Letting go of bitterness and grudges- Key to forgiveness
Guarding yourself against unforgiveness is the key to peace in the mind ask a Christian. Unless we live as hermits, we will always be prone to attack from the spirit of unforgiveness and bitterness. Most people in their lives grew up thinking that holding grudges was just the normal thing to do. This is not the case as a Christian. This spirit of unforgivenss and sometimes called in the deliverance ministry “a root of bitterness” will cause many problems in a Christian’s spirit and overall well-being.
Unforgiveness,holding grudges and bitterness can open the door for many other spirits to come in and will wreak havoc in the life of the Christian. These spirits are (to name a few) anger, rebellion, rejection. These are big ones in a person’s life and can be noticeable by those around us and could possibly ruin our Christian testimony. We must search our hearts on a daily basis to ensure that we are not harboring these sorts of spirits in our lives. A fertile ground for these spirits is unforgiveness, and bitterness towards a person(s).
Repentance is key when we feel that we have unforgiveness for someone. Remembering that when we forgive we are taking care of our own spiritual health and the Lord will take care of the rest. We are to forgive because the Word of God says so and not because we feel like forgiving the person(s). The Holy Spirit will work in our spirits to heal the hurt and pain cause by the demons. As we spoke of in previous articles, that our warfare as a Christian is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual entities that love to use clay bodies and clay lips to attempt to destroy us and ruin our witness for Jesus. When we get this revelation into our spirits, then we are ready to become spiritual giants.
Submitting our wills to the will of the Lord will cause a growth in our spirits that will be phenomenal. In addition, when we pray for the ones that have hurt or rejected us, a sweetness of spirit will also come. We must never pray for God to “get them”, we should just forgive them and seek God for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can pray in the Spirit about the whole matter.
The only way to get from under the power of these spirits of bitterness and unforgiveness is to submit yourself to God, resist the Devil and He will flee. Also, to repent of the spirit of unforgiveness. You see, Christianity is all about forgiveness and the Father sending His only begotten Son to us so that we would not suffer an eternity in Hell , separated from the Lord. This is key in helping the believer to be able to understand the danger of walking in unforgiveness. Jesus said that we would be “handed over to the tormentors” if we walk in unforgiveness. My prayer is that we will have the courage and strength to walk in the meekness of forgiving those that hurt or us and remembering that demons or evil spirits are the main perpetrators of causing the hurt and pain in our lives.
Scriptures on Forgiveness
Ephesians 1:6-7 KJV
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Psalms 85:2 KJV
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Psalms 103:12 KJV
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
I John 2:1 KJV
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
I John 1:9 KJV
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Hebrews 8:12 KJV
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Isaiah 55:7 KJV
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Colossians 3:13 KJV
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Mark 11:25 KJV
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Colossians 2:13 KJV
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Jeremiah 33:8 KJV
8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
Isaiah 1:18 KJV
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 43:25 KJV
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Psalms 32:1-2 KJV
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.