The cost of Unforgiveness.

Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:23)

Unforgiveness. We have heard the importance of forgiveness, but I want to share the other side of the coin regarding this subject. Many have said that unforgiveness does not hurt the other person, it hurts you. I want to submit to you that the other person can be hurt, too.

When a person clearly mistreats and lies on you, God takes it personal. His word says not to touch the Lord's anointed. (us) Words can hurt and scar us emotionally for life. Let's consider the following verse below

 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matt 18:6-7)

In God's eyes, the born-again believers are considered children thru Christ Jesus. Notice how God reacts when we get treated unjustly and offended- It says woe to that man by whom the offence cometh. Now, I am not implying that we stay angry and hope to see that person's sin destroys them. Our duty as a Christian is to stand in the gap and pray for our enemies and those who offend us.

The importance of emotional healing.

Again, I call to your attention concerning verbal abuse and persecution. Words can hurt any person and create scars that will take years to heal. Forgiving others is not easy. We can say we forgive, but how do we feel about that person deep inside? Other will say things like this--"You don't know what he/she did to me" or "You haven't been in my shoes".

Emotional hurts are real and it is a major roadblock to forgiveness, but there is good news. Jesus said that he has come to heal the brokenhearted. ( Luke 4:18) Healing of a broken heart will allow you to fight the good fight and be able to forgive others. Let's look at the example of Joseph.

Joseph suffered abuse at the hands of his brothers. Due to their treatment and treachery, he was sold as a slave. During this time, he had to learn the language and customs of the people in the land. He had spent about 13 years in Egypt. They say time heals the wounds but that is a lie. It only camouflages it. The hurt was still there, but he had forgotten about it.

Then 13 years had passed and his brothers showed up. Since Joseph had adopted the ways of Egypt, he looked and dressed differently. His brothers did not recognize him. He treated them in a rough manner giving them a taste of their own medicine, but we see that God had convicted him. He revealed himself to his brothers and started to cry, which set the stage of his emotional healing. (Gen 43-45)

Retaining sins.

That is why, my brothers, we need to seek God when we are emotionally hurt. I heard a testimony about a man who took advantage of a Christian. This brother would lend him large amounts of money. The time came when he asked for his money, the man told him that he was not going to pay him back.

The brother was hurt and forgot to pray for him. The offender was driving down the road with his girlfriend when suddenly, he lost control of his vehicle. They fell off a cliff and they both died and went to hell. Brethren, many parents and family members have lost their loved ones when they forgot to pray for them. (After suffering abuse). At times, the hurt has been great that it has been hard to pray.

King David wrote in the psalms that he shed endless tears in bed. (Ps 6:6) He had reason to cry. His father in law-King Saul wanted to kill him. An army was after him and even his men turned against him. He did have reason to cry, but he never stop respecting and loving King Saul. He respected his authority and even wept for him when he was killed. (2 Samuel 1)

One key factor is that not getting healed from your hurts will cause you to retain the offender's sin. In turn, it can spell disaster for the person who offends you. When hurts and offenses comes, let's be quick to ask the Lord to heal us. Afterwards, let's just release the person and forgive them. Constant prayer will cause you to change your attitude and walk in the love of God. Remember, it's not a good idea to retain sin. Decide to walk in forgiveness and watch God move in your life. God bless.

Picture courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Reprint courtesy of the Christian Corner Ministries ( http://thechristiancorner.org )