TOPIC : WHY DO WE PRACTICE FORGIVENESS
Scripture :Matthew 6: 14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Beloved, I welcome you to another Moment of Daily Encounter! Forgiveness is the bedrock of walking in love! We stated yesterday, some of the reasons why we practice forgiveness as a believer.
Today we shall be looking at more of these reasons why we practice forgiveness.
Why do we practice forgiveness?
1. To ensure our prayers are not hindered as refusal to forgive hinders prayers
2. To avoid the harvest that follows unforgiveness
3. To avoid the ministry of tormentors. (For details of these checks yesterday meditation)
4. To avoid loosing out completely in eternity; What you do with forgiveness will determine where you will spend eternity! Heaven or hell? It beats my imagination when I hear Christians say, “we shall settle it in heaven “! How can you go to heaven to settle a matter you have not settled it here on earth? Listen to me child of God, your admission into heaven begins here on earth. If you don’t settle it here and now forget eternity with God!
How do I mean?
When you give your life to Christ, you obtain mercy and forgiveness of your sins. God comes into your heart, love comes into your heart, peace comes into your heart! You live with heaven on earth, so when the trumpet sounds or you happen to leave the earth at any time, you are so sure of your eternity with God, because whom you live for on earth determines whom you live with in eternity:
Philippians 1: 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
You can be sure God knows you :
2 Timothy 2: 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity* .
However if you refuse to forgive, you will not receive forgiveness and mercy because the Bible said so:
Matthew 6: 14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
And you can be rest assured that in eternity, you will be denied access :
Matthew 7: 21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Beloved, don’t allow those who have signed agreement with hell drag you to hell through unforgiveness! Quickly forgive and behave like a child birth by love because love forgives!
Someone will say pastor should I forgive a man/woman that killed my husband/wife? Oh that lecturer gave me carry-over unjustly, he refused to allow me graduate from school, should I forgive him?
Oh that man cheated on me and bolted away, should I forgive him?
No matter the questions that arise in your heart on hurts that have come to you, Yes is the answer to all!
Forgive for the sake of heaven. I know some of you will need grace to do that!
May the Lord bless you as you obey the word of God in Jesus name.
5. To avoid a situation where your gifts/ offerings are rejected by God: Anytime you bring offering to the altar of God or you are you are sowing a seed through the hands of any servant of God, check your heart. If there is unforgiveness in your heart, heaven will not accept your offering.
The church may collect it, the man of God may receive it from you but heaven will never accept it. The reason is that your person must be accepted first before your gift/offerrings .God checks your heart before your offering is accepted.
Matthew 5: 23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Beloved, don’t just give gift to people with hatred in your heart. Don’t give offering without being concerned with what happens to it. It is time to walk in love and walking in love required forgiveness.
Remember this : Heaven is real and hell is real! Don’t trivialize your eternity with God, settle it today.
Prayer points :
– Father thank you for your word to me today.
– Lord, wherever I have disobeyed your word in refusing to forgive, have mercy on me today in the name of Jesus.
Prophetic Declaration:
– I prophesy the release of grace for quick forgiveness, receive it now in Jesus name.
– That yoke of unforgiveness that came on you from your ancestry is broken right now in the name of Jesus.
Assignment: Put across that phone call and tell the one you are holding in your heart that you have forgiven the person.
From your brother Alex
God bless you.