Forgiveness: The Balm Needed for Healing

Have you sinned? Sure have. Has anyone sinned against you? Yeah they have and we want to give them a serious ‘side-eye’ for that, but that would mean that God would have to give you 'A SERIOUS SIDE EYE.’ This week our Devotional Team aims to help us all see just how integral “Repentance from Sin and Unforgiveness” is to the believer so we can keep those eyes stayed on Jesus!

Have you ever been so angry with someone that the mere mention of their name triggers your anger? Have you seemingly forgiven someone but when you see them emotions flood your senses, and you find yourself snarling? If you can answer yes, then you haven’t really forgiven the person. True forgiveness frees you from negative emotions. True forgiveness lifts the burden of contempt off you. True forgiveness heals. Mistakenly, many often attempt forgiveness without the assistance of the Lord. We must remember that forgiveness is spiritual and rarely happens overnight. We must remember that the Lord knows our heart, even when we don’t. Therefore, just saying, “I forgive you” isn’t enough because forgiveness is a heart issue. And the Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Ofttimes knowing that we should forgive others so we can be forgiven encourages us to try to forgive while other times we allow feelings to dictate our behavior. Sometimes, we take the Lord’s grace and mercy for granted and instead hold animosity towards others because we know that the Lord is faithful to forgive our trespasses (1John 1:9) if we confess our sins.

The belief that we can just go through life not forgiving others but expecting others to forgive us is false. The Bible tells us that we should forgive people even if they offend/hurt us more than once (Matthew 18:22). To forgive, and especially those who continually hurt you, requires supernatural intervention, because there may be a time when we must forgive even when the person feels no remorse for what he has done. There may be a time when we must forgive a person who has offended us and then dies, or there may be a time when we must forgive a person who continues to offend us. Given our human frailty it is impossible to forgive others without the help of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit makes forgiveness possible. Jesus is a great example of forgiveness. Imagine for a moment that God had entrusted you with such power and your people betrayed you, would you be able to say, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” or would you say, “Father, Forget them”?

When faced with the need to forgive, take your issue to the Lord. Be honest about your feelings and your desire to forgive or not forgive. Trust that the Lord is able and will assist you in forgiving. Remember that forgiveness is a two-way street, and that forgiveness is the balm that heals. It is impossible to heal while holding onto unforgiveness. However, letting go of hate, anger, or resentment instantly lifts those burdens and allows for healing.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, fill me with the power of forgiveness. Help me Lord, to let go of anger, resentment, and hate toward people who have hurt me. Help me Lord, to forgive myself for times that I’ve grieved You, for times I’ve knowingly misrepresented You, for times I stood stiff necked refusing to forgive. Thank you, for the example of Jesus the Christ who openly forgave a people who not just set out to hurt Him but followed through with that hurt. Help us Lord, to choose forgiveness. In the matchless name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
By Sis. Pat Towns