The power of forgiveness is God’s gift to us to help us live in a cruel, unfair, and evil world. God tells us we have to forgive those who wrong us. First, it is an act of obedience and our expression of our love for God. But it is also a gift in the sense that when we forgive, we become free, we lose ourselves from the tight grips the other person had in our life.
We can say with our mouths that we have forgiven but if in our hearts we have not released that person or those people who hurt us, then we remain in bondage. If our hearts have not released such people to God, then roots of bitterness start growing in us even without our knowledge. When we have not yet forgiven, even the mention of that person’s name can make us cringe, the mention of their name can drive us to re-experience those hurts all over again in our hearts.
Forgiving is hard but when we do it, we realize the power therein.
Those people who hurt us can never heal us. If we are approaching them with the aim of finding healing, we may find ourselves in deeper hurts. They may even start taking advantage and become abusive, they may try to demean us in both words and actions, they will say things with the sole purpose of inflicting more hurt. During such moments, we get to find out who such people really are, they may have put on a mask for long, but such times their true nature and character come out clearly. They can call you all sorts of names, they will be outrightly mean, they will gossip and slander you, they will turn other people against you in an effort to preserve their image, they will try to drive you down to the floor.
Hurt sometimes makes us hold on, we may think those who wronged us owe us something yet they do not no matter the hurt caused, we think maybe they will change, maybe this, maybe that. However, we can never change a hardened heart, we cannot change people’s character. People are who they are even if they put on a show for a season.
When a person hurts us so deeply, we come to the realization that there is nothing that they can say or do that can ever make up for those hurts. We come to realize there is nothing that can reverse what they have said or done. We come to realize that they really do not love us, their actions tell all. We come to realize they were in our life for a season and for a reason. We come to realize the power of letting go. We come to realize the power of forgiveness. We come to realize the power of God.
Forgiveness helps us to let go. Forgiveness does not mean that the other person was right, on the contrary, it means that what happened did happen but we choose to forgive. It means there is nothing they can do or say to make up for the hurt caused. Forgiveness is an act of mercy towards those who hurt us. We choose to set our souls free, we choose our relationship with God over a relationship with a fellow human.
Forgiveness is a choice. You choose to forgive and ask God to help you out. Ask God to help you release the person who has hurt you; He will. We cannot heal by staying in the past, we cannot heal by reminding those who did us wrong how much they hurt us, we cannot move forward if we hold things against others in our hearts. Only God settles the score. People reap what they sow, it may not be apparent early on, but eventually, God does settle the score; whether in this life, the next life, or both.
We are to pray for those who hurt us and release them to God. It is not our job to avenge; vengeance belongs to God.
Without forgiveness, we turn into bitter angry people. If we do not forgive, we give the enemy a doorway to enter into our lives. The enemy can use past hurts to ruin our lives; he thrives in seeing people fall. We should never allow others to turn us into people we are not. We should pray for God to help us discern the spirits in people and keep away from those who are not good-willed.
Our lives can easily go to waste thinking that we are doing ourselves a favor holding on to what other people said or did, or what they did not say or not do. We do a disservice to ourselves when we hold on to hurt, anger, bitterness, and rage; that is poison to our souls. We may end up perishing in our bitterness. Do not allow yourself to go to hell over something someone else said or did! Those people may end up in heaven if they repent, leaving you a bitter angry person!
God is the answer to all life’s problems and struggles. God is our healer. He is the One who heals the brokenhearted and mends their wounds. It is God we should run to for answers. God is our Source, the source of everything including life itself. When we are wronged in any way, we are to run first to God and tell Him everything. We are to ask for His forgiveness, we ask Him to forgive us and forgive those who hurt us. Then, we leave everything to Him.
God turns what the enemy meant for bad into good for His honor and glory. He will turn those wounds into testimonies for His glory. He makes everything new. God’s strength is manifest in our weakness. When we reach our end, there we find God! We come to realize He was there every step of the way. With time, we learn to discern and follow God’s lead. God holds us. He will never allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to bear.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13.
We stand on the promises of God. We are to do what the Word of God says; if it says we forgive, then we do it, it is for our benefit. Unforgiveness keeps us bound in chains, it destroys our relationship with God. When we forgive, we become free. No one can stand against a heart that has forgiven. The enemy loses his power. The people who hurt us no longer have any hold in our lives. When we forgive, we unburden ourselves. It is one of the best decisions we can ever make for the sake of ourselves and our relationship with God. Forgiveness is a strength, not a weakness. We let go and let God take over.
Blessings.
Get my free guide: How to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply. Click Here to download.
To watch YouTube Videos, Click Here. Remember to subscribe to my channel.
Get free consultation about my Christian women coaching mentorship program. Click Here to get more information.
To listen to the podcast, Click Here.
Pingback: Closed Doors - The Blessing Of Closed Doors - Vicky's Forum - Life Coach