You and others. Amen.

By Debbie West
Used by Permission

Comments: If you don’t see our response form, please go to https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/debbie_west_forgiving/

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

Follow Us On:

The post Forgiving appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3

It is easier to ignore our own shortcomings than it is to forgive others for theirs. Surely we we’d never act as wrong as they did, right? Lynette Hoy, LPC states, “But when we do something wrong or hurtful/disappointing we tend to excuse our own behavior by attributing external causes…. This is what psychologists call the “Fundamental Attribution Error.”

There’s an old saying: when you point a finger, three more point back to you. That is something to remember the next time you are tempted to not hold a grudge. We tend to think someone else’s offense is greater than anything we’d do. We’re trained to do that because our legal system measures a wrongdoing, and then assigns a penalty to fit the offense. Shoplifting doesn’t carry the same severity as a murdering an entire family.

Yet, in God’s eyes, sin is sin. No shades of gray. Paul states in Romans 3:23 we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Christ died on the cross because He knew humans are prone to mess up. Are we fooling ourselves into thinking we are really better than someone else? What excuses are we using to try and justify our behavior?

As Christians, we’re not to drag our brothers and sisters before God to be punished or examined under a holy microscope. We are to forgive them, just as Christ forgave all of us on the hard wood of the cross as He bled for us…and them, too. After all, we probably need forgiveness for something we have done or said, too.

Father, forgive me for my attribution error, in thinking my sins are less than someone else’s or trying to make excuses for them so they seem less somehow. Correct me when I come to you wanting you to punish someone who has hurt or angered me. Let me realize that I am flawed, human, and imperfect as well. Keep me humble, and open my heart to receive others despite their humanness. Amen.

By Julie Cosgrove
Used by Permission

https://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/

Comments: If you don’t see our response form, please go to https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/julie-cosgrove_attribution-error/

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

Subscribe to Daily Devotionals by Email

The post Attribution Error appeared first on Thoughts About God.