Mark 11:24-25 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Our God is holy, righteous and full of justice. His mercy towards us is new every morning and his faithfulness knows no end. We serve a God that is loving and forgiving despite our shortcomings. Throughout the scriptures we see God forgive his people time and time again for various sinful acts. There were times when we turned our backs, worshiped and served idols, fulfilled our ungodly desires and walked away from his loving arms. Yet, our Father’s love never wavered. He is faithful to receive us when we come to him with a repentant heart.
A heart that forgives is a heart that reflects the very nature of our God in heaven. It was the love that brought Jesus to the cross but it was forgiveness that allowed us access to the Father. The scripture says, if you are going to pray and ask anything from the Lord, you must let go of anything you are holding against someone and forgive them. Why? Because the same mercy and forgiveness you want the Father to extend to you is the same mercy and forgiveness you must learn to extend to others.
The scriptures become alive in our hearts and not just words written in a book when we are faced to make a decision to follow what it says. Forgiving others have its challenges but the benefits far outweighs the relief one feels when they have been able to do so. God wants us to practice this important principle. In order to receive freely from him, we must walk in the spirit of forgiveness and embrace the ministry of reconciliation through Jesus Christ.
Many of us still have open wounds, scraps, cuts, and scars from our past that we still hold onto. We try to forgive but the mere thought of the individual can put us in a negative space.
God wants us to be truly free from the hurt and the pain that has caged us. God wants to replace it with peace that surpasses our understanding and heal us once and for all. If we are not careful the enemy will use our emotions against us and keep us bound to the pain. But thanks be unto God for what Jesus did on the cross. He uttered the most powerful words as he closed his eyes. He asked God to “forgive them for they know not what they do”. By his obedience to the Father he nailed all of our pain to the cross, and left it there. Let the power of God begin to work within us and show us a more excellent way. It’s not worth our happiness, joy or peace. Don’t let your unwillingness to forgive block your blessing or healing.
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