How to Break the Power of Unforgiveness in Your LIfe

This past Sunday at Mt Vernon Church we talked about taking the next step of forgiveness. When you know you need to forgive but you don’t know how, here’s a way to move forward:

HOW TO BREAK THE POWER OF UNFORGIVENESS IN YOUR LIFE

1. Be forgiven yourself. You can’t give what you don’t have. If you aren’t forgiven yourself, then you can’t show Christ’s forgiveness to others. You may have been running from God for years. Maybe it’s time to stop running and accept God’s forgiveness.  “Whoever has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).

2. Admit that bitterness isn’t working for you. Your current strategy isn’t working. Bitterness isn’t doing anything to make the situation better. The worst thing about bitterness is that it never hurts the intended target, it only hurts you. It’s like drinking rat poison and expecting it to kill a bunch of rats. The only person you’re going to hurt is yourself. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Choose to be better, not bitter.

3. Constantly remind yourself how much God has forgiven you. This step is key, because we have different standards for different people. For instance, we feel that everyone ought to obey the speed limit when they drive, but we’re okay if we speed (just a little bit). When it comes to forgiveness, we’re convinced that everyone ought to forgive everyone. We’re really convinced that everyone we’ve hurt ought to forgive us. But when it comes to us letting go and forgiving, we refuse. What does the Bible say? “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.” Ephesians 4:32-5:1. We forgive because we’ve been forgiven so completely by God.

4. Continually make the decision that they don’t owe you anymore. Whoever “they” is, forgiveness is making the decision that they don’t owe you anymore. We’ll talk more about that in the next post. “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22.

QUESTION: What’s the hardest thing you deal with when it comes to forgiveness?