Forgiving Others

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12 KJV).

In order to experience Christ and allow Him to live through us, we must learn how to forgive others. It is for our own good more than for the other person.

The following is a similar process of forgiveness that comes from Victory over Darkness by Neil Anderson.

Twelve Steps to Forgiveness

1. Write out on a sheet of paper a list of the people who have offended you. Write the specific wrongs you have suffered.

2. Face the hurt and hate you feel. Emotions are real and you must not bury them. God knows what is in your heart.

3. Acknowledge the significance of the cross. Christ’s death makes forgiveness possible since we are forgiven.

4. Decide that you will bear the burden of each person’s sin. You must not use their sin against the one who wronged you.

5. Decide to forgive. There needs to be a conscious choice to let the other person off the hook.

6. Take your list to God and pray the following: “I forgive _______ for _______.” If you have bitterness, you may need to see a counselor.

7. Be sure to accept your part of the blame for the offenses you suffered. Confess your failure to God and to others, if necessary.

8. Destroy the list. You are now free. You don’t have to tell the offender, it is between you and God. (Yet this is best done face to face. That is what we have attempted to do in this study.)

9. Do not expect that your forgiveness will result in major changes. Pray for the other individual.

10. Try to understand the other person.

11. Expect positive results in you as a result of the forgiveness. Thank God for the lessons learned in the process and how it helped you mature.

“Who are you helping most when you forgive the person who hurt you? Actually, you’re helping yourself more than the other person. I always looked at forgiving people who hurt me as being really hard. I thought it seemed so unfair for them to receive forgiveness when I had gotten hurt. I got pain, and they got freedom without having to pay for the pain they caused. Now I realize that I’m helping myself when I choose to forgive.” — Joyce Meyer

BW

Purchase the Entire Devotional – “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader” 

The devotion above was taken from the 52-week Devotional entitled “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”.

Many give a mental assent to this teaching yet are often asking, “What do I do? What does Christ as life look like?“ Too often Christians err by moving too far to one side or the other—reducing the Christian life to a list of do’s and don’ts, or they actually do nothing.

These inspiring weekly devotions are just some of the actions that reflect the life of Christ in each of us, and they explore four areas as we follow the One Leader, Jesus Christ –

• A Foundational Focus
• A Personal Focus
• A Relational Focus
• A Missional Focus

Be challenged, encouraged, and spurred on to a deeper walk with Christ.

Purchase Your Copy in our online store

Purchase Your Copy on Amazon