Foundations: Protect yourself and forgive
Main Course: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15)
Un-forgiveness, bitterness, stress on the body, causes sickness and disease, shortens our lives and drives us to an early grave. We have all heard this time and time again. But I discovered this one particular pearl on my journey through life: Don’t pay for your pain twice by carrying it or holding on to it (being violated and then holding on to the pain of it).
We must honestly ask ourselves, was not the crucifixion of Jesus (Him hanging on the cross) for the sins of the whole world not good enough? Does he need to come back down to earth and die again to forgive the person(s) we can’t seem to forgive? He already paid the price for it once but through our un-forgiveness we are really asking him to pay this debt again. God forbid.
Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and when we don’t forgive, it's not that God will not forgive us, but that we are not in a position to receive his forgiveness. We are not in alignment in our spirit/heart; and therefore are unable to receive of his love that is so necessary for us to release our bitter souls (our hurt and pain).
Word to the wise: Don’t live the life of a murderer (1 Jn 3:15); stop punishing yourself for something you had no control over; God knows all things (1 Jn 3:20), and don’t pay another day (eating bitter grapes) because Jesus already paid it all (Jn 19:30).
If God can forgive us, who we sinned against before we were even born into this world are we greater than God (Ps 51:5)? Selah
Bottom line: To forgive is to protect ourselves, to protect our hearts for out of it is how we live (Prov 4:23). Like a waterfall, God's constant forgiveness is our protection against un-forgiveness. Are you protecting yourself everyday? (Matt 18:21-22).
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