Finding Freedom in Forgiveness!

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you.

Mark 11:25

How do we find the strength to forgive others that have caused us so much pain and hardship?

That is when we lean on God and His word!

Forgiving someone that has done you wrong is never easy. Trust me I know. I am sure that is something that everyone struggles with, myself included. Ultimately everyone deserves forgiveness, and Jesus has made that pretty clear throughout the Bible.

Ephesians 4:32 says,

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as Christ Jesus forgave you.

When we feel as though we don’t deserve to be forgiven by God, He still forgives us. And we should learn to forgive others that exact same way. Forgiving others doesn’t justify what they have done to you, but instead releases you from the hatred, bitterness, and burden that unforgiveness holds. Forgiving others makes a way for our own personal healing to begin.

Unforgiveness compromises our relationship with God and allows the enemy to harden our heart and fill our minds with thoughts of hatred, bitterness, and anger. God commands us to forgive. Forgiveness is a choice and by doing so we have to lean on God for the strength and power to forgive others. It is essential if we want to grow in our walk with God.

Just for a minute, put yourself in the perspective of Jesus on the cross.

Think about how He felt. He cried out on the cross and still forgave fully and completely.

And Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:34

He sacrificed His life for all of us, even those who hated Him, yet still shows mercy in forgiveness. We need to learn to live in the image of Christ and forgive just as He forgives us.

How does God forgive us for the things we can’t seem to forget?

We can never out-sin the grace of God.

Our Father is quick to forgive us of our sins when we repent and ask for His forgiveness. He wants us to turn to Him so that He can heal us in our brokenness. We are never too broken or too far gone to be clothed with His righteousness and honor.

God’s forgiveness is shown all throughout the Bible, but one of the most clear stories is the story of Peter’s denial.

Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him 3 times before the rooster crowed the next morning. Peter claimed that he would never deny Him and continued to say that he would die for Christ. But like we all know, Peter did deny Jesus and he felt the weight and pain from his sin.

Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:75

But you know what? Jesus showed Peter forgiveness, just as he would us all.

He challenged Peter to start over with Him and ensured that He was not done with Peter yet. He showed Peter grace and mercy in forgiveness.

Just because you have failed and messed up, God is not done with you yet.

When you feel like you are too far gone and can’t be forgiven, just remember the story of Peter and understand that God is merciful and forgiving even when we have failed Him.

The Lord Our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him.

Daniel 9:9

Our God works in mysterious ways and His grace and forgiveness pours over us all. If we didn’t have a purpose and worth in this life, then we wouldn’t be here. God isn’t done with you; He is just getting started.

Remember, God forgives what you can’t seem to forget!