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• Why forgive?
• Definition of forgiveness

Discipleship

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a choice necessary for mental sanity spiritual continuous fellowship with God and physical health unforgiveness often

Why forgive?

It has been medically proven that forgiveness brings physical health to your brain!

Forgiveness is a choice, necessary for mental (sanity), spiritual (continuous fellowship with God), and physical health (unforgiveness often cause diseases like cancer, arthritis and heart problems)

We take on the characteristics of those we don’t forgive            (John 20:23)

Definition: Forgiveness is laying down our lives for others choosing not to remember what they did
(Phil 2: 5-11)                             

Our ‘reasons’ for not forgiving other people 

1. Preconceived ideas - ‘I thought’
2. Personal opinions disregarded personal advantages and conveniences taken away.
3. If we can’t forgive ourselves, we can’t forgive others
4. Jealousy (like the prodigal son’s brother)
5. Pride – not ’wanting’ to chose to forgive

 The bible says…

Jesus praying..Forgive us our debts as we also have been forgiven. Matt 6:12

(Forgiveness will be easy if we understand the degree of depth of completeness of His forgiveness, the intensity of God’s grace over time and space to us, whom He calls beloved children)

Rom 5:8, Col 3:13

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances.

Jesus says not 7 x forgiveness but 77 x 7 (unlimited forgiveness) Matt 18:21

A parable of Jesus saying: unforgiveness will bring jail and torture (bondage) Matt 18:33-35
No person with unforgiveness in his/her heart can enter heaven

Unforgiveness brings all sorts of curses (financial, emotional, relationships, health)

People we struggle to forgive.

Close friends, family, other christians, spiritual leaders, other races, opposite sex and God (even if He did nothing wrong) etc.

 Solution to unforgiveness

1. Acknowledge your bitterness and unforgiveness (ask the Holy Spirit to help you remember all the incidents and people that hurt you, take a pen and make a complete list of it)
2. Make a decision to forgive, forgive each one, one by one.
3. Speak out forgiveness and act in the opposite spirit ( see the teaching on the Opposite spirit)
4. Repent before God of all your unforgiveness, bitterness, judging and condemnation of others   Luke 6:37
5. Draw to God for daily for strength, soak in His presence
6. Persevere in Forgiveness

 Remember:
Don’t say someone has 40% guilt and you have 60% guilt, each one has 100% guilt, and need 100% forgiveness
Time does not heal, time does not take unforgiveness away, just because you forget does not mean you forgave.

 Also make a list of people that you know you have hurt, so that you can ask them forgiveness.

Some key words
Don’t curse, don’t nurse, stop rehearsing, disperse of it, reverse it. 

Definition of forgiveness

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Last updated: 8th July 2009 by Gabriel Kolbe