“Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:13 (NKJ)
Do you have feelings of anger, resentment, or hatred toward someone who has hurt you? Do those feelings torment you? Learning how to truly forgive will set you free.
Prison of Unforgiveness
The hurts you have experienced from others could be one-time offenses or repeated wrongs done to you. The person who has offended you may or may not know that you were hurt. Regardless of how the offense happened or who did it, if you don’t forgive, you will never be truly free. Your offender was in the wrong but you are the one who ends up in bondage.
This bondage is illustrated as the prison of unforgiveness.
Q1. Is there someone who has offended you that you have not forgiven? Who is it?
The prison of unforgiveness has four bars.
Bar #1 – The OffenseThe first bar of the prison is the offense. This is the wrong the person did to you.
Q1. What was the offense the person committed?
Bar # 2 – The Hurt
The second bar of the prison is the hurt. This is how you felt emotionally as a result of the offense. You may have felt betrayed, embarrassed, rejected, belittled, unimportant, depressed, angry or devastated.
Q2. How did you feel about the offense from the previous question? What were your emotions?
Bar #3 – The Ramifications
The third bar to the prison is the ramifications of the offense. This is how the offense affected your life afterwards.
Q3. What are the ramifications of the offense you previously listed?
Bar #4 – My Sinful Reactions
The fourth bar of the prison is your sinful reactions. These are the wrong choices you made as a result of the offense.
You were wronged but did you react in a sinful manner? This would include gossip, slander, rejecting, and judging your offender. It could also include wrong choices you made long after the offense.
Q4. What were your sinful reactions as a result of the offense?
You may have built your Prison of Unforgiveness to protect yourself, but the bars keep you bound to your offender.
Jesus’ Payment for All Sin
God made the forgiveness of sin possible through the blood of Jesus. God requires the shedding of blood for any sin or offense to be forgiven.
“…Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:22 (NLT)
Jesus became the complete payment for sin. His blood was shed only once, but was powerful enough to cover every sin throughout all the ages.
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 (NKJ)
Q5. Does the blood of Jesus take away your sins? Explain.
Q6. Is the blood of Jesus powerful enough to cover the sins of the person who offended you?
If all offenses were paid for by what Jesus did on the cross, His blood is potent enough to cover your offender’s sin against you. Your offender may still need to receive God’s forgiveness or be legally responsible for what was done, but as far as you are concerned he or she is no longer guilty when you forgive.
True forgiveness is choosing to accept the blood of Jesus as the full payment for what your offender did. Choosing to forgive is an act of your will; forgiveness is not based on your feelings.
Q7. Are you ready to be free from the Prison of Unforgiveness?
Keys to Forgiveness
Keys to Forgiveness
Notice that the keys to unlock the Prison of Unforgiveness are in your hand. There are four keys.
Key 1 – Forgive the Offense
You choose to forgive the person for the wrong that he or she did to you. Remember, you are accepting the blood of Jesus as full payment for what the offender did. You are choosing to no longer hold them guilty for the offense. You might pray something like this, “Heavenly Father, I choose to forgive (name the person who offended you) for what he/she did to me (be specific and name the offense) I believe the blood of Jesus covers their sin.”
Key 2 – Forgive the Hurt
After you forgive the offense, take the time to forgive all the hurt feelings you have experienced. “I choose to forgive him/her for the feelings that I experienced because of the offense.” (Be specific and list the emotions you experienced.)
Key 3 – Forgive the Ramifications
You choose to forgive the offender for how the offense affected all other areas of your life. “I choose to forgive him/her for all the ramifications (list them) caused by the offense.”
Key 4 – Repent of Your Sinful Reactions
You repent of your own sinful reactions. “Lord, I acknowledge that I have sinned too. I confess my sinful reactions (be specific). Thank You that the blood of Jesus covers my sins and that I am forgiven.”
Now pray and use the four keys to forgive your offender.
Freedom
“God [Jesus] has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.” Colossians 1:14 (NLT)
Christ’s blood frees you from the punishment for your sins. Christ’s blood is also the basis for forgiving others, which frees you from the Prison of Unforgiveness.
Key 1 – Forgive the Offense
You choose to forgive the person for the wrong that he or she did to you. Remember, you are accepting the blood of Jesus as full payment for what the offender did. You are choosing to no longer hold them guilty for the offense. You might pray something like this, “Heavenly Father, I choose to forgive (name the person who offended you) for what he/she did to me (be specific and name the offense) I believe the blood of Jesus covers their sin.”
Key 2 – Forgive the Hurt
After you forgive the offense, take the time to forgive all the hurt feelings you have experienced. “I choose to forgive him/her for the feelings that I experienced because of the offense.” (Be specific and list the emotions you experienced.)
Key 3 – Forgive the Ramifications
You choose to forgive the offender for how the offense affected all other areas of your life. “I choose to forgive him/her for all the ramifications (list them) caused by the offense.”
Key 4 – Repent of Your Sinful Reactions
You repent of your own sinful reactions. “Lord, I acknowledge that I have sinned too. I confess my sinful reactions (be specific). Thank You that the blood of Jesus covers my sins and that I am forgiven.”
Now pray and use the four keys to forgive your offender.
Freedom
After you have chosen to forgive, you are free from the prison of unforgiveness.
“God [Jesus] has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.” Colossians 1:14 (NLT)
Christ’s blood frees you from the punishment for your sins. Christ’s blood is also the basis for forgiving others, which frees you from the Prison of Unforgiveness.
Read the rest of the Social book to gain a better understanding of God's plan for your relationships with others. No matter how good No matter how good your relationships are you are going to get rejected. You are also going to see people doing things wrong. Learn how to these things God's way. Discover practical ways heal broken relationships.
1 comment:
I am blessed by the SALT teachings and have been using those in my ministry and seen many coming out free from the prison of unforgiveness. Great teachings indeed!!
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