Forgiveness - Part 1
We have to forgive people to set ourselves free. We aren't just holding the other person to their past mistakes, we are cementing ourselves in the past as well.
Forgiving someone is just as much about us as it is about the other person. When someone hurts us, it can be a seed for bitterness. Holding onto painful memories only waters that seed and allows it to grow roots in our soul.
We have to forgive people to set ourselves free. We aren't just holding the other person to their past mistakes, we are cementing ourselves in the past as well. We are trapped in a painful mindset and we will act out of that pain. It will affect all of our future relationships and jobs until we let it go.
"And make sure no on lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many," (Hebrews 12:15 TPT).
If we're not careful, we can let extremely painful memories be the foundation for our whole identity. We think of ourselves as the person who got fired, divorced, rejected or abused. Adopting this kind of thinking makes us believe that if that one thing hadn't happened to us, then our whole lives would be different. Instead of putting faith in the power of God to change our lives, we look at the past wishing that we had never been hurt. We are focused on what we cannot change while our Father has made healing available.
"He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we would be dead to sin and live for righteousness. Our instant healing flowed from his wounding," (1 Peter 2:24 TPT).
God can't heal what we're so desperately holding onto. It's not that God lacks the power to work in our lives, it's that we won't give Him permission. Unforgiveness hardens our heart. Forgiving people who have hurt us will soften our hearts. It will allow us to find our identity in Christ instead of our past.
"And our own completeness is now found in Him. We are completely filled with God as Christ's fullness overflows within us," (Colossians 2:10 TPT).
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