Matt. 6:14-15, “ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Acts 1:8 tells us, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” But, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is not our only source of power. The Holy Ghost gives us witnessing power.
The Scriptures tell us there is power in God’s Word. Rom. 1:16 the Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” So you see there is power in the Word of God.
There is also power in the prayer of faith. James 5:15 tells us, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
There is power in the preaching of the cross of Christ. 1 Cor. 1:18 says, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
There is power in the name of Jesus. John 20:31 Jesus tells us, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Through the name of Jesus we receive life eternal and the power to be saved as well as the power to be healed and delivered. Also, Act.2:38 tells us, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Again, in Act. 19:4-6 we read, “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
There is also power in forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a stable of the Christian faith. We know that Christ died so that we can receive forgiveness. And we know that we are called to forgive others.
Unforgiveness is sin. The lack of forgiveness blocks access to God’s Kingdom and the miracle working power of the Holy Ghost.
Forgiving a person who has wronged you is never easy,but dwelling on those events and reliving them over and over can fill your mind with negative thoughts and suppressed anger. Yet, when you learn to forgive, you are no longer trapped by the past actions of others and can finally feel free. You see, sometimes people who attack others are themselves in a state of fear, worry and hurt. They don’t think and lash out. Sometimes the wrongdoing is not personal, but due to something the other person was dealing with.
None of us deserves to be forgiven; yet God forgives us. That does not mean you condone what someone else did. It actually means the opposite. You acknowledge the hurt and still choose to forgive, which is why forgiveness is so powerful. Though we may forgive, we can’t often forget. However, we can change our reactions to those memories.
You know, you can’t force someone to reconcile your differences or disagreements because you don’t have control over his/her actions. But you can open the door to the possibility by beginning with forgiveness. You can’t force someone to forgive you but you can still be in the will of God by forgiving & not holding a grudge.
Look at Matt. 18:21-22. It reads, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
Oh I know it isn’t that easy, sometimes, to forgive someone who has done you wrong and unjustly. It takes some great effort on our part to forgive knowing the other person doesn’t feel the same way as we do. Our strength to forgive comes when we put it in the hands of God. God gives us Divine power to forgive. The other person may never know about your forgiveness. But forgiving and letting go can lighten the load on both your body and spirit.
Holding a grudge can work havoc on both body and spirit. Practicing forgiveness can have powerful health benefits. According to Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, of the Harvard TH Chan school of public health, “Forgiving a person who has wronged you is never easy but dwelling on those events and reliving them over and over can fill your mind with negative thoughts and suppressed anger. Yet, when you learn to forgive, you are no longer trapped by the past actions of others and can finally feel free.”
To sum up, let me quote Rom. 6:22, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
Do you struggle with forgiveness? Do you sometimes feel “there’s no way I can forgive that person?” My advice is to apply ALL of God’s power sources, to your heart and life. Then you will find the power to forgive and be set free!
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