Forgiveness

Forgiveness

By: Dr. William A. Sassman, Ph.D.

Many people ruin their lives and well-beings by taking the poison of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness upon themselves. If we do not forgive others, we suffer as a result. If you have ever had a problem in this area, I’m sure you bear witness with what I’m saying. It’s torture to have hateful thoughts toward another person rolling around inside your head. I have personally experienced this struggle.  Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you? You are helping yourself as well as the other person, by releasing them so that God can do what only He can do. Our flesh wants to “handle it” on our own and dismiss the power of God altogether.

We want immediate results, but what we don’t realize is that God doesn’t operate on our instant time frame. God will deal with those who hurt us if we will put them in His hands through the act of forgiveness. The act of forgiving is our seed of obedience to His Word. Once we have sown our seed, He is faithful to bring a harvest of blessing to us.  Forgiveness releases God to do His work in me. I’m happier and feel better when I’m not filled with the poison of unforgiveness. A myriad of problems such as disease, stress and undue pressure, can occur due to unforgiveness.

Unforgiveness also plants a seed of bitterness, and if not taken care of, the bitterness can form deep roots.   Mark 11:22-26 clearly teaches us that unforgiveness hinders our faith from working. Would you like to become more successful at forgiving others? There are practical steps that must be taken. I have asked God why so many people want to forgive but aren’t successful doing it. The response is, “Because they aren’t obeying what I tell them to do in My Word.” The first step is that you will never forgive if you wait until you feel like it. Choose to obey God by resisting the devil in his attempts to poison you with bitter thoughts. Make a quality decision to forgive, and God will heal your wounded emotions in due time. This is easier said than done.  You cannot truly forgive without the power of the Holy Spirit. You must humble yourself and cry out to Him for help. Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” His next instruction was about forgiving people. Ask God to breathe the Holy Spirit on you so you can forgive those who have hurt you. Last, obey the Word that tells us how to forgive our enemies. Pray for those who attack and mistreat you. Be willing to let God pay for past injustices. After all, this is why he died.  He knew that we, as well as others, were sinners, and needed a sacrifice for our sin.  We rob God when we do not allow Him to take on the injustices in the world.  Do not try to collect from the people who hurt you, because the people who hurt you cannot indemnify you or your pain. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away the sin, pain and past hurts and mistakes, to cleanse us from unrighteousness and make us Holy and pure.