Four important ways to overcome unforgiveness
Like a cancer, unforgiveness grows inside of you.
It is a silent killer. It saps your energy. It commands your thinking. It holds you like a shackled prisoner.
You try to stop thinking about that person and your thoughts keep landing on them.
You feel tormented at night. You plan things to say to them if you ever get the chance.
I want to help you be free from that inner disease called unforgiveness.
Here are four Biblical ways to find your way out of unforgiveness:
God cannot forgive those who cannot forgive.
Jesus told us about a man who owed his creditor about six BILLION dollars. He begged for forgiveness and was totally released from the entire debt.
He turned right around and threw a man in jail who owed him $7500 dollars!
The first creditor who forgave the debt heard about it and threw the scoundrel into prison for life.
Jesus is saying that we have absolutely NO CHOICE but to forgive. The consequence would be that we could never be forgiven by God (and would spend eternity in eternal punishment).
2. God can use your enemies to accomplish His will.
It’s true that bad people are lurking around. Sometimes, they target you. Join the crowd.
Can they totally alter your life so that you are forever defeated, dejected, and a failure?
God can use it. Joseph’s brothers threw him into slavery, but God used it for good. He used Joseph to save perhaps millions of people from starvation (including his own family).
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Gen. 50: 20)
3. Unforgiveness puts you in the place of God.
Joseph told his brothers, “Am I in the place of God?” (Gen. 50:19)
In other words, we all need forgiveness ourselves.
If I don’t forgive others, I’m acting like I am God, the Judge of all things. I am in God’s place to mete out punishment.
I’m afraid not. To be unforgiving is to make a silent statement that you are perfect.
Quit being God. Be merciful to others so that you can receive mercy.
4. It disarms your enemies when you treat them kindly.
Anybody can love those who love them.
Can you love your enemies?
Jesus said to, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5: 44-45)
He told us to love our enemies, do good to them, and even pray for them.
Those three things demonstrate the kindness of God who sends His sun and rain on evil people as well as good people.
Demonstrate that you are a son or daughter of God by showing unnatural kindness to someone who has hurt you.
I know it’s tough. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and give you the grace to forgive.
That’s the only way you are going to get healed.