What The Bible Says About Forgiveness And Letting Go

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Forgiveness And Letting Go
Forgiveness And Letting Go

What the Bible says about forgiveness And Letting Go,  Choose to forgive the person who’s offended you. Move away from your role as victim and release the control and power the offending person and situation have had in your life. No one is safe from getting hurt by someone. Whether we like it or not, to be free within ourselves, we need to forgive the offender. As a result, this article will discuss what the Bible says about forgiveness. If someone has hurt you in some way, you have to take the long and complicated road to forgiveness. Reaching the point of forgiveness can be a journey in itself; one that is valuable because you can honestly tell the person and yourself that you have forgiven them for the offense that person has done to you.

Jesus admonishes us in the Scriptures that “if you forgive people their trespasses, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you” (Matt. 6:14, NKJV). He followed this up with the importance of forgiveness when his disciple, Peter asked how many times he had to forgive an erring brother in Christ. “I tell you not up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22, NKJV).

What do you do now that you’ve forgiven the person but do not want history to repeat itself with them? Does that mean, under forgiveness, you get yourself hurt again by that person?

It is possible to move on after forgiving someone while protecting yourself from being hurt again. There is a need to assess relationships, set boundaries, and find true and lasting peace.

What is forgiveness

In the Lord’s Prayer, receiving forgiveness from God is associated with forgiving others (Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4). Jesus’ parable of the cruel servant emphasizes that people must forgive because God has forgiven them (Matthew 18:23-35). In fact, it is said that God’s forgiveness depends on the forgiveness of others (Matthew 6:14; 18:35; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 6:37). Jesus said that there should be no limit to the number of times a person must forgive another until the offender repents and asks for forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-4).

Also Read: Bible Verses on Forgiveness

First step: evaluate your friendship

Let’s start with a common scenario. A friend has hurt you personally, either with something they said, posted online, or were simply unavailable.

You have tried to forgive that person. Through long periods of silence with the Lord and meditation on the scriptures, you can finally say that you have forgiven the person for the crime he has committed. Your next step is almost as important as the forgiveness step. You have to accept what happened and find out what your new position is with that person now.

Also write down what you think the Lord said about that person, what He said about that person, and where the relationship is headed. The book of Proverbs specifically encourages us to seek God’s wisdom in this and all things: “For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6, NKJV).

Step Two: Establishing Clear Boundaries

When you feel you have reached the point where you clearly understand the terms of your relationship with that person, the next step is to set boundaries for future interactions. Of course, you should consider whether you work with this person or whether they are family members or family friends.

The limits you set determine how often you see that person, whether in a group or alone. Also the environment you meet in, or even whether you can continue personal friendships.

For example, if your friend primarily only wants to hang out with you in questionable areas such as bars and clubs, you can set a limit that you only see him in a healthy state for your Christian testimony and for your relationship. If someone’s equipment breaks down in a certain situation, or a group of people encourages them to make fun of you, these facts should also be included to find out how and where you spent your time with that individual.

Step Three: Find Peace in the Progress

Finally, you come to the final step which is finding peace in the situation with your friend and how God guides the outcome of it all. This is the step where, regardless of your friendship status, you can honestly say that you can pray for him and hope God’s blessings will come into his life.

As you reach this point of walking away from forgiveness, you will find the confidence to know that you are in a safe place again. You don’t think much (or hopefully not at all) about offending your friend. Perhaps you’ve regained trust in your friendship, or you’re comfortable starting a friendship that is about to end. Bottom line, you’re fine again.

Peace also comes from recognizing and accepting the lessons the Lord has given you through this experience. You realize that sadness and anger over what your friend did to you were never used by God to hurt you, but to guide you, to make you grow, and to bring you prosperity as you progress in His plan for you. “Trust in God with all your heart and don’t rely on your own reasons. Confess him in all your ways, and he will guide you” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV).

Conclusion

What the Bible says about forgiveness And Letting Go, The Bible clearly admonishes people to forgive one another. If God is to forgive them and it also tells us that forgiveness has no limit. You have to forgive without tiring, the same way God forgives us who constantly sin again him.

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