Here we go with this word again, forgive! As I am reading through The Lord’s Prayer to finalize this small series, once again, the Lord directs us to the subject of forgiveness. It must be very important to God because He is bringing it close and upfront, once more. It’s like He wants forgiveness embedded inside us, just like when a word is etched in cement before it dries.
Have you ever tried to pray and felt like you were hitting a brick wall? Well, maybe there was something blocking, spiritually? Here’s another way to see it. In this prayer, God said, “And when you pray, make sure you forgive the faults of others so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6: 14a)
What does this mean? When we pray, we are to make sure if we are at odds with someone, we are to bring it before the Lord and talk with Him about it. He may even instruct us to go to the person we are having trouble forgiving. If He does, let Him lead and guide. Our obedience opens doors for forgiveness. That’s the first thing we can do.
After that, we are warned, “But if you withhold forgiveness from others, your Father withholds forgiveness from you.” (Matthew 6: 14b)
Ouch! That kinda hurt! Truthfully, when we release someone from wrongful behavior, we are releasing ourselves from the torment of it.
It sounds easy, but it is not! However, the Holy Spirit will help you to release as you open your heart to Him and He takes that hurt/anger from you.
Let me leave you with this: “For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” (Psalm 84: 11)
It’s always rewarding when we just do what is right!
KINGDOM ASSURANCE
You can find all of the Kingdom Assurance series posts by clicking the button below.