Applying large doses of forgiveness is a necessary requirement for any relationship to flourish. An authentic relationship requires forgiveness or it is a phony, surface-level relationship. It skips over the sins, disappointments, and letdowns of our lives because these are too painful or too hard to face.       The only way it wouldn’t be about forgiveness would be if everyone were perfect. I checked myself in the mirror...

     In the first three posts in this series, we’ve been discussing what forgiveness is and how it can set us free.  Here, we take a look at what God says through scripture. There are many passages on forgiveness, but here we’ve picked a few of the ones to give us a healthy diet of what God wants us to do concerning forgiveness. Proverbs 19:11 “A man’s wisdom gives...

     I recently  came across this devotional by Greg Laurie:      “When I committed my life to Jesus Christ there was an erosion of bitterness and anger, and the growth of a love I had not known before. Years of bitterness and anger that had been building up just began to dissolve.      If we claim to be followers of Christ and harbor bitterness or hatred in our hearts...

      To get started, let’s first look at what forgiveness is not.  It is not uncommon that I go through this list with someone and they tell me that they realize one or two of these things were standing in the way of forgiveness.  Hopefully, understanding what forgiveness is not will open us up to the healing and wholeness that comes with forgiveness.      Here are five misconceptions about...

This is the first of a 6-part series on forgiveness.       I once heard a story of a young woman who came to church and gave her life to Christ.  She was transformed and changed by God’s forgiveness. Her path was straightened when she loved Jesus and God’s word.  She was discipled and everyone saw that it was a true transformation. The trouble came when the young woman caught the pastor’s...