Exercise Your Right to Forgive!

It happened five years ago, and you are STILL angry?!? It was five years ago to date that they betrayed your trust, and walked out the door with your dignity, your pride and your heart. However, at some point you have to let it go and move on with your life. That person is sleeping at night, and has not a bit more thought about what happened. In the meantime you have tried to convince yourself and others that you have moved on, and that you are now "living your life like its golden". But the truth is that you are tossing and turning every night. You cannot listen to the radio without every song on the radio reminding you of some part of that relationship. Your close family and friends have been victims to your random tirades, and the relationships that have come after have failed.

So what do you do? I am glad you ask... What I am about to share with you is something sure to blow your socks off. That, if you do this your life will be forever changed... you have to F-O-R-G-I-V-E. *Pause for dramatic effect*

Its such a simple word, but yet it carries so much power behind it and nobody really wants to use this power. People actually choose to be bitter and angry! They find it so very easy to hold on to the pain and the hurt. Not realizing that they are serving hard time as a prisoner for not forgiving. The Bible says in Matthew 6:14 "In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part".
In other words you need to forgive in order to be forgiven. How can you come to God without first forgiving others and even forgiving yourself? God is so merciful to us and is constantly showing us His love toward us. He does not bless according to the good we have done. He blesses us because of His grace and mercy. Could you imagine if God decided to bless us according to our works?! I would imagine that our lives would be a living hell if that were the case. We have to forgive! We must forgive! Its not for the other person, but its for YOU! You need to experience peace of mind. You need God to hear you when you pray. You need to do because God loves you inspite of all the wrong you do on a daily. You... must... set... yourself... free!

Now forgiveness is a process and it takes time to reach a level of full forgiveness. But if you are honest with God, and let Him help you out with the process, it won't take long for you to get there. Does that mean you will become best friends with the person who wronged you? Who knows... but at most you will have a peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7- NIV).

So, try it today... Forgive and set yourself free from that prison of unforgiveness.
*Unless otherwise noted, all bible references have been taken from the Message Bible.