PREAMBLE

PREAMBLE

Forgiveness is the deliberate act and voluntary process of letting go of grudges and negative emotions that you have been nursing against another person. It is also an act of compassionately removing from your heart the desire to avenge yourself on or punish someone who offended you from your heart. Forgiveness is not a physical act but a spiritual one. It takes one to be deeply rooted in Christ to forgive because forgiveness is not just in the lips but from deep down the heart. By forgiving someone, more good is done to the one who forgives than to the one who is forgiven.

The Bible made it so clear that forgiveness is very important in the life of Christians. That is why so many verses in the Bible talked about forgiveness. God showed us a very vivid example of forgiveness by forgiving those who crucified Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Despite all that was done to Him, He forgave His offenders. He forgave them instantly on the cross. He did not consult any other person before forgiving them because He knew the importance of forgiveness. So if we must be like Christ, then we need to have the spirit of forgiveness in us. Lack o forgiveness hinders God's blessing from us. So, if we must receive from God, then we must learn how to forgive one another. Total forgiveness and not pretense is what we need in order to receive God's grace.

WHY DO WE NEED TO FORGIVE

As Christian we need to forgive those who offends us for the following reasons:

1. Our  Jesus Christ is a forgiving master. So for us to be like Him, we must forgive our offenders (Hebrew 10:17).
2. Christ forgives us when we sin against Him, (Matthew 6:14-15, Colossians 3:13).
3. So that God will hear and answer our prayers (Psalm 66:18).
4. So that our mind will be free from grudges and bitterness (Ephesians 4:1-32).

Going by the above reasons, we that are Christ-like do not have any other option than to forgive. So with this, learn how to totally forgive and forget. The first to apologize is the bravest, while the first to forgive is the strongest but the first to forget is the happiest. Forgiveness goes side by side with forgetting the event. Do not forgive without letting go of the event that brought the anger. And as you forgive your offenders, nothing will hinder your prayers from being answered in Jesus name, Amen.