HOW TO FORGIVE YOURSELF AND OTHERS.
Follow the instructions of Jesus. *Sometimes you not only have to forgive the person but also the situation where it happened. Not saying that the situation was right, but just to forgive the whole circumstance that caused you the pain.*
1. Depend on the holy spirit. "Father God I can not forgive this person or this situation without your help. Please help me holy spirit to forgive this person/situation.
2. Pray for them. Heavenly Father, I pray that you bless and guide this person. I pray that you increase them in every area of their lives and may they receive your favor and blessings everywhere they go. I pray for increased happiness and greatness for them. Father please help them in every and in any way ect...
3. Bless them. Father God, although they may have hurt me I know that they are a good person. I know that they are your child. They are righteous, good, and a great child of God. ect...
4. Do something good. Father God, put me in a position to do them right and good.
5. Release. Father, help me to release all anger, bitterness, pain, resentment, abuse, hurt and negativity that I may have towards this person. Help me to release any pay back, vengeance, and strife that I may have towards this person.
6. Forgive. Father God, help me to forgive this person. Help me to not think about it, talk about it, bring it up, reminisces on it and or go back on it but help me to drop it from my mind, heart, body, and soul.
7. Give them another chance. Father God, help me to keep the door of love and forgiveness in my heart open to them. Help me to give them another chance. Help me to not block them and lock them out, and lastly help to not formulate any memory or any memories of the offense or the offenses inside of my heart my soul my body and mind.
8. Give it to God. Lord, I give this offense to you. Help me to surrender it from my heart, soul, body and mind. I can not take care of this, but you promised that if I give it to you you will give me happiness, goodness, and blessings for the pain in my life. Help to to surrender it to you father from my mind body and soul. Help me to walk away from the offense in my mind body heart and soul. Thank you father, amen.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Eccles - 12:13
WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED NOT TO FORGIVE REMEMBER
1. Matthew 18: 23-35
The story of the servant who was ungrateful. The king (God) forgave his servant for a $10,000,000 debt owed to him. But when that same servant saw one that owed him $20 he caught him by the throat and said to him, pay me all that you owe me! When the king heard this he was very upset and he threw the ungrateful servant into prison saying, AND SHOULD YOU NOT HAVE HAD PITY AND MERCY ON YOUR FELLOW SERVANT AS I HAD PITY ON YOU? Don't be like that ungrateful servant. When you are offended by someone, something, or some place always remember how much debt you owe God (some people owe God in the billions) and how he has not only forgiven, but wiped that debt clean and remembers it no more. Should you not do that for your fellow servants?
2. Matthew 18: 29
We see here that the servant could not pay. I repeat it again THE SERVANT COULD NOT PAY. When people offended you they cannot pay you back for the hurt they have caused you. Thus, do not look to others to meet your needs. Look to God to pay you back for what they, or it, may have done. God is the only one that can pay you back for the hurts that you have endured, so stop looking to people and the situations to pay you back for the hurt you have encountered. God will do that. In the mean time forgive them, the situation, and let it all go because you know that they can not pay you back. And why hold on to a debt that you know can not be paid anyway? To put it a simple way, you have workmans comp, if you get hurt on the job of doing God's will God will pay you back.
3. You are blocking your own happiness and blessings. Jesus said many many many times to forgive. The number one reason is so that the enemy would not get a hold on your life. God can only work through love, not hate. So if you are walking in love, mercy, and forgiveness the enemy can not touch you. As soon as you get out of the will of God, which is to love, that is when the enemy has a door open opportunity to come into your life. I heard a preacher once say, that the holy spirit, which is the spirit of love, must leave the earth first before the evil one comes. Isn't that a powerful saying. Love must leave first before the evil one can take control. So what does that say about our lives? Once love leaves that is when the enemy has a prime time opportunity to take over and destroy our lives. Forgive and walk in love to keep the enemy out of your life.