Today I want to share with you about the power of forgiveness. We encounter opportunities to get offended almost on a daily basis and it is important to recognize when we carry offense in our hearts. Once we realize we got offended and that we are carrying a grudge against somebody, we then need to go through the process of getting rid of that luggage. How? Simply by forgiving the person that offended us.
I recently experienced this situation and when I chose to forgive that person, a great burden was lifted off my back. It felt like I did leave a piece of luggage behind. My attitude changed, my heart was changed. And then, the situation was turned around completely. Only because God helped me forgive so I could move on. The devotional I have for today from my book, Devotions for Working Women, is a reminder that when we pray, if we want our prayers answered, we must believe but also need to forgive others.
Forgive Before You Ask
# 157
Mark 11:24-25 (NLT)
“Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
We hear verse 24 all the time. Ask, have faith, and you will get your prayer answered. But we hardly pay attention to an equally or more important thing we must do before praying in faith. “First forgive…,” are the words Jesus used, “…anyone you may be holding a grudge against.” Forgiving others is key to having our prayers answered. Not only that, but if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive our own sins. Without God’s forgiveness, we are not going to enter His Kingdom. Being unforgiving is destructive in every way—physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is more destructive to our lives than to the person who offended us.
You can ask for anything in faith, but first you must forgive before you can receive your answer. Examine yourself on a daily basis and see if there is anybody who offended you whom you haven’t forgiven yet. Of course, I believe the easier way to do this is to not get offended in the first place. At the moment the offense occurs, you have the choice to take the offense or to let it go. It is a decision you can make in an instant, but if you choose wrong, it can take you the rest of your life to forgive. It will be your baggage and burden for years until you give it to the Lord and have Him take care of it. God is looking for pure hearts and pure hearts don’t have unforgiveness. The workplace is the perfect place to put this into practice on a daily basis, so start today.