Series:  Forgive as The Lord Forgave You

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:23 (ESV)

Last week, we discussed living a life of love and forgiveness in obedience to The Lord, not to the offender. The next step in obedience is to understand that The Lord can only forgive you to the measure you have forgiven others (Matt 11:26). Many accounts in Scripture reveal that the Lord’s will for us is to show mercy because we have been given mercy (Matthew 18:21-35). We should forgive because we have been forgiven.

There are trespasses, offenses, and betrayals so deep we cannot forgive or bless the one who hurt us unless we carefully follow The Word of The Lord. Only by the power of The Holy Spirit can we forgive and bless the offender in some instances. Thankfully, The Holy Spirit is in our hearts and waiting for us to ask for help. When we ask, He will give us the power and ability to do what we could never do on our own: forgive and bless those who despitefully used us.

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”  John 20:23

According to John 20:23, when we forgive sins, they are forgiven, but if we withhold forgiveness, we retain or withhold the sin. Do you know what happens when we keep the sins of others? We are going to commit those sins to someone else. If you withhold the sins your parents committed against you, you’re going to treat your children or coworkers, etc., just the same as you were treated. Overcorrecting is not overcoming the sin; it’s sinning in the other direction.

I have prayed you will forgive others and set them free so you will be free, to walk in the path of righteousness for The Lord’s sake. So you will forge new ground for your future and the future of those with you now and in the days to come.

Your destiny cannot happen with you anchored to the past. Let go, forgive, bless, and watch The Lord make things right for you.