God's promise of forgiveness is one of the most treasured gifts in His Word. The whole gospel is built on God's amazing gift of forgiveness granted to us through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My OWN sake, and remember your sins no more" (Isaiah 43:25).
Accepting God's forgiveness into your own heart and life will radically transform your life and give you the freedom to grow in your relationship with HIm.
But God also calls us to forgive others just have we have been forgiven. That's often the sticking point--we are reticent to give the gift of forgiveness to those who have hurt us. However, if we give our hurts to God and ask for His forgiving heart, He will help us to forgive others.
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive you" (Matthew 6:14,15).
Resources on Forgiveness
Forgiving Others - Forgiving others can be hard. The simple steps outlined here will help you connect with God's love for you so that you can forgive others.
Scriptures on Forgiveness - God promises to forgive you. Are you choosing to forgive others? Pray these Scriptures and let God work the miracle of forgiveness in your heart.
Prayer for Healing & Forgiveness - An excellent PowerPoint presentation on the ways God heals and how He uses forgiveness to heal relationships. Created by Karen & Lynn Martell. PDF Version.
Five Ways to Pray for Your Enemies —Do you need some inspiration to pray for those who have hurt you? The stories and practical advice here will show you how forgiveness and praying for your enemies can heal broken relationships.
Ten Principles of Forgiveness - Forgiveness is a choice that we must make if we want to live freely. These ten principles are foundational to experiencing forgiveness and giving it to others.
A Story of Forgiveness
For 20 years, Elliott had been employed as a chef in one of the biggest restaurants in town. Then he was fired, abruptly and for no apparent reason. Anger over the injustice rankled in his soul.
The problem was that Elliott was an elder at the local Seventh-day Adventist church. He knew that his hate and desire for revenge dishonored God. Yet, he couldn’t seem to shake the feelings. They had ruined his life!
Then one more God woke him up at 3 a.m. with the distinct impression that he needed to pray for those who had fired him. Elliott obeyed the Holy Spirit’s prompting and got up and began praying for his enemies. Praying for those who had fired him was incredibly difficult, but he found that as he prayed, it began to get easier. He prayed for several hours until feelings of overwhelming love for his enemies flooded his soul.
Later that morning, Elliott got a call saying he might get his job back. The restaurant was going to hire some people back through a lottery system. Elliott was thrilled and immediately began praying that he would get the job back. But there was one thing he needed to do. He needed to ask for Sabbath’s off when he was rehired.
Elliott wrote a letter to his former boss asking for Sabbath’s off, then called his pastor. He knew that his pastor spent every Wednesday on the mountain above the city praying and fasting for his members and the city’s inhabitants. “Pastor, would you pray that my former boss is impressed to let me have Sabbath’s off? And that I would get rehired?”
God answered Elliott’s prayers and he was chosen in the lottery. He received his job back—with Sabbath’s off—and went back to work with a light heart. No anger towards his boss clouded his vision and he was able to establish good relationships with all his coworkers again.