There’s a silent killer that’s holding you back from experiencing the best that life has to offer you. It’s also delaying your dreams and blocking you from receiving the answers to some of your most fervent prayers.
You’ve probably been acquainted with this killer for some time now but you may not have known it. Or you do know it and like most of us, you’ve chosen to ignore it, sweep it under the rug and act like it doesn’t exist.
The name of this silent killer is unforgiveness.
Harboring unforgiveness in your soul is like having a cancerous tumor in your body and if you don’t kill it at its root it will spread like wildfire into every other area in your life. Unforgiveness is deceiving because you’ll think that you’re fine but little do you know that the unresolved offense that you’re carrying has slowly started to manifest into anger, bitterness, resentment, fear, anxiety, unhealthy behavior, toxic thinking or a slew of other things that are just all the way bad for you.
The goal of unforgiveness is to keep you in bondage and trapped to your past. As you hold onto your past hurts, you are limiting your future. You don’t have to let your past steal the opportunities, restoration, healing, relationships, and dreams.
Is the offense worth it? It’s time to go into immediate “surgery” and give the precious gift of forgiveness this Holiday season.
Forgiveness is for you not for the other person. It frees you from bondage and it releases the offender from stealing what’s yours. Faith cannot work in an unforgiving heart. If you’re waiting for the person to ask for or deserve your forgiveness then that’s not forgiveness. You give it to them even if they don’t deserve it to set yourself free.
God wants to do new things for you, great things that you’ve never seen before but in order for you to receive that you’ve got to let go of the past. You’ve got to let go of your pain. Give it to God and He’ll take what was meant for your harm and turn that trial into your triumph.
Begin by making the decision to forgive. You may not feel anything at first and that’s fine. A decision to forgive an offense may start as a decision that you make in faith first before you actually experience true forgiveness. You may have to choose to forgive every time the thought of the offense comes creeping in your thoughts.
Which brings me to my next point. Stop replaying the hurt in your thoughts. When you’re tempted to start replaying the movie of everything that’s hurt you, choose to cast those thoughts down with your words. If you say to yourself under your breath, “I am forgetting this former pain, I’m choosing to release that pain to God. I trust God to vindicate me and I forgive (insert person’s name).”
Keep saying it in faith!
You might be carrying a whole bunch of offenses in your soul. I was too so you’re not alone. I wrote down each and every offense on a few pages of paper as I poured out my tears in release and literally gave them all to God. I didn’t want it any of it anymore so I gave it away. I felt lighter, happier and experienced a new sense of joy. So maybe you may have to write it all down, pour it all on the page and let it go.
Another thing that helped me with forgiving others was praying for them. It’s really hard to stay angry at someone and pray for them. Instead of hate, prayer solicits love, peace, hope, unity. Again, it releases them and breaks the bondage off of you.
This might be a faith battle for you because you don’t feel like you’ve forgiven but faith is not a feeling. You can download my audio lesson on Faith 101 here to help you build your faith here.
Invest into prospering your soul and everything else will follow. Give someone the gift of forgiveness this season.
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
Embraceherlegacy.com