Forgiveness

Matthew 6:5-15
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.[b] 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.[c]

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses

Forgiveness is a very touchy subject with many people. Some hold onto the pain and use it as a constant reminder of why they are in a situation. Some hold onto it to make a point. What that point is I don't know. All I know is that in order for God to forgive us for our wrongs we must first begin to forgive those who came against us. Weather it be intentional or accidental either way they did something to us that caused us pain and grief, made us uncomfortable and basically changed the way we view ourselves.
Forgiveness comes from within it is not something you should take lightly. We have been doing a study in church about the condition of our hearts. Is there something that has been laid on your heart recently and you have yet to act on it? Is there someone deep inside that caused you pain and grief and you thought how could they do this to me? you need to begin searching deep within yourself and find the strength to forgive those that have come against you. Once you do this the flood gates will begin to open.
I have written in an earlier post titled holding on. What are you holding onto? If you are still holding onto the pain and hurt of your past, then how can God begin to give you the blessings he has stored up for you? How can you hold onto God if you are holding onto your Past. Let it go begin to forgive those who have hurt you. Those who have come against you. God is waiting to hear you say I forgive.... so He can in turn say My Child You are Forgiven. In Isaiah 54:7-8 it says 7 “ For a mere moment I have forsaken you,But with great mercies I will gather you. 8 With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
God has hidden his face from you because its as if He is thinking if they can not forgive this person for what they have done then how can I forgive them for the things they have done? I am ready to shine my light down on them ready to release them from the hurt and pain but first they must forgive so that I may forgive them.
Am I saying that it is easy to forgive, No Im not because it is difficult, but if you remember that God brought you from where you were to where you are now it gets a little easier.
I have had a hard life especially growing up. I had a father who was an alcoholic, and so called friends who manipulated me and used me. I was raped twice when I was 14 and I was using drugs. It took me a long time to forgive the people that came against especially my father. When I was eight years old he told me I was not his daughter. So yes I was very hurt. He walked out on us when I was 13 years old and when I was 21 he passed away from alcohol poisoning. Did I forgive him? Yes I did but it took everything I had in order to forgive the man who was my earthly father. from all of the things he spoke into my life at a young age to walking out on us. It was one of the hardest things to do but as I look back I begin to thank God for giving me the strength to do so. If I didn't forgive my dad for what he did or the other people then I don't believe I would have the relationship I have with God. I turn to Him for everything. I still seek his face daily and I am still forgiving those who have come against me.
We need to start making prayer and forgiveness an every day occurrence. We need to cry out to God daily have Him guide our footsteps and to lead us to those who are hurting. God will send you people daily to pray for to lift up or just to give a hug to. Remember that those you run into have been put there for a reason. whether it be for a minute a day a season or a life time. They are put into our lives for us to minister to and for them to minister to us. But it all starts with forgiveness and trusting in the word of God because it is true. Everything that He has promised you will come to fruition but you must take the first step and forgive in order to be forgiven.