“Unforgiveness is a strategic design, craftily implemented by our enemy to out wit you, to cripple your effectiveness in prayer and your power to stand against him victoriously. Which is why, if I were your enemy, I would do everything possible to keep you from forgiving anyone and everyone who’s done you any wrong.”
From “Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan To Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer
by Priscilla Shirer
Priscilla Shirer played the lead role of Elizabeth Jordan in the movie “War Room.” The word “fervent” caught my attention. An excellent read for praying strategic prayers. Today’s chapter was on forgiveness. Ugh! God why must you ask us to forgive those who have hurt us or disappointed us?
There is a reason God often calls us away from the noise of the world in the early morning hours. It is in the quiet uninterrupted silence of the early hours of the morning we really “get ” what scripture is saying to us. That is the case this morning. Reading this book about fervent prayer has confirmed what I have discovered in my own life. Forgiveness of those who have wronged us is not optional. It is a must, to survive. It is going to happen. People are going to offend us. We may be hurt so deeply that forgiveness seems impossible. We need to rethink that thought.
Those who would punish by withholding forgiveness, do harm not only to the one who supposedly has wronged us but grave damage to the withholder. There is no pathway in unforgiveness that would allow God to hear our prayers. The one who refuses to forgive and instead punish, is using the strategy given them by the enemy. They have become a tool of the enemy. A fiery dart cast into the heart of the supposed perpetrator, to destroy them. When in fact, we ourselves stood before God as filthy rags, beyond redemption…Until Christ turned to us in all of our ugliness and forgave us. I thought long and hard about that this morning. How could the heart of a believer and one forgiven so much…not give the same to any human on this earth who offends or does us wrong?
Is it an easy thing to do? No! Often the offense is beyond belief. Something that only the power of God could help us forgive. Or, more often than not, something really insignificant. A disappontment. A, he said, she said, kinda thing.You did this and made me feel bad so I will just show you. I will withdraw my love, my forgiveness and you will pay. It may seem that the “wrong doer” will pay. In the long run, it is the one who withholds and punishes that will become the prisoner. There are consequences for the one who will not forgive. The one who uses history to punish, day after day after day. Our scripture today reminds us that our witholding and punishing may push someone over the edge with overwhelming sorrow.
The enemy has won a victory over that heart. They have become a warrior for the wrong side.
~Scripture For Today~
2 Corinthians 2:6-11
6 Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority. 7 so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a one might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. (NASB)
~Prayer For Today~
Hello Father! Thank You for Your gift to us. Jesus came to be the sacrifice for all sin. Our path to redemption. Our way to forgiveness. We often forget that in Your sight we were filthy before you. Only the forgiveness of Jesus allowed us to stand in Your presence. We pray for the ability to forgive those who disappoint, offend or hurt us. If we withold forgiveness to those who hurt us, we are allowing the enemy to destroy not only our peace, but theirs. We pray for the ability to let go of the wrongs. Stop counting our grievances and holding grudges and causing even more pain. We pray for release in forgiveness the things we cannot change. We set our bags of pain and disappointment down before You, and walk away in forgiveness and peace, leaving the rest to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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