Forgiveness Requires Forgiveness

It's Genesis Bible Fellowship Church's anniversary month and we continue to celebrate forty years of Pastoral and Church Ministry. Join us as we receive daily encouragement from one another as we read about the when and the how the Lord led each writer to Genesis Bible Fellowship Church! Enjoy today's devotional and may it remind you of when you were led to this branch of Zion!

Unforgiveness makes us feel angry, bitter, and resentful. The impact of unforgiveness can be physical, mental, and spiritual. Yes, we may feel justified in our anger, yet we must choose to either be obedient, or disobedient based on what the Lord has already told us about forgiving others. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a man who refuses to forgive someone even after he has been forgiven. Jesus describes the consequences of unforgiveness as being like torture. When we don’t forgive, we decide to hold on to the offense. We focus on our pain, constantly reliving the offense, thus keeping ourselves in bondage without even realizing it.

I’m a man who knows a little something about unforgiveness. Throughout various times in my life, from my younger days into adulthood, I have shown unforgiveness to others. My selfish desires only allowed me to focus on myself, and my circumstances. I rarely even gave it a thought to forgive others, just as I have been forgiven. I chose to go against the Word of God about forgiveness, while in the same breath asking him for it. After many years of this unjust behavior, the Lord decided that the only way for me to come back to Him was in the form of personal pain. Hard lessons had to be learned from a hardened heart in my life.

I came to Genesis Bible Fellowship Church in January, 2019 as a visitor, finally with a desire to change. After 16 weeks of New Members class, I knew this Bible preaching, Bible teaching institution was the place that would allow me to grow apart from my selfishness. The relationships, the ministries, the accountability groups have all been part of my personal growth. The Lord guided me right where I needed to be, placing people in my path who told me what I need to hear instead of what I want to hear. The Corporate body of Genesis Bible Fellowship Church has been a Revelation to me and my family.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I come respectfully to Your throne of Grace, thanking You for the tests, trials, and tribulations You placed in my path for correction. Thank You for all that mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love that You have given to me that I didn’t, and still don’t deserve. Please help me to make it my aim to be well pleasing to You, so that You can use me for Your purpose and Your glory. I give You all the honor, and all the praise, for it’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
By Bro. Alvin McCoy

Would you like to share your testimony? Follow the Devotional format above and email your devotional to paula1028smith@gmail.com.