What the Bible Says About Forgiveness

CBN – Lack of forgiveness blocks access to the kingdom and to miracle power.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24).

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt" (Matthew 18:21-25).

Learning to Forgive

By Michael Smalley, M.A.

Love ... What a powerful experience to know you are with the one person you believe to be the only person right for you! There's a magical moment when you realize you can't imagine ever spending another day without this person next to you. Every thought is consumed with fantasies and incredible expectations for the future! Sound familiar?

You might be experiencing these very feelings this moment. Excitement, Anticipation, and Confidence. Amy and I (Michael) were in this mode just two weeks after we started dating! We actually discussed marriage on the second day! There was no doubt for either of us that we were meant to be together. I felt like nothing or no one could ever prevent our being together "till death do us part". That is, till I made a visit to Conroe, Texas just two weeks after we started dating.

Amy gave me permission to use this illustration from our own lives because it was such a major turning point in our relationship, TWICE.

Acknowledging the Unspeakable

By Kari West

When we express in words or tears our feelings about what we have lost, we honor that loss. Our feelings reflect many things: Anger that it happened. A desire to change the outcome, along with the realization that we cannot. Fear that we will not be able to function without the one we have lost.

In acknowledging these feelings, we cooperate with the grieving process that God designed for our healing. But there is nothing easy about bearing witness to a wrenching experience. The first time you say, "I lost the baby" or "I'm widowed," it hurts. I don't know how it feels for a mate or child to die. I do know how it feels to be rejected and betrayed by a spouse and lose a long-term marriage. The first time I said that word aloud I couched it with "I think we're getting a divorce." Think? Who was I kidding?

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Godly Relationship

What the Bible Says About Forgiveness

Learning to Forgive

Acknowledging the Unspeakable