FORGIVENESS
[Matthew 5:44: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you]. I found this verse very hard and difficult to deal with you know. I mean forgive and love those who hate you, oppress you and do you wrong? Like how practical is that? It sounds very ridiculous, or so I thought. How can God expect me to forgive what is beyond broken? It gets worse when the trespasser isn’t feeling any remorse: yet God says I should forgive. I thought forgiveness is only reserved for those who are apologetic about their wrong doings. I even went farther to say that God gets to forgive us when we repent of our sins. Then He asks me to forgive someone that has not acknowledged their wrongs? To worsen it the person keeps on adding insult to injury on daily basis yet God says I should forgive.
Forgiveness is a command from God. It is not a suggestion that is up for debate. [Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses]. Forgiving those who wrong as is a requirement for us to access the throne of God’s mercy. We are called to obedience and we get to yield when we do that which is illogical but makes sense according to God’s word. That which beats the flesh’s emotions gives room for our spirit man to be elevated. And God is not asking us to do the impossible. He has already demonstrated that forgiveness of any grievances is achievable. He showcased that when He did not withhold His precious son from us. He could have chosen to destroy mankind it was just one man and one woman. Had God chosen to destroy them, He couldn’t have suffered any loss. And being sovereign as He is, He would have started a new creation and Adam and Eve would have become a story of the past or non existent. I mean this logically makes sense, but His thoughts towards us are higher than ours. His love being so unrelenting, He chose mercy over judgement. [Ephesians 2:4 says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy].
Logically, we are still presenting the argument that Adam and Eve were punished for there sin and that is right, but on a deeper level, God would have chosen total destruction and no one could stop Him. But He chose to withhold death at Eden. This just demonstrates that He is just in every way but His mercy also abounds. So back to forgiving our enemies, that person did not kill you right? That person did the worst, he exceeded the limits and hurt me in ways I never saw coming but God says I should forgive. And I contended with God with every argument but funny enough, before a Holy God, I had fallen short of His glory yet He chose to love me. I am created in God’s image and likeness and I project my heavenly Father. The Bible says in 1st John 4: 17: Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. We mirror Jesus here on earth and so if Jesus can forgive, I am also able to forgive.
I am very much empowered to love through hurt and pain and that is the power that worketh in me. The person who hurt me is also God’s child and God plays no favourites. The only difference between that person and I is that we are operating from separate kingdoms. I am operating from the kingdom of light while he is still immersed in darkness. And God calls us to spread our light. So how can I, a light carrier go round hating on people like someone who is ignorant of the knowledge of God? The same grace that was extended to me is the same thing God wants me to give out. The best part is that the grace is not mine in the first place. Grace is God’s gift and God does not want me to be selfish with the gift He has give n me. The same God who translated me into light is also in the business of transforming the wrong doer. [Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you].
At times it may seem like God is unfair because those who hurt us keep on thriving at our expense. [Nahum 1:3: The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished]. No sin will go unpunished for He is a just God but He expects us as His children to trust Him enough to give Him room to seek vengeance on our behalf. God wants to fight for us, He desires to be our defender. After all, why would He need to possess so much power yet we do not allow Him to demonstrate it in our affairs. And can we please stop praying for our enemies to perish, I mean if all of them are wrecked, in whose presence will God prepare the table for us? And it is not necessary that because someone wronged you, they will be destroyed. That is also God’s child and if they repent, mercy will overwrite their sins and if you were looking forward to their downfall, you will start feeling bitter towards God’s form of justice, yet God does not operate in our way, His ways are higher than ours and He looks at the bigger picture.
Pray for those who wronged you persistently until all the feelings of bitterness, anger and resentment are dead in you towards that person. Facts are that if someone and you have to be in the same presence, it is logical that there is something you share in common joining you to the same places. As such, you should pray for your enemies to thrive so much that your table in their presence will be of greater value. Imagine if your enemy is a big shot and God has to prepare a table in their presence, and of course God loves to show up and show off, wouldn’t that table be so big and intense? Praying for the well being of those who hate us or wrong us is also a prayer of God’s elevation in our lives through supplication.
Furthermore, you can’t be a carrier of God’s agenda and do His will when there are loop holes of unforgiveness. That small window of resentment you are leaving open is an access for the roaring lion to devour you. The devil is known to be cunning and crafty; he can magnify a small feeling that is not of God and use it to hold down your destiny. Every time you are refusing to forgive someone, you bare burdening yourself with the devil’s baggage and stagnating your growth. Forgiveness is of more benefit to us that it is to God. Mostly we think we are doing God a favour by forgiving our oppressors but we are just creating room for God to use as more. And God’s will for us is more beneficial to us because we do not add to God nor take away from Him. He has been, He is and He will still be to the ends of the earth, His kingdom remains. What benefit can we simply give to the Almighty and sovereign God, what is our submission compared to the owner of gold and silver? Can we withstand the creator and make of earth, He simply uses us because He loves us and wants to make us significant by partnering with us. Burst out of that bubble of thinking you are doing God favours by obeying His commands, especially forgiving others. [Romans 12:19: Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord].
What is your revenge plan compared to someone who holds the power to part waters of the sea? It does not even hold a candle before His presence. Imagine the same God who caused the sun to stand still so that the Israelites could take revenge from their enemies going to take revenge on your behalf just because you chose to forgive and give room for Him to defend you. [Joshua 10:12-14 says, “On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice; for the Lord fought for Israel]. This is why it is important that you forgive because God will recompense you in every way.
We also have to be open minded towards God’s form of justice. Sometimes our enemies will not face any hardship. In fact, if they give their lives to God today, you might as well forget about seeing them suffering because the same mercy God showed you, He will show to them. And as a child of God who walks in the boldness of perfected love, why should you wish to see anyone suffer? Forgiveness especially to people who are not apologetic helps us to die to our flesh and give room for Holy Spirit to dominate and manifest His fruits in our lives. So basically, forgiveness in simple terms is choosing God will over giving access to satan to magnify issues in your life. Why choose a burden of destruction over room for elevation. Satan will use unforgiveness to stagnate you while God will use forgiveness to push you to your next level and fight your battles for you. Logically weighing the pros and the cons, I would choose forgiveness any time and day.
I forgive in absentia of apology not because they are deserving but because my desire to obey God outweighs every revenge scheme my mind can come up with. I forgive even though they keep on hurting me through the same mistake because I do not want unforgiveness to hinder me from fulfilling my destiny. I forgive because God forgave me before I asked. I forgive and love because I am loved right, and those who walk in love are healed and complete in every way. However, forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation. Do not stay in a toxic and abuse environment because you are trying to forgive. God’s desire is for you to forgive but what matters to Him mostly is your well being. Be wise in your forgiving. Do not be a doormat nor be too hard hearted for God to reach you. Ask Holy Spirit to lead you on how to forgive a person. Ask Him to guide you on the next course of action after forgiveness: is it reconciliation or walking away. There are people who deserve second chances but some are better off being loved from a distance.