“To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
(Acts 10:43 NKJV)
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you.”
(Matthew 6:24 NKJV)
I’m sorry. Those are two of the hardest words to speak. No one wants to admit they were in the wrong and need forgiveness.
Forgiveness, according to google is, “The action or process of forgiving or being forgiven.” Forgiving others is a lot easier said than done. Unforgiveness brings friends along for the ride. If not quickly dealt with, hurt feelings and frustration will move in also. But if you deal with unforgiveness as soon as it happens, hurt feelings and frustration won’t have time to take root.
If you quickly repent of your sins, our heavenly Father is quick to forgive us. Then they are gone. Never to be thought of again. Well, maybe not. You see, the devil has a way of reminding us of things we have done. He keeps bringing them back up. He doesn’t want us happy. He wants us upset and angry at each other. Because if we hold onto unforgiveness, we are giving him permission to work on us and derail us.
But God has washed away our sins once we asked for forgiveness. That doesn’t mean we won’t sin again. We are only human. God expects us to mess up occasionally, otherwise, why the need to repent? If you are experiencing anxiety, stress, hurt feelings, ect. Think about it. Maybe there is someone in your life you need to forgive. “But, they really hurt me!” So? Do you really think they are going through anxiety, stress, whatever? Or is it just you? Believe me, my friend, I have had my share of hurt feelings, anxiety, whatever. I don’t want to live there anymore. Life is so much better when it’s peaceful and calm.
So if there is someone in your life you need to forgive, do it! You will feel so much better.
Kathy Keller
Writer and Prayer warrior with Answers2Prayer Ministries
If you would like to receive daily inspirational messages from Kathy Keller, click here and put “devotional” in the subject bar.