Heavenly Father I praise You for trusting us enough that we can join in building Your kingdom. You created us with the ability to think and to make choices every day. You gave each of us talents and gifts to use either for good or for bad.
Holy Spirit when one of my brothers or sisters in the church offends me, help me to follow the instruction or wisdom You gave Paul when he wrote, “If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive, I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” [2 Corinthians 2:5-11]
Satan’s best way to separate, destroy or isolate us is through the lack of forgiveness. Forgiveness is so flowing around us from Christ that we should have plenty to lap onto others. Yet we prefer to be indignant, judgmental, hating and bitter. If this is where I am at then forgiving someone is not my real problem, my real problem is thinking I know more than God. Christ forgave all of us we just need to accept this forgiveness. If he can do that for all the evil every person has perpetuated, than how do we feel we have a right to withhold forgiveness? I understand not going back to a well to continue to get hurt, that is foolishness, but not forgiving people so that we can be clean and clear with God is allowing that offense to master us. Satan likes to have this control and we just hand it to him. I choose to forgive. I choose to move on and if I need to make changes so that I am not hurt again without degrading the other person I will do so. I want nothing to interfere with my relationship with God. I want nothing consuming my time that will lead me to destruction. I do not desire to be bitter or full of hatred. I need to save those feelings for what is evil.
For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21