The Power of Forgiveness

We forgive others because God has forgiven us (Colossians 3:13; Matthew 6:14-15). Love allows for forgiveness. It is God’s love that sent Jesus to the cross so that our sins could be forgiven and our relationship restored with Father God (John 3:16). He loved and forgave us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). God’s mercy and grace were also revealed. Jesus declared from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Not only is there the remission or cancellation of sin, but Jesus also provided healing for our physical bodies and souls. Our redemption includes salvation, healing, and deliverance. Healing is all about what Jesus has done and paid for on the cross. We have the complete benefits package! (Psalm 103:1 – 5; Isaiah 53:4-5).

Forgiveness is a choice. We may choose to forgive because we are supposed to but still struggle with that person, situation, God, or ourselves. Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves and even God. Although He hasn’t done anything wrong, we may blame Him for what happened. We are to forgive from our hearts (Matthew 18:35), but we may still carry the wounds from the trauma, hurt, betrayal, etc. We need the inner healing of our souls. The difference between inner healing and deliverance is that the heart needs healing first so that deliverance from the enemy’s oppression is easier, and we can keep our deliverance.

When we don’t forgive, it can lead to a root of bitterness, sickness, and bondage. We see that sickness is from the devil (Acts 10:38), so there would be a spiritual component to sickness and disease. I heard two testimonies when the persons dealt with unforgiveness in their lives and were healed of arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis immediately. Forgiveness isn’t just for the other person. It is for us so that we can walk in health and freedom.

Taking offense, unforgiveness, and having a wounded soul can hinder our healing.  A broken heart, being rejected, or self-rejection can cause many sicknesses and diseases, and these wounds may need to be dealt with to receive complete and lasting healing. Jesus wants to make us whole by healing us of all physical, mental, emotional, and relational wounds.

Forgiveness is a process. The Lord has come to set us free, and it may be one layer at a time! We need the Holy Spirit to help us and His grace, which enables us. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting what happened or what happened to us but releasing it to the Lord and letting Him deal with the person and situation. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance anyone we need to forgive. Then ask the Lord to heal our wounded hearts and emotions.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean minimizing the offense and pain it caused; God isn’t asking you to forget, and it doesn’t mean resuming a relationship without change in the other person’s life. Forgetting is not what God is asking you to do. Instead, He wants you to forgive and to trust Him and see how He can bring good out of it (Romans 8:28). Offering forgiveness is our part. Restoring a relationship requires repentance, restitution, and rebuilding trust on their part. We offer forgiveness because it sets us free.

When you study the Word and see what God says about forgiveness, you will discover that forgiveness is built on grace and is unconditional. It can’t be earned, deserved, or bargained for. It isn’t based on a promise never to do that again. We offer forgiveness whether they ask for forgiveness or not. We forgive because God has forgiven us, and therefore we need to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32).

The giant of unforgiveness wants to hold us in bondage by poisoning our spirit and destroying our faith. Unforgiveness can lead to resentment and a root of bitterness that will poison all our relationships. Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6) and refusing to forgive unloving. So when we allow unforgiveness or offense toward others or even God by blaming Him, our faith won’t work, and our prayers hindered (Mark 11:22-25; Matthew 5:23-24).

We are to walk in love (1n Corinthians 13:1-7) because God is love, and when we’re operating outside of love, we’re not operating in Him. (Mark 12:30 – 31; John 13:34). We can forgive others because God has forgiven us and placed His love inside us (Romans 5:5). It helps to remember God’s love for us and the forgiveness He has given us when we think about forgiving others.

If there is an open door for the enemy to influence your life, it will require repentance and deliverance to shut the door and allow for healing. In his book “Truly Free,” Robert Morris discusses the key steps to deliverance: 1) repentance, 2) renouncing the lies of Satan/ the enemy, 3) prayers for deliverance, 4) filling of the Holy Spirit, and 5) Biblical meditation to renew our minds. (Morris, “Truly Free” 192-202; 213).

Once we recognize that we need help because the Holy Spirit has shown us problem areas, the nextstep towards freedom is to repent to God and others. Repentance means to change our mind, about our sin to turn from it, about God who is loving and forgiving and ourselves that we are righteous in Christ. Daily repentance is helpful to receive the cleansing and forgiveness that He has already provided.

The Holy Spirit helps us see our need to repent, and once we choose to do it, He does the work in our hearts when we ask Him. If you need to involve others in your repentance, i.e., those you have harmed (need to ask their forgiveness) or choose to confess your sin to a close friend, this can bring healing to both you and them. James 5:16 says to confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another for healing to occur.

You may also need to offer forgiveness to someone who has harmed or wronged you. Don’t speak directly with an abusive person. Be thorough and take time with this step. If you have bad feelings when you think about a person, this is an area where repentance and forgiveness are needed. If you have been prayed for deliverance first before you have done this, when you repent and offer forgiveness, the demons will leave because they have to!

Next, we need to renounce the lies of Satan since all bondage begins with a lie. We need to come out of agreement with the lie we believed to break the foundational lie by declaring it; forgive ourselves and the other person who hurt us; then replace the lie with the truth the Lord gives us. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to expose the lies to see them for what they are, renounce them in the name of Jesus and clear them from our minds by allowing our minds to be transformed and renewed by the Word of God; in other words, replacing the lies of the enemy with the truth of God’s Word.

You can receive prayer for deliverance in a community of believers with spiritual leadership present (Mark 16:17) or by a Pastor or Deliverance Ministry Team. If you desire, you can repent and pray for yourself (Morris, “Truly Free,” 213). We can be set free by Jesus and allow Him by the Holy Spirit to take us through the process of closing the doors and windows of evil in our lives, walking with Jesus daily, and asking God to continually fill us with the Holy Spirit’s presence and power.

If you choose to do this on your own, you can pray the following prayer below out loud, naming the areas of bondage that the Holy Spirit has shown you. If you need to call someone or write someone a letter to confess and ask forgiveness from that person or persons, you can do that first. Also, you may wish to consult with a Pastor or a counselor from the Deliverance Ministry team.

Heavenly Father,

I repent of and renounce all the lies of Satan in my life and every misuse of my body. I ask You to forgive me of my sin, and I ask you to set me free from every bondage in my life. I renounce (name them) by the blood of Jesus, and I cancel every claim I have given the enemy against my body and every form of access to dominion over me that my actions have given him. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit now and fill me with Your Holy Spirit in every place that evil spirits have left. I want only You to be in control of me and only You in my life.

In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Prayer for the Brokenhearted – “I thank You, Lord, that You came to heal the brokenhearted! I lift up every wound in my heart to You. You are My Healer and Deliverer. Your blood has made me free. I call upon Your healing power right now. I invite You into my heart to heal and deliver me from every pain in my emotions. I believe that Your healing power is working in my life right now. I bind and break all brokenness.” (“Unbound; Self- Deliverance Decrees; by Ryan LeStrange/John Eckhardt/Roderigo Zablah; from ABP books) Follow this prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to fill you.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:19 – 20

The first step to receive your healing is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You can receive Jesus into your heart right now by praying in faith the following prayer out loud.

Heavenly Father,

Your Word says that whoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved. I ask You to forgive me for my sins. I repent and turn from them and turn to You. I am calling on You and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, and He is alive today. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me the Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your healing power in my life. I now belong to You. Help me to live for You and obey You all the days of my life.

 In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Making it Personal – Forgiveness Exercise

Close your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is someone you need to forgive. If there is, are you willing to forgive that person now? Choose to forgive them and yield to Christ in your heart. Allow yourself to feel any emotion that comes up. Jesus says we are to forgive from the heart. Your heart is in your belly (John 7:38 KJV). Place your hand on your belly/heart and ask Jesus Christ (the forgiver) to forgive them. You’ll know when you have forgiven from the heart when His supernatural peace replaces the negative emotion (See reference: “The 60 Day Challenge Achieving Complete Emotional Healing”). Don’t let unforgiveness rob you of your healing and become a root of bitterness that keeps you in bondage. The Holy Spirit will take you through these emotions and give you grace. You need to receive grace for yourself! Stay current in forgiveness by deciding not to take offense and to forgive everyone ahead of time!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

References

Clark, Drs. Dennis and Jennifer. (2018). The 60 Day Challenge Achieving Complete Emotional Healing (Expanded Edition). 

Morris, Robert. (2015) Truly Free: Breaking the Snares that so Easily Entangle us. Nashville, Tennessee: W. Publishing Group