The Power of Forgiveness

I once read a quote about what the most important phrases or words you ever need to learn to have successful relationships. They were things like, Thank you, I love you, I’m sorry and so forth. The one that really stuck out for me, though, was, “I forgive you.” From the time we are little, we are taught those first few phrases. Even today, there is a song that I sing with my kids that goes like this, “Please and thank you, please and thank you, say them twice, that’s so nice!” And it is nice to say those things, but, No one really ever talks about the “its ok, I forgive you” part of it. That’s why I think it is really hard for people to truly understand forgiveness, especially when it isn't deserved in the world’s eye.

Forgiveness is our way of allowing someone who hurt us to know that we are ok with it. The whole idea is odd. “You hurt me, but no big deal. Move on with your life because I forgive you.” I don’t think as the person being forgiven we actually, truly understand how much we may have hurt another individual.

But, God forgave us.

We hurt Him more than we could ever comprehend through our sin.

The craziest part is that He loved us so much, that he actually sent His son down here to die for us. To become sin for us. To die the death we deserved.

Think about that for a minute. Can you comprehend what I just wrote? Imagine someone you loved more than anything hurting you, betraying you and casting you aside. Even denying that you were a part of their life anymore. Then, they gave up their most precious possession to show you how much they still loved you and wanted to be a part of your life.

God did that for us. He gave up His son for us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

That is forgiveness. There is no greater example that the world will ever see than God forgiving us through Jesus.

Accepting God’s Grace and forgiveness is essential to becoming a Christian. But, I want to take a step back. Sure, God forgives us. He does. But, that’s not the point I want to make with this today.  I want you all that are struggling to understand this:

You’ll never understand what God has in store for you with His Grace and His forgiveness until you do one thing: You must learn how to forgive 
YOURSELF.

This was my biggest struggle when I first started to learn who Jesus was. I didn't think He could forgive me because of all this guilt I had buried inside of me. I couldn't be forgiven for my sin because I couldn't forgive myself for my past.

Do you feel like you don’t deserve forgiveness?  Are you holding on to something in the past? Let it go!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

Nothing, NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ! Absolutely nothing.  We are more than conquerors! That is such a powerful piece of scripture. We are more than overcomers! We can overcome and conquer anything that stands in our way or haunts our past because of the Love that is in us through Christ Jesus!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)

You are a new creation. We are called “Born again” because we are literally reborn through Christ Jesus when we accept him as our Lord and Savior! We are a new creation! When you are struggling with sin from the past, it is in the past. It is all washed away when you are reborn!

Don’t let guilt separate you from God. You feel this guilt because the adversary does not want you to experience this forgiveness. He is that author of confusion whispering in your ear that you don’t deserve it!

 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints  (1 Corinthians 14:33)

You are cleansed from your former sins!

For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins (2 Peter 1:9)

If you are not forgiving yourself, then you are denying everything that Christ came here for. He came here so that you could experience joy and peace.  He doesn’t want you to keep dwelling in the past. He removed them from you and infinitely separated you from them!

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:4)

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12)

So, this is what you need to do.

1. Be honest with yourself. No one is perfect, trust in Jesus. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven…(Luke 7:47a)
2.  Realize the debt has been paid!  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14)
3.  Allow the holy spirit to heal your soul!  Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)
4. View yourself as reborn… recreated (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Finally, I leave you with this last piece of scripture. You are free from death, from the sins of your past, because you are no longer living according to your flesh.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2)

God Bless you all!