Forgiveness is for you.

Hey, sisters!

So, I’ve been sending out daily devotions from 365 with Heather for the past 137 days! And, every now and then, I send out a devotion to different mailing lists based on how I feel led.

Today, I felt led to send it to my Pinky Promise sisters! So, here’s day 138.

—

The word the Lord gave me for today’s 365 is forgiveness.

Who likes that word?

I probably won’t see a lot of hands raised because… that’s not most exciting word. We want Jesus to forgive us for everything but when it comes to people that did something to hurt us?

We want them to PAY.
We want them to FEEL what they did to us.
We want to trash them.
We want to hurt them back.

But, what if I told you that forgiveness is for you? The same forgiveness what we have in Christ that releases sinners from God’s just penalty is what you extend to others that have hurt you. It releases you so that you won’t be hindered so you can do what the Lord has called you to do.

Matthew 6:15
“But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Whoa.

Who are you holding unforgiveness towards? Even if justified?

That family member?
That ex?
That ex’s new girlfriend?
That old friend?
That old co-worker?

Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you? Actually, you’re helping yourself more than the other person. I used to always feel like forgiving people who hurt me wasn’t fair. How do they get released but I got the pain and they got freedom without having to pay for the pain?! But, as I grew in Christ I realized that I am helping myself when I choose to forgive. I am happier, I feel better mentally and I realize that the person cannot steal my joy.

You are also helping the other person by releasing them so that God can do what He can do. If you are in the way by trying to “get them back” or getting “revenge” then God has no obligation to handle things when you are in the way. Remember that the Lord says in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” However, if we trust God and choose to forgive, He will take care of the rest. See, the act of forgiving is our seed of obedience to His Word. Once we’ve sown our seed, He is faithful to bring a harvest of blessing to us one way or another. I’ve learned that a lot of people don’t like your harvest, but they just don’t know how many people you’ve forgiven.

I want to encourage you today to release anyone that you may have unforgiveness against. I also want to encourage you to ask for forgiveness for anyone you may have unintentionally hurt. Something I like to do in my own life and it helps me to remain humble is to ask forgiveness to the Lord and to others if I have wronged them. The thing is, we will all mess up. We all make mistakes. It’s part of the Christian walk of pressing forward. This is why I always say, “If I ever hurt you, I apologize. It was not my intention.” Going forward with a heart that is repentant will keep your heart pure and ready to be used by the Lord at all times. It releases YOU so that you can really be powerful for God without any hindrances.

To some people, forgiveness may seem like weakness or letting an undeserving person win, but it has no connection to weakness or even to emotions. Instead, forgiveness is an act of the will. Forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. No one deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a intentional act of love, mercy, and grace. Forgiveness is a decision to not hold something against another person, despite what he or she has done to you.

I love Ephesians 4:32 and it says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Similarly, Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” The main point in both passages is to forgive because God first forgave you. Why do we forgive? Because we have been forgiven!

The Bible tells us that we are to forgive those who sin against us. We keep no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5) but forgive as many times as necessary (Matthew 18:21–22). Refusing to forgive a person demonstrates resentment, bitterness, and anger, none of which are the traits of a growing Christian.

So, I encourage you today to release some folks that you have unforgiveness against.

Write their names down.
Vent.
Scream.
Cry.
Have your moment.

Then, tear up that paper and decide that you are moving forward in forgiveness right now in the name of Jesus!

It’s time to DECLUTTER.

Yes. What areas in your house need some de-cluttering?

I want you to take 3 areas and tackle those this month starting with the first week of May.

For me, it’s my closet. I’m going to pull out items that I no longer wear.
Then, I’m going to declutter an area in my kids play living room. I always just “throw” things into this drawer.
The last area for me in my storage area in the basement. It’s pretty bad and will take a good 2 weeks to organize.

Getting decluttered will HELP us to feel less stressed and more focused!

BOOK THIS MONTH

For the month of May, I want to encourage you to read a book on never giving up. Here’s a few of my recommendations:

Silent Seasons — By me!
Crushing – TD Jakes

The scripture for this week: 
Luke 1:37
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Just a few things: