Forgiveness

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15

For the last couple of months God has put a real burden on me to forgive and ask for forgiveness. It has been amazing how opportunities have presented themselves. I’m not saying it has been easy. You never know how someone may react, but it is better to take that chance than to never have tried at all. It isn't worth it to let anger and hurt feelings get in the way of friendships and our walk with God. I'm reading a book about prayer, and here are a couple of quotes from that book:

"We simply cannot hold on to anger and harbor unforgiveness in our hearts if we want God to answer our prayers."

"No matter how major or how minor an issue seems, we have to let it go. We do not wait until we feel like forgiving; we forgive by making an intentional choice, a willful decision to let a matter drop. When we do, we make a way for our prayers to be answered."

"Unforgiveness is probably the biggest hindrance to prayer. We simply must treat others as God treats us and extend forgiveness to everyone who offends us."