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Please read the passage of Scriptures in Mathew 18: 21-35 concerning the parable of the unforgiving servant.
Lack of Forgiveness blocks access to the kingdom and to its marvelous power. (See also Mathew 6:5-15; and also Mark 11:22-26)
The first person you probably have not forgiven is yourself. More people lack forgiveness toward themselves than anybody else. They are unwilling to forgive themselves and recognize that God says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). If you are a believer, He has already cleansed your conscience from dead works so that you might serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). God cleanses us for service in order not to leave us with the guilt of past sin. That should all be dead, buried, gone, and forgotten.
"If our heart does not condemn us," the Bible says, "we have confidence toward God" (1 John 3:21). Obviously, we cannot have continuing sin in our lives and expect forgiveness. We have to be free from ongoing conscious sin and rebellion against God. But if we are walking in the light, and walking in forgiveness, then the blood of Jesus Christ is continuously cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
The second person we have to "forgive," if we have bitterness, is God Himself. There are people who blame God because a child died, because a husband ran away, because they have been sick, because the have not had enough money. Consciously or unconsciously they think all of these things are God's fault. There is a deep-seated resentment; yet you cannot be resentful toward God and experience kingdom power flowing in your life: you have to rid yourself of any bitterness toward God. That may take some soul searching. You must ask yourself, "Am I blaming God for my situation, or circumstance?"
The third person you may have to forgive is a member of your family. You have to get rid of resentments, especially toward those closest to you. The husbands, the wives, the children, and the parents- All must be forgiven when slights and resentments have built up in family situations. Many people say, "Well, I didn't think that counted. I thought it was just a family matter." All lack of forgiveness has to be eliminated, especially toward family members.
Finally, there has to be forgiveness for anybody else who has ever done anything against you. It may be that your resentment is justified. The person may have done a very evil, or terrible thing against you. You may have every legal and intellectual right to hold a grudge and to hate that person. But if you want to see kingdom life and power flow in your life, it is absolutely imperative that you forgive.
Forgive them to the point where you actually feel yourself cleansed of resentment and bitterness and are actually praying for them. If you do not, the lack of forgiveness will make it impossible for God's power to be released to you, in you, and through you. The miracle of life depends completely on your relationship to God the Father. That relationship is built strictly on the strength of His forgiveness of your sin.
The bottom line is that forgiveness is the key. Other sins can be present, and if your heart condemns you for something else, then of course you do not have confidence before God. But it is a lack of forgiveness that most often comes between people and God.
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The first person you probably have not forgiven is yourself. More people lack forgiveness toward themselves than anybody else. They are unwilling to forgive themselves and recognize that God says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). If you are a believer, He has already cleansed your conscience from dead works so that you might serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14). God cleanses us for service in order not to leave us with the guilt of past sin. That should all be dead, buried, gone, and forgotten.
"If our heart does not condemn us," the Bible says, "we have confidence toward God" (1 John 3:21). Obviously, we cannot have continuing sin in our lives and expect forgiveness. We have to be free from ongoing conscious sin and rebellion against God. But if we are walking in the light, and walking in forgiveness, then the blood of Jesus Christ is continuously cleansing us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
The second person we have to "forgive," if we have bitterness, is God Himself. There are people who blame God because a child died, because a husband ran away, because they have been sick, because the have not had enough money. Consciously or unconsciously they think all of these things are God's fault. There is a deep-seated resentment; yet you cannot be resentful toward God and experience kingdom power flowing in your life: you have to rid yourself of any bitterness toward God. That may take some soul searching. You must ask yourself, "Am I blaming God for my situation, or circumstance?"
The third person you may have to forgive is a member of your family. You have to get rid of resentments, especially toward those closest to you. The husbands, the wives, the children, and the parents- All must be forgiven when slights and resentments have built up in family situations. Many people say, "Well, I didn't think that counted. I thought it was just a family matter." All lack of forgiveness has to be eliminated, especially toward family members.
Finally, there has to be forgiveness for anybody else who has ever done anything against you. It may be that your resentment is justified. The person may have done a very evil, or terrible thing against you. You may have every legal and intellectual right to hold a grudge and to hate that person. But if you want to see kingdom life and power flow in your life, it is absolutely imperative that you forgive.
Forgive them to the point where you actually feel yourself cleansed of resentment and bitterness and are actually praying for them. If you do not, the lack of forgiveness will make it impossible for God's power to be released to you, in you, and through you. The miracle of life depends completely on your relationship to God the Father. That relationship is built strictly on the strength of His forgiveness of your sin.
The bottom line is that forgiveness is the key. Other sins can be present, and if your heart condemns you for something else, then of course you do not have confidence before God. But it is a lack of forgiveness that most often comes between people and God.
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