Freedom comes after forgiveness

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” -Lewis B. Smedes

I found these words years ago and have never really forgotten them. They made a marked difference in my life and I pray it will for you too.

Forgiveness frees. Forgiveness takes such priority as it is included in the Lords prayer detailed in Matthew 6. Truth is we are forgiven by God AS we forgive others.

Many of us are waiting for the offender to grovel, to suffer and we hang on to the old offenses, waiting watching for them to fail and stumble. If we ever knew how offensive this is to God we would not do this and I might add if we ever knew how offensive our own sin is before God, we would not keep ought against others.

Now as I write this article I must say one can forgive, but you do not have to walk in a way connected to those individuals who abuse or repetitively deliberately hurt you. Many of those individuals continue in those old destructive patterns of narcissism, pride and walking along a destructive pathway. You are no one's Holy Spirit and neither are you their Judge.

You never know where someone will end and how God can grow and use the other individual who caused you such deep pain.

Your responsibility is YOU. I find that this helps if you keep replaying the harm someone else did to you, then do these two things:

1. Ask God to help you to let go of that incident, to restore your soul and remove the record of that wrong. If operating in true Agape love, then what someone else does cannot affect the flow that comes from your heart. Unforgiveness, bitterness and anger cannot remain in a heart governed by God's love. Amen

2. Begin to bless that individual, calling their name aloud. Blessing someone pronounces God's will upon that particular individual.

I must say these words here: Even our worst enemies are still deserving of somehow being a recipient of God's grace and mercy. God desires none to perish. Not because someone offended, wounded or hurt us - they are not discharged from the race. Again I say your responsibility is YOU.

Amen

So let go today, ask God to show you who you have kept records about and not forgiven

I have so many testimonials even of individuals who have been freed of mental, emotional and physical illnesses after they took steps and obeyed God in the matter of forgiveness. Amen

If you truly want to experience a depth in your relationship with God then begin to let go and let God.

Keep those records no more of all who hurt or wounded you and you will find you will no longer be a victim but free - free to Worship God, free to become all God made you to be. Not defined by past wounds, pain, hurt and scars, but free to be all God wants you to be

Amen

Walk good in Christ

Till we meet again Pastor J