Freedom Through ForgivenessSample

We Need To Give And Receive Forgiveness

Have you ever made a mistake?

Have you ever hurt someone?

Has anyone ever hurt you?

Has anyone ever intentionally harmed you?

If you are reading this, I know that the answer is a clear yes to at least one, if not all, of these questions. I can say this with confidence because the Bible said that everyone one of us will deal with hurt and pain.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 ESV Emphasis Added

People will hurt us, and we will experience pain, harm, betrayal, and a long list of other things. The opposite is also true. Sometimes, we are the ones who hurt, harm, and betray others.

Yes, pain will be experienced in this life, and because of that, forgiveness is needed in this life.

We will never be so mature or spiritual that we never have to give or receive forgiveness.

You Will Experience Pain

The other adjectives for tribulation in John 16:33 are

• oppression
• affliction
• distress

We all have experienced oppression from someone, we have been afflicted, and we all have been in distress over a situation caused by people we know. As you read this, situations from the past and present are likely coming to mind that still hurt you to this day. That is normal, but what we do with those thoughts is what matters the most. (More on that in the upcoming days.)

Others Will Experience Pain Too

We need to be reminded of the fact that other people experience pain too. They also experience oppression, affliction, and distress. And sometimes, we are the ones who cause the tribulation in their life. John 16:33 was written to you, yes, and was written for EVERYONE.

We are imperfect. Sometimes we will make mistakes, poor choices, and react from emotions rather than pausing to respond from our heart of love. Jesus told us that this would happen ahead of time so that we could be prepared for it. We don’t have to be caught off guard. We can anticipate this and choose our response in advance.

What do we do when people hurt us? – Forgive Them

What do we do when we hurt other people? – Forgive Ourselves

Because we live in a world of hurting people, we must live a life of forgiveness. If we choose not to forgive, we are choosing to remain connected to the very thing that is hurting us.

What Is Forgiveness?

We will dive into this more in the following few devotionals, but a straightforward definition is “making a decision to let go of what you believe is owed to you.”

Here are some key points to keep in mind about forgiveness that we will cover throughout this devotional.

• Forgiveness is a decision that you make, and your feelings catch up to it.

• Forgiveness isn't easy or natural to your desire to be comfortable, but it's the best thing you can do for yourself.

• Forgiveness is not a feeling

• Forgiveness is not the same as trust

• Forgiveness is not ignoring the offense

• Forgiveness is not blame

• Forgiveness is not dependent on an apology

Forgiveness is a biblical truth that God emphasizes because He knew we would need it to live the life He has planned for us.

Locate Yourself

If you want to get anywhere in life, you need to start by knowing where you are now. One of the mistakes we sometimes make is trying to move forward in life without knowing where we are. Every goal you want to achieve requires you to first locate yourself.

Before we go on this journey of learning about forgiveness, you must identify your forgiveness location. When it comes to forgiveness, people are in one of four places.

Look through the list below and write down the number that identifies where you are today.

1. "I can't forgive them!"

2. "I refuse to forgive them; they don't deserve it!"

3. "I want to forgive them, but I don't feel like I have."

4. "I have forgiven them."

Locating yourself is essential!. Write down your number in a place where you will remember. Write the date next to it, too. After completing the devotional, review this list again. See where you are then. You may not get to number four just from reading this devotional once, but each time you read it, you should be able to make progress until you are at a healthy number four.

Your freedom is waiting for you!