When I don’t feel like forgiving others, I have to remind myself that God forgave me first.‍

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” - Colossians 3:13

I have to be honest. When someone offends me or hurts me in any way, my first instinct isn’t to forgive, forget, and keep moving on with my life. My feelings get the better of me and make me want to hold a grudge against that person, remove them from my life, or even take revenge on them.

But feelings are deceiving, and can’t really be trusted. That’s why I draw on the Bible  constantly and find the wisdom I need for everyday circumstances, even offense.

God’s word says that we must forgive one another just like he forgave us. Oftentimes, we ask for God’s forgiveness but we are not willing to extend that to others.‍

But the thing about unforgiveness, is that it actually causes us more pain and makes it harder to move on from the past. God instructs us to forgive. So when we don’t, our disobedience creates distance and gets in the way of our relationship with him.

God wants us to be free from any grudge we are holding against someone else. That is why today, I want to encourage you to think about a person that you are having a really hard time forgiving and ask God to help you let go of that pain, to let go of that anger that makes you feel like they owe you something, and to be free.

I want to invite you to say this prayer: Dear Jesus, I understand that just as I want to receive your forgiveness, I must be willing to give it out to others as well. Help me become a forgiving person and be free of any pain and negativity that I might still be holding in my heart. Help me have grace for others and  walk in your love every day. Amen.

‍Pray in community during 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting.