The 5 Minute Christian Day 12 Forgiveness is one of the greatest mysteries of God. Our anger and resentment, though well deserved in our minds, does nothing to ease the hurt of betrayal, deceit, and being used. God is faithful to do His word. "I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them." according to Deuteronomy 32:35. When we hold malice against someone, we are the ones who are hurt by it. Unforgiveness has been shown to cause many physical and mental blockages and physical ailments. The stress of unforgiveness has a very real impact on our bodies and our minds. Pray to the Lord to forgive your sins. After you have prayed for yourself, think about someone you have not forgiven. Now, forgive them. Don't wait until you "feel like it." (If you are not holding any unforgiveness, read and memorize this prayer for the next time you need to forgive someone.) "Heavenly Father, I come to you with a broken heart because of what ______________ did to me. Lord, I forgive ______________. Please mend my heart so that I will not have ill feelings toward _________________. In Jesus' Name, Amen." Then, praise God for giving you the ability to forgive. "Praise you Lord. You are the Lord of my life and the keeper of my soul. All Glory and Honor belong to you. Thank you for giving me the ability to forgive ________________. You are my source and my deliverer. In Jesus' Name, Amen." Say those two prayers each and every time you even think of someone with malice. Holding unforgiveness breaks up families, friendships, and communities. But most importantly, unforgiveness separates us from God. The ultimate separation is described in the book of Revelation. The book begins by describing the condition of each of seven churches as being one of the following: preoccupied, persecuted, political, pagan, powerless, pursuing, putrid. Revelation admonishes believers to affirm their faith because the adversaries of God's people (depicted as a Beast and a Harlot) are ultimately destroyed. This final book of the Bible is considered difficult to understand. Always depend on God to reveal His Word to you. Now pick up your Bible and read from the book of Revelation. Pray that God will show you more of "who He is" and "whose you are." I pray that you will always take your Bible with you. Read it when you are just sitting or waiting. The more you read, the more God can renew your mind. God be with you.
The 5 Minute Christian Š2010 Vivian Aldana