Forgive!

2024.12.01

FORGIVENESS - A CONDITION FOR HEALING?

Mark 11:26 NKJV

"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

These are the words of Jesus. The context is also important. He said these when the disciples asked Him about how to think, believe and speak in order to see results, answered prayers. Mark 11,22-25.

But what would He say to you, to me? I'll look into that now.

NEW COVENANT FORGIVENESS

However, we must know that when Jesus said all this, the Old Testament was still in force.

A covenant begins in the Bible when a sacrifice was introduced. Jesus Himself is the sacrificial lamb, and the new covenant began with His death on the cross and His resurrection. Then the believers received a new heart and Holy Spirit. Why? So that they would not try to obey the letter and the law in their own strength, but by the Holy Spirit, out of gratitude to Christ, out of their free will and conviction.

Only because of love can we do good, forgive, and walk in love.

So even if Jesus' words show us the right direction and attitude, we need to keep in mind that we are now new covenant believers and can use the power of grace, which became available only after Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection.

CHRIST'S FORGIVENESS

Therefore, it is not necessary to think that God will withdraw His forgiveness from us if we become angry with someone. (Of course, let's be kind...😊 ) But in the new covenant, Jesus has already forgiven all our sins. Jesus forgave even those who didn't ask for it, and those who were the meanest to Him, personally. He forgave those who crucified him and even prayed for them. Luke 23: 34.

WHY SHOULD WE FORGIVE?

So in the new covenant we do not forgive others so that the Father will forgive us. (This is an Old Testament principle.) We forgive because we see how great God's grace and goodness is towards us, and we want to follow that. Christ's goodness and forgiveness live in us.

We desire to be like Christ. We know that God compensates and comforts us for everything that our enemy has done/taken from us. So if we hold grudges - then we don't trust God to make amends and that forgiveness is good.

We don't have to earn God's goodness with goodness, because God has already given us all the blessings! Ephesians 1: 3.

He has already healed all our wounds and illnesses. 1 Peter 1: 24.

A HINDRANCE?

Love forgives. But if there is anger in our hearts, how can we walk in unity with Christ and be healed in the presence of God?

I John 3:20-23 NKJV

"For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment."

So the obstacle is not on God's side.

It is our hearts that become insecure when we hold grudges, and due to this we don't dare to speak to God so boldly and confidently.

But if we know that our hearts are pure, that we obey Him in everything, then we always freely run to Him!

The basic nature of Christ is forgiveness, and the only way we can walk in His nature, walk with Him, live in Him, recognize His love and the healing and blessing that comes from His love - if we also forgive others.

The parable of Jesus is also about this: Matthew 18:21-35

ANGER

Doctors have also proven that anger destroys our health, bodied and souls. However, there are many testimonies that people were healed when they forgave someone, since then they themselves were spiritually relieved from anger and the burdens of the past.

MY TESTIMONY

For years, I thought I had forgiven those who were once close to me, but they hurt me deeply. But Holy Spirit showed me that as long as I keep bringing up the past (in my mind), forgiveness is not perfect.

📕 1 Corinthians 13:5 NCV

"Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done."

That's when I decided: I'll forgive them and not mention the past again.

At that time, I experienced a huge change in my heart: My gaze was no longer fixed on the past, but on the future full of hope. Inside my heart, I was no longer preparing for the worst, but for good changes.

Holy Spirit showed me many Words about how important love and forgiveness are and gave me strength to pray for them every day and, if necessary, to let go of the past again and again.

Not much time passed and God gave me great blessings through these same people. If I hadn't forgiven them, I would have missed out on wonderful things...

BUT HOW TO FORGIVE?

🩷Don't mention the past anymore!

Proverbs 17:9 GW

"Whoever forgives an offense seeks love, but whoever keeps bringing up the issue separates the closest of friends."

🩷Don't do it on your own, ask the Holy Spirit for help. Say it out loud: I forgive... Do this out of obedience, not because your "enemy" deserves it. If necessary, forgive them several times a day if you remember what they did.

🩷Matthew 18: 21-22. Pray for your "enemy".

🩷Just because you forgave, trust is not automatically restored. If God leads you to keep a distance, then feel free to be careful with those people, this is not a sin, but wisdom. You can put a fence around your heart, but there should be a door on it, through which you can let the other person close to you again. The Spirit of the Lord will guide you.

🩷If possible, talk to the other person about what hurt you. (After God has healed your heart. But don't complain to a third person...)

A TESTIMONY OF HEALING

Nerida Walker shared in one of her teachings that a lady came to her for help, because she wanted to be healed.

The Christians told her that until she forgives the relative who raped her, God will not heal her. This lady suffered a serious trauma and was mentally broken.

In such a case, unfortunately, many believers think that healing is only possible if the person is spiritually healed and never thinks about past hurts.

But Nerida comforted this lady and said: Let's put this "forgiveness issue" aside for a while. Instead of making healing conditional, Nerida spoke to her about God's redemption, grace, and unconditional love.

The lady was then completely healed and got to know her Heavenly Father, who does not put an obstacles in front of her and does not look at a person's performance, changing emotions!

Christ has already healed us by his grace, his undeserved kindness.

(Later she was able to completely forgive her relative. But that's another story.)

🙌Dear Reader, I bless you to experience God's great love, and that your relationships and healings are determined only by God's love, goodness, and Word - not old shadows.

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

❤️ To forgive sins or release/remove sins is not only a difficult task... It is a great opportunity that we can do with grace!

In the original Greek, the word is "aphiémi". This means that we can separate the sins of others from them (as if it were a divorce, we separate the power of sin from the character and life of the other person), send the sins away, allow them to leave.

This way we allow the person whom we forgive to not have to suffer the bad consequences of sins, but to have their spiritual eyes opened to see what is right and what is good.

🙌 I bless you to dare to forgive your enemies and your loved ones and bless them so that they all turn to God.

THE WORD

Mark 11:22-25 TPT

"Jesus replied, “Let the faith of God be in you! Listen to the truth I speak to you: Whoever says to this mountain with great faith and does not doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done. This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—be convinced that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults."