Tom Hanks says in the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood that forgiveness is “to release a person from the feelings of anger we have toward them.” Prophetic minister Dr. Hakeem Collins echoes that sentiment, saying it’s about letting go of resentment and bitterness. He says we will not forget what that person did against us, but forgiveness is still possible.
“I believe that to forgive someone is not just saying ‘I forgive you,'” Collins says. “I believe forgiving someone is an action word. One may ask, ‘What does it have to do with breakthrough?’ and I believe that most of our prayers, most of our blessings, are hanging in the balance because there may be some unresolved issues.”
However, depending on the offense and who committed it against you, forgiveness is not an “overnight process,” Collins says on the Prophetic Breakthrough podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. Yet it’s crucial that we learn to forgive so we can experience God’s grace toward us in the fullest way possible.
“I love what Oswald Chambers says in his book, My Utmost For His Highest—he says, ‘Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace.’ That’s powerful,” Collins says. “We have to understand that when we forgive others, we release [a] supernatural miracle of grace. There’s a grace that is extended to those who will forgive.”
To listen to the rest of the episode, titled Breaking the Power of Unforgiveness, click here.
