Praying the Lord's Prayer_ Forgive other's sin

Jesus said to them, "When you pray, say this: for give our sins as we forgive those who

have sinned against us.”

What has been the hardest thing for you to forgive? What has a person said or done to you that has wounded you deeply?

Forgiving another who has wounded you deeply is not easy.Forgiving one who has abused you in a significant way is one of the hardest things to do. You feel that you are letting the person off the hook! You feel that the person is getting away with “blue murder”! You feel that there needs to be retribution in some way to the person who has wronged you.

But the truth is that forgiveness is the key that unlocks the hurt and wounding and enables Jesus to come in and heal the hurt and wounding.

For Christians, it is unforgivable not to forgive! (Matthew 6:14-15 - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins).

Christians are commanded to get rid of all bitterness, anger, and resentment in our lives and forgive those who hurt us. (Ephesians 4:31, 32 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”)

We need to forgive others so that Satan cannot take advantage of us. (2 Cor. 2:10, 11- I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not take advantage of us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.)

Holding onto to unforgiveness fails to truly appreciate what God has done for us in allowing His Son to die on the cross for our sin. Let me encourage you this week to practice forgiving people who hurt you straight away! Let go of the hurt and replace it with God’s love.

Pray the Lord’s Prayer out loud. Come before God and write down the people and organisations that have hurt you. Go through the following practice: I choose to forgive XXX for  YYY. I choose to see XXX with the eyes of compassion and I release XXX to you, Jesus.