COULD unforgiveness be blocking your complete deliverance? Are there people who hurt, betrayed or abandoned you but you haven’t forgiven and let go?
While forgiveness is one sure way of receiving the miracle of healing and deliverance, unforgiveness will work the opposite. Unforgiveness violates a foundational biblical principle, but often overlooked!
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they broke their relationship and fellowship with Him and He chased them away from the garden of Eden. He was grieved, He had lost close friends, His own children.
For Adam and Eve, this was a blessing in disguise!
If God had let them remain (in the garden), they would have eaten the tree of life and would have stayed in sin forever.
They had disobeyed and were no longer walking with God, they would have easily ended up eating the second tree – the Tree of Life.
God in His faithfulness, is committed to forgiveness because of His love and His nature.
Forgiveness is important and is the bedrock of our Christian faith and relationship with the Father. Where would we be if God would not forgive us through Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross?
It is important as Christians to consider if we have unforgiveness in our hearts from past hurts and experiences.
We are guilty of the following when we harbour unforgiveness in our hearts and deny ourselves the benefit of complete deliverance;
1. We are denying God’s nature in our lives
God’s nature is forgiveness, and that is why we are together with Him. He brought Jesus to reconcile us. Our relationship with the Father is founded on His nature- forgiveness.
Ephesians 5:1-2. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
2.We are not remembering a biblical principle
Jesus taught that when we do not forgive others, then we will not be forgiven either. To be forgiven, we must then forgive. After receiving God’s forgiveness, we must let it flow from us to others as well.
Mathew 6:14-15 . For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Unforgiveness will hinder your prayer. Take time to remember and forgive all those who have done you wrong. Remember, your healing and deliverance depends on it.
3.We open ourselves to tormenting spirits
When we are wounded because of what has happened to us and are holding on to it in our hearts, we open ourselves to tormenting spirits, according to Mathew 18:28-35.
“But when that servant went out he found one of his fellow servants who wowed him a hundred silver coins, he grabbed him and began to choke him-pay back what you owe me, he demanded.
His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him be patient with me and I will pay it back but he refused, instead he went off and went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
Then the master called the servant in -you wicked servant I cancelled all your debt because you begged me to , shouldn’t you too have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?
In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you, unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
The unhealed wound of unforgiveness will attract spirits, read flies, of suspicion, lack of trust, rejection, bitterness, anger, resentment, violence, murder, depression and many others.
It is like a carcass that attracts the flies and other parasites. To get rid of the flies we must first take way the carcass. Mathew 24:28. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
4.We close doors to our blessings
When we have not forgiven others who hurt us, we are carrying them spiritually on our backs or shoulders. Whenever we see them or think about them, something happens to us- we feel disturbed and uncomfortable!
It is hurting us more than it is hurting them. It is said unforgiveness is like drinking poison so that your enemy may die! In doing so, we hold back God’s hands from blessing us and block out our own blessings.
If you have unforgiveness in your heart, you are carrying an unnecessary burden which you got to let go of to experience your complete deliverance.
Here’s a related article on forgiveness and self-control. Bring these four under self-control.
Ephesians 1: 7-8. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
There are times healing and deliverance may be blocked because someone is still holding resentment against another from past hurts.
Struggling in an area
When you are struggling in an area of your life and you have tried to deal with it unsuccessfully, it could be because of some aspect of unforgiveness that is still lingering and buried deep in the sub-conscious mind.
That area of struggle could be tied to the bitterness you have against people who may have crossed your line, or may have made it difficult in one way or another for you to advance, maybe at your place of work or locked doors in your face and rejected you.
Forgiveness draws us closer to God and releases us from the chains and shackles of the enemy. It is the bedrock of our relationship with our God.
It is His nature since without forgiveness we would not have our own salvation and reconciliation with God. He is merciful and gracious, He “forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Psalm 103:3.
Negative consequences
The Messiah forgave a big debt when He died on the cross and even asked God to forgive those who crucified him.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:24.
So did Stephen when he was stoned to death. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60.
When we refuse to forgive we do not only continue hurting but we will hurt others as well.
Refusing to forgive can have several negative consequences not only for the person but those around him. Holding on to anger can lead to physical and mental health issues. It will hurt others as we become irritable, easily angered and withdrawn.
It will also damage relationships with others and create a rift which may e difficult to fill up. It may create distance and coldness of heart and cause one to isolate from others denying one the chance for a complete deliverance.
Holding on to anger and resentment can also create a negative outlook on life which can spread to others around us impacting their mood and attitude as well.
Click on the link below to read a related post on how Emotional Intelligence (EI) helps us manage our selves and impact the environment around us positively.
Powerful tool of growth
Forgiveness can be a powerful tool for personal growth, healing and complete deliverance. When we refuse to grow we miss the opportunity to learn from experience for us as individuals and to heal from past hurts.
In conclusion, refusing to forgive can impact negatively not only on us but also on others around us. It is important to be intentional and practice forgiveness.
Let go of anger and resentment and allow healing to take place.
It is important to remember that we cannot forgive in our own strength but through the help of the Holy Spirit we will have the ability to forgive.
We should also learn to forgive ourselves and free ourselves from regret and self-imposed penalties from the things that we did not do right, remembering that if God has forgiven you, then you must forgive yourself too to experience complete deliverance and healing as we are drawn closer to Him.
A key principle to remember is that, if we do not forgive others of their sins against us, how do we expect to be forgiven our own sins.
Luke 11:4. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.
The most striking aspects of this scripture is the qualification of the request for your healing and deliverance- that we must forgive others of the hurts, disappointments, betrayals, unfaithfulness and all the wrongs they may have committed against us.
Forgiveness, is a not only key to spiritual healing and complete deliverance but also for physical healing as well as it will relieve you heart and mind of stress, anxiety and related ailments and free you from the load of an unnecessary burden.
