I’m examining the forgiveness God gives us—forgiveness that is full and complete. Unlike most humans, he never holds our past sins over our heads, reminding us again and again of how badly we failed. People tend to do that, but not God.

I’m looking at God’s forgiveness—the fact that he remembers our sins against us no more. But many times we just don’t and won’t let go of it. Have you been wallowing around in the regrets of your past sins? True, you may be living with some of the consequences, but there’s no reason for you to let confessed sin hang over your head like a dark cloud.

When that happens, you are not enjoying your forgiveness. It’s as though you’ve forgotten God has forgiven you, or you think he still intends to punish you for it. Perhaps you are just so sorry it happened that you can’t put it behind you. God is not honored in that way, is he?

Maybe you’re wondering what it means to enjoy your forgiveness. Well, consider this. We know salvation is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8–9 says: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. So, when you receive a gift, how does it make you feel? It’s free—you didn’t have to work for it or pay for it or earn it. You couldn’t if you tried. It’s a gift.

If I gave you a gift and you didn’t enjoy it, how would that make me feel? I would be disappointed, right? I mean, when I choose to give someone a gift, the greatest joy for me is seeing that they like it, they want it, and they are enjoying it. God gives us the gift of forgiveness—without charge—even though we don’t deserve it, and he loves to see us enjoy our gift of forgiveness.

It certainly does not please God when you don’t let go of your regrets from the past. God wants you to enjoy his forgiveness and be thankful for it and go forward in your walk with him. Living under the cloud of your past sins steals your joy, robs you of peace, and makes you less effective in Kingdom work—less capable of doing the good works he planned for you to do.

Are you enjoying your forgiveness? That’s the question, and I hope you will give it much thought and determine by God’s grace to refuse to let the enemy keep you under a cloud of regret from confessed sins that have been forgiven.

Are you enjoying your forgiveness? When the enemy of our soul can’t keep us from confessing our sins to our forgiving God, he’ll try to keep us from enjoying the truth that when God forgives us, he remembers it against us no more.

But of course, in order to do that, you have to confess whatever sin is in your life, forsake it, and ask God to forgive you. And the good news is he is always willing to forgive us. 1 John 1:9 makes that very clear. It says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

I believe a Christian who is refusing to confess known sin and keeps hanging on—even if it seems small and not important—is more miserable than a person who is not a follower of Jesus Christ and indulging in the same sin. It’s the Holy Spirit within us that becomes very uncomfortable—or offended or grieved—when we harbor unconfessed sin.

The first thing is to make sure you have confessed your sin, turned from it, and you know God has forgiven you. Make sure of that. But maybe you’re thinking that you have done that, and yet, you keep asking God again and again to forgive you for what he has already forgiven. Does that describe you?

If so, I would remind you God has chosen to remember your sins no more once they are forgiven and forsaken. Therefore, who are you to keep bringing them up, living in regret, and refusing to enjoy the forgiveness you have received?

I understand God is probably the only one who can truly erase his memory if he chooses to. You and I in these earthly bodies with our sin natures, we just don’t have that miraculous power to totally forget. I get that.

But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, so it is possible to enjoy your forgiveness instead of letting your past hang over you like a dark cloud, robbing you of peace and joy.

Do you find it difficult to believe God has truly forgiven you? I think there are just too many people who carry around guilt even after they’ve asked God to forgive them. They still live in the “if onlys” of life and imagine what their lives would have been “if only” they had not made a wrong choice.

I want us to look on the other side of forgiveness today—when we have personally been forgiven and yet we don’t seem to enjoy that forgiveness. This thought came to me in one of my daily prayer zoom meetings which we’ve been having with the women in my church since COVID shut us down. This dear woman asked God to forgive her because she knew she was forgiven by him, yet she wasn’t enjoying her forgiveness. I immediately thought of many people I know who would fall into that category—including myself at times.

I remember a time many years ago now, when I had come back to full fellowship with the Lord after a long period of chasing my dreams and living my life my way. I was truly sorry for my wayward ways and had confessed them. I knew that God had forgiven me, but one day as I was praying, some of those past sins just came flooding back into my mind. I was once again ashamed and embarrassed and so regretful that I had allowed those sins into my life. I started asking God once again for forgiveness, specifically confessing them. And honestly, the voice of God’s Spirit to me that day was almost audible, as I heard him say, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Isaiah 43:25 says: I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Have you ever tried to erase something from your memory? We all have things we would like to forget, but we just can’t totally erase things from our memories—at least not the things we’d like to erase.

Have you discovered that the things you’d like to forget are the things that hang around your mind, and at the same time you forget lots of good things that you should remember? It’s a common human problem; we remember what we should forget and forget what we should remember. And who do you think aids and abets us in that process? The enemy of our soul, Satan himself. If he can keep us mired in the regrets from yesterday, in the guilt we insist on carrying with us even though God has forgiven us, then he steals our joy, robs our peace, and keeps us in bondage to the past.

So, that’s why I want to encourage you to enjoy your forgiveness.

Presented by Lisa Bishop

I read a story of forgiveness about a woman whose husband was kidnapped and tortured. In her words she was in a “living hell” as the captors demanded ransom money she did not have and sent her photos of her husband enduring unspeakable evil at the hands of the men who captured him. For 30 long weeks her husband experienced cruel and unusual punishment. As I read her story, I could feel the anguish in my own soul for all of the pain and loss she and her husband endured. Forgiveness was a journey for her, but she realized she was harming herself by holding onto hatred and over time got to a place where she felt empathy, forgave the men, and released herself from her self-contained prison of unforgiveness. I cannot even imagine going through something so nightmarish and yet this is what she said.

Now I remind myself daily to apply forgiveness to my everyday life while driving, while in the grocery store, and at home with my family. Every time I feel myself going into anger or judgment, I instead choose empathy and forgiveness. I get better at it every day.

This woman’s story is an extreme example and most of us may not experience what she endured. But the fact that she could get to a place of forgiveness is an example for you and me.

Jesus is our ultimate example of extending forgiveness.

Our Christian faith requires us to forgive so we must work at it and be willing. At some point in our lives we all will experience feelings of unforgiveness. Anger, resentment, bitterness, or perhaps even hatred towards another person. Maybe in this very moment there are people in your life that you are refusing to forgive or maybe you have tried to let go of hurt or hard feelings but you find yourself having a really difficult time.

First off, you are not alone. Forgiveness is something we have all struggled with at one time or another, and while forgiveness is a fundamental of the Christian faith, sometimes it is easier said than done. I am not an expert on forgiveness, in fact I have had to overcome my own obstacles to forgive when I have been hurt.

For years I worked to forgive someone that I experienced as very toxic. While I did not want to hold onto my ill feelings towards the person, it was challenging. I prayed, I read the Word asking God to help me. I even hired a coach to help me work through my feelings of anger and bitterness. It took some really hard work over time.

You may have experienced things in your life that seem unforgivable; tremendous loss and tragedy caused at the hands of another person. More common are the day-to-day rubs, miscommunication or insensitivities we have toward each other that can fester into unforgiveness. Whether a minor offense or major violation, forgiveness can feel like a hard pill to swallow. But it’s the crux of the Gospel message.

Romans 5:8: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

These are only two of the 125+ references to forgiveness in the Bible. Forgiveness is a big deal to God and it is meant to be a daily practice for followers of Jesus. Living a lifestyle of forgiveness is what you and I are called to.

Letting go of hurts and surrendering them to Jesus is non-negotiable.

But let’s face it, relationships can be messy at times. Our marriages, friendships, family, and work relationships are vulnerable to the venom of unforgiveness if we are not mindful.

Speaking of venom, if you were bit by a snake (I hope that never happens to you), what would you do first? Stomp on the snake and yell at it, or would you try to suck the venom out of you? My guess is your first action would be to get rid of the poison in your body.

Unforgiveness is like poison flowing through your veins and the best thing to do is to eliminate it.

(presented by Lisa Bishop)

Do you find it hard to admit when you are wrong?

This week we have been talking about forgiveness, and today, I want to talk about playing your part in restoring and strengthening relationships through the power of an apology.

If we are honest, we can be prone to refusing to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness for our misgivings. We have a tendency not to see our faults but to be quick to point out the transgressions of others.

But as a follower of Jesus, we are called as 1 Peter 5:5-6 says,

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

When you come clean and confess your shortcomings, you humble yourself before God. Confession is not only the right thing to do, it is the righteous thing to do. Whether you gossiped about a coworker, lost your temper with a teammate, or neglected to follow-through on a commitment to a friend or family member, take responsibility for your failure.

As a first step, heed the words of 1 John 1:8-10.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Confess your sin to God, and then come clean with the person you hurt or offended. Take responsibility for your error. And when you do, be specific about what you are asking to be forgiven for.

For example, with a co-worker you might say, “I was wrong when I talked over you in the meeting. Will you forgive me?” Or when talking to a loved one, “I was impatient and overreacted. That is not how I want to be. Our relationship is important to me, will you forgive me?”

The key to apologizing is to be sincere and to make sure your admission is heartfelt, knowing that when you behave poorly it grieves the heart of God in addition to driving a wedge in relationships.

While a sincere apology will not guarantee that you will be given grace, a genuine request for forgiveness can be the start of a renewed relationship. Rather than settling for a fractured friendship, be humble, move toward reconciliation, and do your part to repair the damage and restore connection.

(presented by Lisa Bishop)

Did you know forgiveness is referenced more than 125 times in the Bible? If forgiveness is so important to God, then why do we struggle with it? Why can it be so hard to bury the hatchet and pardon people, to forgive them for an error or offense? I think one reason is pride. We think too highly of ourselves and hold others to a higher standard than we are willing to hold ourselves to. We forget that just as others fall short, we all fall short of the glory of God with our mishaps.

Proverbs 16:18 says,

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

I’m sorry to say pride and my attitude of arrogance have blinded me at times and led me to believe I am better than others. With thoughts of “I cannot believe they did that,” leading to judgment and a feeling of superiority; when I know darn well that I am less than perfect, too.

A key to forgiveness is allowing other people to be imperfect and make mistakes. Make allowance for other people’s faults just as you would want them to do for you.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says,

...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Throw off every weight that hinders you. It’s like being in a boat and you just cannot seem to get anywhere until you intentionally pull up the anchor. Unforgiveness is an anchor and when left unchecked it is heavy and it hinders. Pride impedes our relationship with God and others.

Pride can cause you to hold people’s shortcomings over them. And in some ways, I think unforgiveness can be an attempt to control another person. We think if we withhold forgiveness we can inflict hurt and pain—and while that may be true—the one who really suffers is you.’

I once heard it said, “Our response to offense determines our future.” Make it your goal to be quick to forgive just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you. Don’t let your future be governed by the bondage of unforgiveness.

You are not alone on your journey of forgiveness. I know some of us have experienced pretty horrific things in life and I am always amazed when I hear stories of forgiveness from those who have experienced great loss at the hands of others. It’s only by the power of Jesus that we can fully forgive, and forgiveness is an act of faith.

(presented by Lisa Bishop)

Are you grieving the Holy Spirit?

Did you know that unforgiveness grieves the Holy Spirit?

Ephesians 4:29-33 tells us,

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” To grieve means “to cause to feel sorrow, pain, unhappiness, or distress.” As the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit has a personality and the ability to feel emotions. Sometimes we can forget God is a personal God. We disregard the fact that Jesus is relational and the Holy Spirit feels. The Holy Spirit grieves when we sin and behave in ways unbecoming of a follower of Jesus. When we hold onto bitterness and anger and have malice in our hearts through unforgiveness, we hamper our relationship with God. When you do not forgive you forgo the full power of the Holy Spirit working through you. But remember when you struggle to forgive, the Holy Spirit is right there to help you.

In John 14:15-16, Jesus says,

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.

You have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, ready to help you 24/7/365. Forgiving others is possible and it flows from your fellowship with God. When you abide in Jesus you become like him. You think, feel, speak, and act like him. When you spend time in his word, the Holy Spirit speaks to you through scripture. You grow in sensitivity to hear God’s voice and he matures you, softens you, and sanctifies you.

So, give up grieving God through unforgiveness and grow in forgiving as God in Christ forgave you.

Forgiveness is hard work. But the more you do it, the easier it will get! And I am growing right alongside you.

(presented by Lisa Bishop)

Are you giving the enemy permission to disrupt your peace?

I want to examine a way you may be giving Satan a wide-open invitation to harass you and mess with your internal harmony.

Unforgiveness.

I know the topic of forgiveness is a familiar one, but the real question is this, “Is the practice of forgiveness a part of your life?” As a follower of Christ, it is one thing to know you are called to forgive, but do you actually practice what the Bible preaches?

Ephesians 4:26-27 says,

In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

When you give the devil a foothold, it means you are giving the enemy an opportunity. Anger is a byproduct of holding onto unforgiveness, and if you do not forgive, anger will get a hold of you. The devil will use it as an opportunity to influence your life, to control or manipulate you. Anger and unforgiveness are powerful and destructive emotions when we let them run wild and do not run to the cross.

I’ll never forget a conference I went to several years ago. The speaker was talking about anxiety and depression and the link to unforgiveness. The bottom line is that unforgiveness can meddle with your mental health.

When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger and resentment—or embrace forgiveness and move forward. Making the intentional decision to let go of resentment and bitterness has been proven to decrease stress and anxiety, lessen symptoms of depression, improve heart health, lower blood pressure, strengthen your immune system, and improve your mental health. Forgiveness is a prerequisite for a healthy life and flourishing relationships, and it is also a command from God.

Your father knows best! God knows the impact of unforgiveness, and he wants you to experience the fullness of life in Jesus. So don’t give the devil a foothold. Now, forgiveness doesn't mean excusing the harm done to you. But working on forgiveness will lessen its grip on you.

Remember, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Ask God to help you release your offender so you can be set free from the weight of holding on to hurt. I have heard unforgiveness referred to as the bait of Satan. Give your feelings to God and ask him to replace them with understanding, empathy, and compassion for the person.

Make a practice of forgiveness. Keep short accounts and don’t take the bait.

(presented by Lisa Bishop)

Is your life a witness of forgiveness?

When someone lies about you, a friend or family member betrays you, or a coworker speaks harsh or dismissive words, do you extend grace and work to forgive, or are you prone to hold onto a grudge?

1 John 2:9-10 says,

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

These verses are speaking specifically to and about our relationship with fellow believers. But the call to love and live in the light of Jesus applies to every relationship and interaction we have. The Apostle John is teaching that you cannot say you love Jesus and live in his power when you are harboring hatred. You may be saying, “I don’t hate anyone.” Hate is a strong word, but let’s not get hung up on that because John is juxtaposing hate with the ultimate command to love. Anything other than love, even the slightest dislike for someone can have us walking in darkness. Along with hatred, comes some form of unforgiveness, which is a stumbling block. You cannot walk in the light and hate at the same time, and hate has a way of ruling our lives.

The power of the Gospel rests on the forgiveness you and I received by the atoning blood of Jesus. He shed his blood for people who slapped him, spit at him, mocked him, yelled cruel words. These were people who threatened his life and ultimately hung him on a cross. When you forgive others, your life becomes a witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When you forgive, your life become a witness to the forgiveness and saving grace of Jesus.

In his final days on earth, in the very throws of being betrayed and hunted down by his enemies, Jesus leaves his disciples with these words.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13:34-35).

As the saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”

How we treat each other speaks louder than the Christian doctrines we teach. Let your life be an overflow to the supernatural love of God. Let your life be a witness of forgiveness.

If you’re finding it hard to find just the right gift for someone you know, I’ve got a suggestion for the best possible gift. You can afford it and yet it is priceless. The gift I’m talking about is the gift of forgiveness. Here’s a story that illustrates this as told by John William Smith.

The Christmas of 1949 we didn’t have a tree. My dad had as much pride as anybody, I suppose, so he wouldn’t just say that we couldn’t afford one. When I mentioned it, my mother said that we weren’t going to have one this year, that we couldn’t afford one, and even if we could – it was stupid to clutter up your house with a dead tree. I wanted a tree badly though, and I thought – in my naïve way – that if we had one, everybody would feel better.

Taking matters into my own hands, about three days before Christmas, I was out collecting for my paper route. It was fairly late – long after dark – it was snowing and very cold. I went to the apartment building to try to catch a customer who hadn’t paid me for nearly two months – she owed me seven dollars. Much to my surprise, she was home. She invited me in and not only did she pay me, she gave me a dollar tip! It was a windfall for me – I now had eight whole dollars.

What happened next was totally unplanned. On the way home, I walked past a Christmas tree lot and the idea hit me. The selection wasn’t very good because it was so close to the holiday, but there was this one real nice tree. It had been a very expensive tree and no one had bought it; now it was so close to Christmas that the man was afraid no one would. He wanted ten dollars for it, but when I – in my gullible innocence – told him I only had eight, he said he might sell it for that. I really didn’t want to spend the whole eight dollars on the tree, but it was so pretty that I finally agreed.

I dragged it all the way home – about a mile, I think – and I tried hard not to damage it or break off any limbs. The snow helped to cushion it, and it was still in pretty good shape when I got home. You can’t imagine how proud and excited I was. I propped it up against the railing on our front porch and went in.

My heart was bursting as I announced that I had a surprise. I got Mom and Dad to come to the front door and then I switched on the porch light. Surprise!!

"Where did you get that tree?" my mother exclaimed. But it wasn’t the kind of exclamation that indicates pleasure. "I bought it up on Main Street. Isn’t it just the most perfect tree you ever saw?" I said, trying to maintain my enthusiasm.

"Where did you get the money?" Her tone was accusing, and it began to dawn on me that this wasn’t going to turn out as I had planned.

"From my paper route." I explained about the customer who had paid me.

"And you spent the whole eight dollars on this tree?" she exclaimed. She went into a tirade about how stupid it was to spend my money on a dumb tree that would be thrown out and burned in a few days.

She told me how irresponsible I was and how I was just like my dad with all those foolish, romantic, noble notions about fairy tales and happy endings and that it was about time I grew up and learned some sense about the realities of life and how to take care of money and spend it on things that were needed and not on silly things.

She said that I was going to end up in the poor house because I believe in stupid things like Christmas trees, things that didn’t amount to anything. I just stood there. My mother had never talked to me like that before and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I felt awful and I began to cry. Finally, she reached out and snapped off the porch light.

"Leave it there," she said. "Leave that tree there till it rots, so every time we see it, we’ll all be reminded of how stupid the men in this family are.” Then she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom and we didn’t see her until the next day. Dad and I brought the tree in and we made a stand for it.