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For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15-15).
One weight that God does not want you to carry is the weight of unforgiveness. Yet many in the body of Christ find it difficult to forgive. Unforgiveness not only affects your spiritual growth, but it also weighs heavily on your emotional and physical well-being.
The apostle Peter, a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, and a stalwart of the early Church, struggled with the weight of unforgiveness. He hated the Gentiles. He referred to them as common and unclean. He even refused to preach the gospel to them. There is no evidence that the apostle Peter ever reconcile his differences with the Gentiles.
In the book of Matthew chapter 18:21-22, Jesus uses Peter’s struggle to teach us how to forgive. If we followed His instructions the world will be a better place:
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven
Unforgiveness is an attitude of the heart that abides outside the law of love. To walk in forgiveness is to walk in great spiritual freedom. Your heart is light when it does not carry grudge, bitterness, or resentment. To forgive does not mean that you agree with the offence that someone has committed, or that you support it in any way.
To forgive means that you choose to release the judgment you are carrying toward someone, even though that person did something that was unkind or unfair. The choice to forgive is not based on fairness or justice, but on mercy and grace. Mercy triumphs over judgment when you choose to forgive. Jesus did not carry any grudge against the people who nailed Him to the cross. Instead, He showed mercy by saying; “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Related articles
- Forgiveness Is Not A Feeling But An Action (strengthrenewed.wordpress.com)
- Should We Forgive if They Have Not Asked for Forgiveness (couragewithgrace.wordpress.com)
- Forgive and Be Forgiven (bibletweets.wordpress.com)
Let's Talk Gospel 
Amen Brother Noel….thank you again for a message that stirs my spirit.
Glenda
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Thank you for your continued support Minister Glenda. To God be the glory. The weight of unforgiveness affects all of us and sometimes it is hard to let it go–but as the scripture say, forgive others of their trespasses and your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Thanks a lot for stopping by. God bless
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People like to take vengeance into their own hands but God calls us to forgive for our own sake. Vengeance binds us to anger, fury, rage and contaminates the soul. Lovely post my friend 😀
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Thanks a million Sherline, for your comment. It is always good to hear from you. I agree with. Anger is the biggest barrier to forgiveness. Once anger subsides, forgiveness becomes natural.
God bless you
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Hey Noel,
This is a good one. Much to think about here. Question for you though for my own benefit? Does it ever take you a while to forgive? Sometimes it does me, it is just not and automatic thing. Just wondering. Thanks for sharing. God Bless, SR
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Believe it or not SR, this post speaks to me as much as it does to you. I used the apostle Peter’s struggles with unforgiveness to show that even the most faithful follower of Jesus struggles with the weight of unforgiveness. Sometimes it takes many days of prayer or even weeks to finally let go.
Thanks a lot for stopping by and leaving a comment. God bless.
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Hey Noel,
Thanks for response. I just wanted to know if I was the only one who had to pray, days, weeks, and sometimes even months for true forgiveness to enter into my heart. This helped a lot with that. God Bless, SR
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SR, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We thrive to be perfect but we are not.
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Great post Noel, it is rather difficult to forgive at times. Forgiving someone though lifts a heavy weight off of our shoulders that we were never meant to carry.
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To forgive is hard…so hard indeed…but it is also such a liberating thing do. Why carry all the grudge and sadness in your heart when you can let it go? Sometimes, we take time to forgive because, we feel like it gives us power over the person who has wronged us. However, this is actually the exact opposite. Forgiving lifts such a burden off someone…Thanks for this great message Noel.
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Thank you Noel for sharing your message on this subject. I have struggled with this for a long time since my divorce. I also found the following discussion on unforgiveness that was a blessing and I pray it will bless someone else as well. Thank you for making it plain. Victory is ours in Jesus name!
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Thanks so much for your comment and your link. You have something going. I shall return.
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