Imagine a beating heart. Now imagine some of the arteries flowing blood to and from the heart are blocked. The pumping is weak and everything is getting congested. That's what unforgiveness does in your soul. It's one of the greatest soul toxins because it blocks you from giving or receiving love. You may feel that you have a lot of unforgiveness in your heart but don't know how to get rid of it. Me too. But today God is inviting us to bathe in His waters of forgiveness and let the love flow freely again.


Real Hurt and Pain

First, I want you to imagine that you are a little kid again, and that you spent weeks painting the most beautiful picture. And then, one day when you weren't looking, your sister or brother tore it right down the middle, destroying what you worked so hard for. How do you feel? Angry? Hurt? Abused? Yeah, I can imagine all of those feelings. But then, you decide to keep ripping that beautiful painting of yours to shreds, tearing it from every angle to the smallest pieces, because you're so upset at what your sister or brother did to it.

The Self-Destructive Nature of Unforgiveness

That is what happens when we don't forgive when we've been hurt. You're take that painting that you love so much and continue to destroy it. The truth is that when you don't forgive, you're really hurting yourself. Here's a list of things associated with unforgiveness:
-Increased sickness/health problems
-Decreased quality of relationships
-Inability to feel or give love
-A sense of carrying a burden you can't shake
-Depression/anxiety/suicidal thoughts

Forgiveness=Release

But all this can be changed by releasing your hurt. That's what it means to forgive: to release. It's like someone gave you a wild tiger in your arms, scrambling around clawing you. You can either keep clinging to it, having it tear at your heart, or you can choose to let it go. Often, I think by carrying the wound it will make it better or justify my hurt, but really it's just like holding onto that tiger: it's just destroying me. The sooner you let go of the offense, the better. In fact, here is a story Jesus told to illustrate just how self-destructive unforgiveness is:

"Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.l He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.“That’s what My heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35)
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Drop the Grudge, Receive God's Forgiveness

God cares about justice. He went to great lengths to forgive you and me, sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins. What does it say about how we appreciate His gift if we can't forgive others? I know for me, this is a very hard thing right now. I have been holding onto a grudge for a few months, and it makes me afraid that God won't forgive me. Because Jesus said, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15) You may be in my same position, with many sins in need of forgiveness but still holding on to a grudge. Imagine that your hands can only hold one thing at a time: either your grudge or God's forgiveness. Let's drop the grudge in order to receive the forgiveness!


Bathe in the Waters of Forgiveness

Imagine that your hurt is like dirt covering your skin. Forgiveness is like the water that washes it off. You just stand under the shower of forgiveness, choosing to release their debt, until the hurt and bitterness is washed away. But maybe you feel like you have mud on you hardened so hard that nothing can get it off. It reminds me of a man, Naaman, in the Bible. He had a disease, leprosy, that no one thought could ever be cured. But a man of God told him to wash in an ocean 7 times until he was healed. 7, in the Bible, is the number of completion....meaning, doing it until it's done. It's the same for you, if you are dealing with some major hurt. I know there are things you may have been through that are so terrible, words can't describe. It feels like that mud stuck on your skin, never coming off. But I promise you that if you wash in the waters of forgiveness—every day until it comes off—that dirt will fall off and you will be free. And then God will forgive you all of your sins too. What a wonderful exchange: freedom from bitterness and complete forgiveness of your sins!


Take Your First Dip Today


Take a dip in the waters of forgiveness today. I'm going to do it too, both releasing my hurt and asking God to forgive my many sins. I am so grateful He is always open to forgiving me when I ask. Will you join me in dipping in the waters of forgiveness? Release whatever hurt you have been holding on to and ask God to heal you and forgive your sins too. He promises: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) As you release the soul toxin of unforgiveness, you will experience vibrant life and love!

my heart beat is faster dan usein bolt