Many people today are held in bondage by their own free will. Willfully they refuse to do what they know is right: forgive.
Forgiving another for their wrongdoing towards us is not an easy task. And yet God requires us to forgive one another. Jesus says in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men for their sins, neither will your Father forgive your sins.”
But He never requires us to do something He has not done. God always sets the standard in both word and in action. He tells us in the portion of Scripture above that we have to forgive others. He doesn’t make room for exceptions. He says to forgive, and if we will forgive others, we will be forgiven of our sins as well.
But let’s face it, there are situations in life that are difficult to forgive, and Jesus understands this. Look back to His life on this earth and all that was done to Him. Even though He was innocent, the people falsely accused Him; they mocked and spit on Him, bruised and broke His body. And yet He chose to do what’s right and what Father God expects from all of us: to forgive. He cried out from the cross in great agony, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34a).
We don’t deserve to be forgiven, and yet He wills to forgive us. We see this clearly in Romans 5:6-8 (AMP), “While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone might even dare to die. But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
As the title of this writing states, unforgiveness holds you in bondage, and it surely does. It holds us in bondage spiritually, it prevents our sins from being forgiven. It also affects our mental health. When we are all wracked with anger and unforgiveness we have no peace. Ephesians 4:31-32 (MEV) tells us, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outbursts, and blasphemies, with all malice, be taken away from you. And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Proverbs 17:22 gives us God’s sound wisdom about how our emotional state effects our physical condition, “A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
I have witnessed in many healing lines as I lead someone in a prayer of repentance their healing immediately manifests. Set yourself free from the bondage of unforgiveness by forgiving that person today. Let’s pray.
Father God,
I know that I have willfully been hanging on to unforgiveness toward (name). But I am convicted by Your Word that tells me I have to forgive them, so that I too can be forgiven for all of my past wrongdoings as well. Holy Spirit, help me to move forward in my healing process spiritually, emotionally and physically too.
In the name of Jesus, I forgive (name). And I will not base this decision upon emotions, but by my faith in You and in Your Word. I not only forgive (name), I release (name) from my bitterness and from my vengeance. I say to (name), be free in Jesus. And as I release you from my bitterness, I am forgiven and free in Him, amen and amen. {eoa}
For more on the power of forgiveness, listen to the podcast with Carol McLeod below!
Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the author of DARE to Believe, Greater Than Magic and The Healing Creed. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.
This article originally appeared at authorbeckydvorak.com.
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