Choosing Forgiveness: A Path to Freedom and Healing

Forgiveness is threaded throughout history and in virtually every religion and every philosophy. In fact, the oldest historical document or record of forgiveness is found in the Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament. Most notably, it's the story of Joseph, which we find in Genesis. [00:06:36]

Joseph had every opportunity to throw them in jail immediately, he had every right to demand that they pay for the wrong that they had done to him. But miraculously, Joseph doesn't do that. And we see a display of unconditional forgiveness. And so we see this since the beginning of time. [00:07:41]

And option two is to forgive the debt, and to forgive is to actually decide, to release or cancel the debt one is owed, and the process of bringing one's emotions and behaviors in alignment with that decision. But it starts with decide, make a choice, choose to forgive. [00:18:15]

And Jesus goes on to place special emphasis on one particular part of this prayer. And in verse 14 and 15, he says this, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins." [00:19:49]

And see, this is where the second part of this forgiveness definition comes in. Once you have decided to forgive, now begins the process of aligning your emotions and your behaviors with the decision that you've made. And to align, it's a verb, it's an action word. [00:22:44]

But, if your freedom from anger and bitterness and resentment is wrapped up in somebody else's I'm sorry, you've tied yourself up in chains. You have become a prisoner and made them your captor. You are actually telling them that you are the reason that I'm angry and I'm always irritable. [00:23:52]

And forgiveness is also not denial. In fact, acceptance and letting go are key aspects of forgiveness. And hear me, you may never get an apology from that person or have that person understand just how much they wronged you. But, if your freedom from anger and bitterness and resentment is wrapped up in somebody else's I'm sorry, you've tied yourself up in chains. [00:24:16]

And forgiveness is not something you do one time. It is a process. Dr. Martin Luther king has a quote and it says this, "It says forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude." And you know what? We see lavish acts of forgiveness all throughout scripture. [00:24:49]

And if this is the freedom that we obtain when our debts are forgiven by our heavenly Father, how much more, why would he not give us the very same when we release the debt of others? And I hear you in the room, trust me, I hear you, but what if they don't say, they're sorry? [00:26:06]

And the first thing you can do is pray for them. Yes, pray for them. The Bible says repeatedly to pray for your enemies. It doesn't just say pray for them, but then it also says to bless them. Yes, literally bless them. In Romans 12:14, it says, "Bless those who persecute you, bless them and do not curse them." [00:29:12]

Actually on the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, get this, he said, feed him. If it thirsty, he says, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." I love that part. Have you ever been in a situation where you were hiding 'cause you had done something wrong? [00:30:50]

So this is the decision that we're faced with today, to forgive. And I know it's not easy, I know it's challenging. And I know these debts are deep and these wounds are deep and broad and wide. But if you will follow Jesus' example and recognize that it's for your benefit to choose to forgive and then bring in alignment your actions, your behaviors, and your emotions, that it will set you free. [00:31:27]