Forgiveness by Alicia Briscoe

 Fruitful Thought: Do you forgive right away? Do you ask for forgiveness when you have wronged someone? If you are are like me forgiveness is a constant process. Sometimes I am able to forgive right away sometimes I am not. Also, I have asked for forgiveness many times and probably will many more during my lifetime. The world says that to forgive but not forget or I forgive you but I am going to keep you at a distance. I adopted these sayings for most of my life. But God, when I developed a relationship with God I learned a lot about forgiveness. I learned that forgiveness is both for me and the other person involved. See forgiveness is a burden that keeps us in bondage, creates a harden heart and hinders our relationship with God. It is a stronghold and a weapon the enemy uses to cause division in our relationships. The Bible teaches us that we are redeemed through His blood, forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14), we are blessed when we are forgiven of our sins (Psalm 32:1), and lastly if you do not forgive someone who wronged us when we pray God will not forgive us until we forgive (Mark 11:25). So we need to follow the example of God when it comes to forgiveness. Think about how many times he forgives us over and over again. I encourage you to show God's love by forgiving yourself, others or ask for forgiveness. Remember tomorrow is not promised to anyone so do it today forgive!