doing our part when extending forgiveness

In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. Matthew 6:14-15 MSG

In short? If you struggle with being able to forgive, you block being able to receive His.

It took many years of struggling for me to realize that unforgiveness is a poison which only eats away at the unforgiver, not the offender. Which meant I was only hurting myself in the process.

Until I grasped these freeing truths.

1. Forgiveness isn’t letting your offender go free without consequences. It means you trust God to judge them instead.
2. Forgiveness isn’t making light of what happened to you. It lightens your load by giving it to God to carry instead.
3. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you stay in relationship with the offender. Or that if they broke the law, you don’t file charges. It seeks God first to ask for His direction, and follows as He leads you through unraveling the after effects in your life.
4. Forgiveness means focusing on your hurt, Your response, your freedom. It is part of how God designed us to function at our best.

By releasing Your offender through forgiveness, you break the unhealthy ties which formed between you.

Which means you are both free from what happened in the past, and can move forward without a negative attachment.

Which leaves more room for God to expand into within you where unforgiveness used to live, and allows for a greater faith and trust to develop as you forgive and see God’s handiwork.

I visually see forgiveness as a shield which gets activated when we forgive, and is strengthened by God’s forgiveness towards us.

• Forgive so you can receive His forgiveness.
• Forgive so you can leave the past where It is to remain, as a part of Your history but not the current chapter.
• Forgive so you can experience greater freedom as His child, and offer that freedom to those who need it.

Choosing forgiveness will not initially be easy to do. But God will come alongside you and battle for your freedom. He will heal, love and encourage you as you obey His instruction to forgive.

#hopefortheharddays