Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this struggle so openly and with such honesty before God. To see your own unforgiveness and to name it as disobedience is itself a grace from God, and the fact that you desire to be free from it is evidence that He is at work in you.
Scripture teaches that forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts God gives. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and covered, and that forgiveness comes to us not because we have earned it but because the blood of Christ was shed for us. That is far greater than adoption and every other gift, and it is given by grace. When we come to God we are to tell our offenses in particular, not in vague terms, so that we may know the greatness of what we have received and become truly grateful to our Benefactor. And God in His compassion does more than we ask. Like the servant who only asked for time to pay and was forgiven the whole debt, God desires to give complete remission when we entreat Him with a humble heart.
In this light, your desire to forgive is part of being trained to have a human soul and to grow in gentleness. The promise is that when we forgive as we have been forgiven, we also receive a great reward, to be called to account for none of our own offenses. The best path is first to avoid sin, and the next is to feel that we have sinned and to thoroughly amend ourselves through repentance. Your continued struggle in some ways does not disqualify you. It is a call to keep turning to Christ, confessing specifically where bitterness still lingers, and asking for His help to release it fully.
It is also right to see this struggle in spiritual terms. The enemy scatters when truth is spoken and when we walk in obedience, and he seeks to draw us backward into old patterns. The people you describe are not your ultimate enemies, even when their actions feel targeted and relentless. We pray that God would set them free from any influence that drives them, and that He would guard your heart from being drawn back.
We join you in prayer now:
Father, we thank You for revealing the area of unforgiveness and for beginning a freeing work. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ alone, through whom alone salvation and forgiveness come, that You would complete what You have started. Give a deeper knowledge of how much has been forgiven through the blood of Your Son, so that forgiveness toward others flows more freely. Where there is still struggle, grant repentance, softness of heart, and strength to release every debt, naming each one before You and receiving Your covering.
We ask for protection this week and in the days ahead from every spiritual attack and from every attempt to draw this heart backward. Scatter the schemes of the devil and let Your peace guard mind and heart. We pray also for the group of people mentioned, that You would free them from demonic influence, open their eyes, and lead them to remorse and to truth. And we especially lift up the one person who has been used more heavily and who grew more hostile when forgiveness was offered. Lord, have mercy on that person, deliver them, and bring them to know Your forgiveness and to walk in it.
Teach all involved to walk in gentleness and truth, and let Your grace be seen as more than sufficient. We ask You to keep this dear one close to Christ, obedient and at peace, trusting not in their own strength but in Your power to forgive, to heal, and to keep. Amen.
We will continue to pray for your freedom, for your protection, and for the deliverance of those who have opposed you. Keep bringing every thought and hurt to Christ, keep confessing specifically, and keep choosing forgiveness as He enables you, even when the response of others is painful.
Scripture teaches that forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts God gives. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and covered, and that forgiveness comes to us not because we have earned it but because the blood of Christ was shed for us. That is far greater than adoption and every other gift, and it is given by grace. When we come to God we are to tell our offenses in particular, not in vague terms, so that we may know the greatness of what we have received and become truly grateful to our Benefactor. And God in His compassion does more than we ask. Like the servant who only asked for time to pay and was forgiven the whole debt, God desires to give complete remission when we entreat Him with a humble heart.
In this light, your desire to forgive is part of being trained to have a human soul and to grow in gentleness. The promise is that when we forgive as we have been forgiven, we also receive a great reward, to be called to account for none of our own offenses. The best path is first to avoid sin, and the next is to feel that we have sinned and to thoroughly amend ourselves through repentance. Your continued struggle in some ways does not disqualify you. It is a call to keep turning to Christ, confessing specifically where bitterness still lingers, and asking for His help to release it fully.
It is also right to see this struggle in spiritual terms. The enemy scatters when truth is spoken and when we walk in obedience, and he seeks to draw us backward into old patterns. The people you describe are not your ultimate enemies, even when their actions feel targeted and relentless. We pray that God would set them free from any influence that drives them, and that He would guard your heart from being drawn back.
We join you in prayer now:
Father, we thank You for revealing the area of unforgiveness and for beginning a freeing work. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ alone, through whom alone salvation and forgiveness come, that You would complete what You have started. Give a deeper knowledge of how much has been forgiven through the blood of Your Son, so that forgiveness toward others flows more freely. Where there is still struggle, grant repentance, softness of heart, and strength to release every debt, naming each one before You and receiving Your covering.
We ask for protection this week and in the days ahead from every spiritual attack and from every attempt to draw this heart backward. Scatter the schemes of the devil and let Your peace guard mind and heart. We pray also for the group of people mentioned, that You would free them from demonic influence, open their eyes, and lead them to remorse and to truth. And we especially lift up the one person who has been used more heavily and who grew more hostile when forgiveness was offered. Lord, have mercy on that person, deliver them, and bring them to know Your forgiveness and to walk in it.
Teach all involved to walk in gentleness and truth, and let Your grace be seen as more than sufficient. We ask You to keep this dear one close to Christ, obedient and at peace, trusting not in their own strength but in Your power to forgive, to heal, and to keep. Amen.
We will continue to pray for your freedom, for your protection, and for the deliverance of those who have opposed you. Keep bringing every thought and hurt to Christ, keep confessing specifically, and keep choosing forgiveness as He enables you, even when the response of others is painful.
