People struggle with forgiveness!

The natural reaction is to want to punish or get revenge on the one who hurt us.

Today’s scripture tells us Yahweh is the ultimate forgiver. When we repent and accept The Messiah – Yeshua as our Savior Yahweh erases our sins and forgets them.  It’s for His own sake. Because Yahweh is unable to be in the presence of sin. Because of His very nature: He is sinless. He is perfect. He is holy. He simply will not tolerate sin. Paul warns the willfully rebellious in Romans 2:5.

But you are stubborn and refuse to change, so you are making your own punishment even greater on the day he shows his anger. On that day everyone will see God’s right judgments. — Romans 2:5

There’s 5 types of forgiveness:

1. human forgiveness, that of people extending forgiveness toward others
2. divine forgiveness, Yahweh’s forgiving human beings
3. unilateral forgiveness, one sided forgiveness – See Matthew 5 below.
4. complete forgiveness, bilateral – Yeshua gives us this when we repent and accept Him as our Savior. 1 John 1:9 tells us:
   

   But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done. — 1 John 1:9

5. living in forgiveness, It includes seeking forgiveness from God through the redemptive work of Yeshua The Messiah and seeking complete forgiveness from anyone we have offended if, of course, they are available to forgive us. To live as completely forgiven is the right and joy of the committed Christian. It may involve going back to others who we have hurt through the years. It is an important aspect of moving towards the victorious Christian life.
   

An unforgiving spirit leads to bitterness, anger, and resentment. A heart with that type of attitude is not able to have true fellowship with Yahweh. Not holding grudges allows a state of mind that is ready and willing to forgive. Reconciliation is the goal, and if there cannot be reconciliation, a willingness to forgive must be maintained. There can be no excuse for withholding forgiveness from others.  Matthew 5 tells us:

But I tell you, if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be judged. If you say bad things to a brother or sister, you will be judged by the council. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.
“So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person, and then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5:22-24

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

Do you live a victorious Christian life? The quote by Lewis B. Smedes is an eye opener. I’ve experienced this in my life. When I did my expression was, “I feel like a caged bird set free”. Picture a bird cage with the door flying open and I fly out into freedom. Is this your experience? If not, would like to experience it? Forgive! It’s liberating.

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