Asking For Forgiveness And Forgiving
Opening up our heart to others sometimes is very hard. Asking forgiveness is not always as easy as it seems. God, at times, has to work through us, reminding us that we may have done something to offend someone, and, therefore, we need to ask forgiveness.
It is always heart warming to run across a post by someone who bears his/her soul, and isn't afraid to say they erred - 'please forgive me, if I offended you.' Today, I ran across that post. I believe this person will indeed get peace from the Lord through those words. I could sense the sincerity with which this person wrote.
The Bible speaks of all of us needing forgiveness and needing to forgive others. It gives us a clear conscience, and right-standing with God. We need to be open to change, when it comes from God.
Mark 11:25 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.
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On this matter of forgiveness, I have begun to advise my close Christian friends to keep their forgivenness and forgiveness up to date. Jesus is about to come back any day now and when He calls we won't have time to go through our list of those who have wronged us or to ask for forgiveness for the sins we have committed. It's a good habit to really go through the Lord's model prayer as found in Matthew 6:9-13. We should take our time when we come to v. 12 and go throught our daily lives allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us of our individual sins and then confess them individually, and specifically calling them what they are: "anger at ...", "gossiping about ...", "lust for ...", "adultry in my heart with ...", etc. and asking God as our Daddy to forgive us and thanking Him that He did according to His word and then spending some time expressing love to Him for His goodness and mercy to you. That's the way I pray that prayer. It allows me to own up to my sins and take responsiblity for them not trying to run and hide from God or pass the buck to someone else the way Adam and Eve did.
Then forgive ourselves for doing them and claim I John 1:9. And then also allow the Holy Spirit to show you those who you need to forgive. That may be someone who you have held a grudge against for a long time, but you have to forgive him completely from the heart. Then see if you don't feel peace.
If you have to go and ask forgiveness of someone, then hard as it is, go and do it. It's for your benefit if nothing else. And remember Matthew 6:14 when you hesitate to forgive someone. God will hold your sins against you, too.
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