Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.“
One of the most outstanding characters of a Christian should be their forgiving heart. Think about this, we are accepted into God’s family through forgiveness and Jesus said that if we fail to forgive men their trespasses, then our heavenly father will not forgive us our trespasses.
Here are some statements that can help us know if we have truly forgiven from the heart.
1:True forgiveness is permanent. False forgiveness is temporary.
Sometimes we say we have forgiven someone and then when they commit another offence, we regurgitate even that which we said we had forgiven them. Did we really forgive?
2:True forgiveness is unconditional. False forgiveness has conditions. When we say we will only forgive if the person who offended us meets certain conditions have we really forgiven them from the heart?
3: True forgiveness let’s the past be over. False forgiveness keeps the past alive. When we say we have forgiven someone but we keep going back to the grave to dig up what we say we have forgiven them to remind them, have we really forgiven them? When we say we have forgiven but we still treat the person as though they owe us something did we really forgive them?
4: True forgiveness is inspired by love. False forgiveness is motivated by ego. When we truly understand God’s love for us and how much he has forgiven us, then the same love will lead us to forgive others because we want to see them experience the greatness of Gods love and forgiveness as well.
Think about people who have greatly offended you, have you really forgiven them?
Sometimes the person who caused you offence is yourself! Have you forgiven yourself or do you keep beating yourself down and punishing yourself?
God’s forgiveness is available for all who will embrace it, have you embraced it. If you have, then God has forgiven you. Do not allow the enemy to again bring condemnation for what God has already forgiven.
