Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matthew 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Most often, we find it very difficult to forgive people who offend us. The devil uses unforgiveness to trap many Christians in his secret prison. As a Christian, you must know how to forgive offenders. Below are some keys you can use to enable you to forgive people who offend you.
- Remember the good deeds of the Offender (s).
One of the secret keys to help you forgive is to remember what the offender has done for you. Anytime you feel revenging, remember that the person did something for you. You must be grateful for what the person did for you when you were in your stressful moment. People tend to forget all that the offender has done in their lives and focus on the wrong deeds. If you are always forgetful about the good deeds of the offender, you will find it difficult to forgive.
The offender may be your parents. Remember, your mother cared for you when you were a child. At that stage, you were helpless. Your parents protected you, they fed you; they paid a massive sum of money to educate you. At least they showed love towards you for not killing you at that defenseless age. Do you know that some parents ignored and rejected their children when they were young? Remembrance is one of the vital keys to help you forgive.
2. Remember the offender(s) may be ignorant of their actions
Jesus Christ prayed for the unbelievers who persecuted Him because they were ignorant of their actions (See Luke 23:34). Sometimes the people who offend you may be unaware of their actions. Other times, the devil may use them to hurt you. This is when you have to discern and pray for their deliverance because most people are ignorant of their actions. If the devil knew that the death of Jesus Christ will bring victory to mankind, he would never have used Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus.
Remember that offenders may be part of God’s plan to train and elevate you to a higher calling. The brothers of Joseph thought they were abusing Joseph. They never knew that it was in the policies of God to train and elevate Joseph to his purpose. Those who offend you may help you connect with the plans of God. They may hurt you to help you become a strong person. Forgive them (offenders) because it is part of God’s plan to train and elevate you to a higher dimension.
3. Walk by faith, not on the feelings
Remember this key, forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. If you allow your emotions to control your decisions, you will never forgive because the person might have emotionally hurt you. This is when you decide that I will not allow my feelings and emotions to control me, but I choose to forgive the person by faith. If you are too soulish (emotional), train your soul by feeding on the Word because the Word has the inherent powers to break the soulish part of you (See Hebrews 4:12). Using this key will help you forgive quickly.
4. Forgiveness is a command to every believer in Christ Jesus
In the Lord’s prayer, there is a section which reads that God will forgive us if we forgive our offenders (See Matthew 6:9-15). Another part of the scripture in the book of Mark 11:25 reads “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”.
David forgave King Saul despite the wickedness of King Saul.
Apostle Peter asked Jesus Christ how many times we should forgive when people offend us, Jesus replied seventy times seven, which is approximately four hundred ninety times a day. Remember, if you don’t forgive offenders, don’t expect God to forgive you on the judgment day. I have been reading testimonies of Christians who went to Hell (Check this site divine revelation for more revelation). According to their testimonies, they said, most Christians end up in Hell because of unforgiveness. Forgiveness is a necessity under the grace dispensation. Let God revenge for you! (See Romans 12:19).
5. Remember, God loved you unconditionally despite your wickedness
Another key to help you forgive offenders quickly is to remember the unconditional love God has shown you (See John 3:16). Despite your sin and wickedness, God forgave you. If God was to hold His forgiveness, where would you stand? Jesus Christ loved us unconditionally by dying on the cross.
He was rejected and beaten by wicked sinners because He chose to love us. He gave Himself as a living sacrifice so we can get salvation. If God deals with you according to your deeds, you may be dead and end up in hellfire. Forgive because God has loved you despite your imperfections. Definitely, there will be someone who will offend you despite your goodness.
The Adamic nature of man makes every human unreliable. Men, women and children will offend you because that is their nature. No matter how innocent the cat is, when it sees a mouse, it will run after it. That is how man is, no matter how good you are, people will offend you. Jesus Christ has shown us an example to follow. Forgive because God loved you despite your wickedness and errors (See Romans 5:8).
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