Gracious Father and Lord, it is so hard at times to put aside my hurt and anger towards those who sin against me. In these times, I ask that You please help me to remember that Your Word invites us to forgive seventy times seven, as You have done for me. I humbly ask You to help me in Jesus Christ holy Name. Amen 🙏

1. Acknowledge the pain. Working through pain can only happen once you admit you’ve been hurt. And acknowledging this can intensify the feelings. Tears, feelings of resentment and ruminating thoughts are a good indicator that something’s wrong. Don’t numb yourself or “stuff” the emotion down, as that cuts off the process of forgiving others before it’s even begun.👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🙏 2. Think through things. Try writing down what happened in a journal, or share with a trusted friend. Admit that what happened makes you feel sad or angry, and be honest about what emotions are rising up in you, even if it epitomizes unforgiveness and you think you shouldn’t feel that way. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙌👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏 3. Imagine being on the other side. Think about a time when you have had to ask for forgiveness; how did it make you feel? When have you wronged another person, and did they extend forgiveness to you, or withhold it? The Bible directs us to do to others what we would have them do to us (Matthew 7:12) and so it can be helpful to put ourselves in their shoes for a moment.👏🏿🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙌🙏🙏

5. Reflect on our Biblical command Jesus stressed the importance of forgiving others on many occasions and even included it in the Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Pray that this would hit home in your heart and that your decision to obey would force your emotions to catch up.👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🙏👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🙏 6. Let go of the hurt. The devil is an expert at getting a foothold when we have made a choice to forgive but the wound is still sensitive. Don’t allow yourself to replay the offense over and over; let go of the pain and determine that you are going to choose to move forward. This is where prayer is essential as on our own we are tempted to wander back to unforgiveness.👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 7. Continue to forgive. Forgiveness is more than just saying a prayer and moving on. It’s a serious decision that you make over and over again. The process will most likely be uncomfortable and painful, but it will always be worth it in the end.👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 8. Pray for the person who hurt you. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus commands us “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Ask God to reveal his love to your offender in your heart, and for him to dissolve negative emotions. Is there any more powerful witness of God’s transforming grace than someone who can display true forgiveness to the “unforgivable”?👏🏿🙏🙏🙏🙏 With promises found in Scriptures like Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength”) and Romans 12:21 (“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”), we know that we can depend on God to give us the grace to live out forgiveness. Make the right choice – start a journey of forgiveness today, praying for the Lord to equip you for this difficult but eternally rewarding task.amen🙏🙏🙏

Lord Jesus; please Help me to see my disappointments by fellow Believers in light of what Jesus purchased for me at the cross. Help me to seize those disappointments as opportunities to draw closer to you and not away from you. Help me to learn from them. Help them to shape me more and more into the image of your Son Jesus Christ and Savior Amen 🙏 🙌🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏🙏