Forgiveness. Why is this such a hard one for us to come to terms with. In theory it’s all good the minute you accept Jesus He forgives you and it’s the truth He really does. He doesn’t want us to walk around with unforgiveness in our hearts and souls. This kind of baggage really weighs us down, its like walking around with a 30 kg suitcase and every time you hold on to unforgiveness or hold unforgiveness over someone you add a rock to your bag and eventually it will weigh you down and affect your spiritual walk with God. He want us to all be free from unforgiveness and to understand the truth that we truly are forgiven. That we are forgiven because He bore it all on the cross, His blood covers it all and breaks the power it has over you.

Ephesians 1:7-8

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound towards us in all riches of His grace.

We have redemption through His blood, this has nothing to do with us, we don’t deserve it, it’s a gift from God the minute we accept Him as our saviour. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, the only blood that has the power to set us free from all sin. It’s all to do with Him not us, the price is paid by the Lamb. The Lamb of God is Jesus Christ the Son of God who shed His blood for us so we can be free. When your sin is brought before God He doesn’t look at you to see if your worthy He looks at the Lamb. The Lamb that paid the cost for your sin so that it’s forgiven and forgotten by God. It stays at the altar in heaven covered by the blood shed on Calvary. It’s not something that we get to keep carrying around with us, it not something God holds over us and it not something that we should hold over ourselves. It is forgiven and forgotten so let it stay where it should be and move on with God trusting Him to lead you where you need to go. Of course there will be times when it tries to rear its head but you have the choice, do you stand on Gods word or to you go with your emotions and how you feel. I am choosing God’s word because it’s the truth and it will set me free. The choice is yours, if you choose to walk in forgiveness it will not be easy but it will be worth it.

God wants us to be free from sin and unforgiveness because when we hold on to these it creates other problems. If you don’t seek forgiveness then it can lead to guilt, shame or bitterness and these are not anything I want to carry around. We are called to love our neighbours (Matthew 22:36-40) pray for one another (James 5:16) to get rid of anger toward one another (Ephesians 4:31-32). We are called to love the world and the people in it, even the people who  have cause us pain and hard ship, we are guided to pray for them and forgive them. I have been hurt by some people who in my own strength I could not forgive but with the help of Jesus and praying for them with a sincere heart I can say I am on the road to forgiveness. I can say from personal experience it’s not easy and its a choice but you learn a lot about yourself. Your anger and unforgiveness is not affecting that person who you hold it against, but it is affecting you and making itself like a weed that will choke out the good planted in you by the Holy Spirit. I ask you brothers and sisters take your weeds and cast them into the fire where they belong. This is not what God wants for you and He has so much more planned for you. He wants you to live in the fullness of His word and to be full of His love.

Please take the time to think about this and what unforgiveness is doing in your life and see what you want to grow now in your heart. Which plants are you going to water love or hate, truth or lies,  forgiveness or unforgiveness. Which ever you feed will be made strong and choke out the other. I know I can’t do this in my own strength and that I get all my strength and grace from Jesus.

Jesus knows what this weight is like to carry because He carried it to the cross and bore it on the cross so I can be free, He knows the words I need and the grace I need to truly forgive. Jesus knows what you need so seek Him and ask for His help because He wants you to be free from the past. He wants to carry  this burden for you back to the cross and to leave it there where He paid for it. He wants you to look at that cross and feel lighter and free because that’s what He did for you. He broke the chains of sin, so now you need to let the chains go and walk away into the promises of God. Fix your eyes on God and His grace and He will get you through because He has forgiven you and forgotten the past and only sees His plans and future for you. He is your father and  He love you so much and only wants His best for you.

I pray for you all as you read this that you are healed from all past pains and that true forgiveness can break forth in your heart. That you feel lighter and freer because the blood has set you free, that you no longer hear the lies of the past or trust your emotions. That your faith and trust be in Jesus and the blood shed on Calvary. I pray for God’s love to shine in your heart for you are a child of God and belong to Him.