Christ died on the cross for our sins, yet many Christians live with

guilt and worse unforgiveness for others.  I'm sure Christ must

wonder why we continue to live in misery when we are purified of

sin by His shed blood.  We can be FREE of sin, sickness, and 

spiritual death if we choose to accept or believe that God has 

forgiven us immediately when we ask.

 

Even if we accept God's forgiveness of our sins, if we're unable to forgive ourselves or others, we will harbor selfloathing, bitterness, anger, and hatred.  All these emotions lead to illness, depression, meanness, selfishness and perhaps premature death. 

 

Unforgiveness zaps us of our compassion, creativity and the loving nature of Christ we're to extent to others. 

 

Many times people say, "I will never forgive that person."  But what they're really saying is that they don't want to live their lives to the fullest.  I say this because we don't hurt the person we should

forgive, we hurt ourselves.  Yet this isn't the first reason to let go

of the hurt and pain others have caused us.  We forgive first

because God tells us to do so, and because He always forgives us 

when we ask. 

 

And what does God say if we don't forgive others?

 

That He won't forgive us according to Mark 11:26.  Don't you want

to be forgiven?  If you're not, you can't have answered prayer.  We

are also told that when we pray we must stand before God in forgiveness of all.  This also includes yourself.  

 

So when you can't forgive you're actually allowing the person who

hurt you to continue to hurt you for the rest of your life.  And if

you can't forgive yourself, then you are punishing yourself for nothing.  By knowing that God forgives all, you can do the same for yourself 

and for others.

 

Either live all of God's Word or none of it.  What good is it to go

before God in prayer if you are not fulfilling one of it's essential 

elements, which is forgiveness?   

 

God tells us what to do to have success in life, but it's up to us to obey.  However, what happens is that Christians usually blame God

for not coming through for them when they only have themselves
to blame.  

 

Perhaps unforgiveness is causing you to blame God for your problems.  Well don't don't be too hard on yourself, I don't want you to feel

guilty!  Just be forgiven and forgive!!!  We all have God's mercy.  

 

 

Take these easy steps toward God's forgiveness and you'll become the complete person in Christ God created you to be.

 

• 1.  Understand forgiveness from God's point of view.  He tells us that
  
• He blotts out sin as if it never were.  This means that when He
  
• forgives us, He never remembers what we did again.  So we should
  
• do the same.

• 
  
• 2.  There's no forgiving day by day.  It's a complete transaction immediately.  When you are angry with someone or yourself, forgive immediately.

• 
  

• 3.  If you forgive someone you don't or can't trust, stay away from them.  You are forgiving in obedience to God, but you are not
  
• required to be harmed over and over again by the same people you forgive.
• 
  

• 4.  Whenever you find yourself thinking about something bad someone
  
• has done to you that you have already forgiven, immediately shift
  
• your thinking away from the negative thought and pray for that
  
• person to be blessed.  Doing this will bless them and you as well.  If 
• you haven't forgiven someone, do it immediately!  

 

Make God's forgiveness a habit and you'll develop great respect for yourself by taking on the persona of Christ.  This is a process made available by the blood of Jesus Christ and God's grace.       

 

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