Forgiveness

[Haltoruasil]

I would like god to give me his strength to forgive my mother. I keep releasing her and my anger to the Lord daily but still feel the same. Also I would like god to heal my mind and take away this block that's been there since my childhood to protect me. And I would like prayer for my driving theory test that I'm studying for that I will start to score high. In Jesus high name.

 

[Articles]

We are standing with you in this request and we thank you for calling upon the name of Jesus, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and it is in His name that we find forgiveness and healing. You closed your request in Jesus' name and we rejoice in that, for as it is written John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, and Acts 4:12 There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved.

We hear your heart regarding your mother. Wanting to forgive and yet still feeling the same anger and hurt the next day is a very common struggle, and we want to encourage you that forgiveness is first an act of obedience and of the will, not a feeling that immediately follows. Feelings often follow slowly as we continue to choose obedience. The Lord commands us to forgive because He has so graciously forgiven us. Ephesians 4:32 says Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you, and Colossians 3:13 says bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any, even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. Matthew 6:14-15 reminds us For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don't forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. This is not to condemn you but to show how serious and freeing forgiveness is. To keep releasing her and your anger to the Lord daily is exactly what He asks us to do. We encourage you to continue to bring her before the Lord by name, to bless her and pray for her, and to ask Him to help you see her as He does, a person also in need of grace. Over time as you remain faithful in this choice, the Lord will soften the emotions that still feel so heavy.

We also join you in praying for the healing of your mind and for that block that has been there since childhood to protect you. What was once a defense as a child can become a stronghold that keeps us from fully experiencing the peace and freedom Christ intends for us. The Lord understands this and He is the healer of our inner life. Psalm 147:3 says He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. We are told in Romans 12:2 Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. God does not want you to live with a guarded, blocked mind but with a mind at peace. Isaiah 26:3 says You will keep whoever's mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you, and 2 Timothy 1:7 says For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. We pray that He will gently dismantle that old wall, not by force, but by perfect love, and replace it with His security and truth. As 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 teaches, the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

We also lift up your driving theory test. We pray that as you study diligently, God will give you clarity, understanding, and recall. James 1:5 says But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Colossians 3:23 says Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men. We encourage you to continue to study faithfully and to commit your efforts to the Lord, trusting Him with the outcome while you do your part with excellence.

We pray together now for you.

Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus and we lift up Your child to You. Lord, we ask for Your strength to forgive. You see the pain caused in childhood and the anger that still rises up. We ask that You pour out Your grace to choose forgiveness daily, even when feelings have not yet changed. Help in forgiving this mother just as You have forgiven so abundantly. Soften the heart, heal the memories, and release any bitterness. Lord, we ask for healing of the mind. Touch that deep block that was formed for protection long ago. In Your perfect love remove fear and guardedness and renew this mind with Your peace and truth. Let Your perfect peace guard the heart and thoughts in Christ Jesus as Philippians 4:7 promises. And Father, we ask for wisdom and favor for the driving theory test. Give clarity of thought, help in studying and retaining, calm any anxiety, and let the work of diligent preparation bear fruit. We trust You with the result and ask that You be glorified in it. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for sharing so honestly with us. We hear how much you want to forgive your mother and how discouraging it feels to release her and your anger to the Lord each day and still feel the same.

What you are doing, choosing to release her daily, is significant even when the feelings have not caught up yet. In our experience forgiveness often has two parts. There is the decision we make before God to let go of revenge and to wish good for the other person, and then there is the slower softening of the emotions like resentment and hurt that have built up over years. The decision can be made in a moment, but the emotions usually need more time, prayer, and healing. Feeling the same the next day does not mean you have failed or that God has not heard you.

It makes sense that you describe a block that has been there since childhood to protect you. That kind of protection helped you cope then, and it is understandable it does not lift all at once. Healing of old painful memories is usually gentle and gradual as we learn to feel safe with the Lord, often with the help of a trusted pastor or Christian counselor walking alongside us in prayer.

For your theory test, a small steady rhythm often helps more than long cramming, a little time each day with the practice questions and reviewing what you miss, asking God for focus as you study.

Father, in Jesus' name we bring our friend to You. Give strength to keep choosing forgiveness and bring peace to the hurt that still lingers. Touch the deep places in the mind and bring healing in Your timing. Give clarity and steadiness as they prepare for the theory test. We trust You to lead them step by step. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your desire to forgive your mother even while the anger still returns is heard, and it is an honest and Christ honoring prayer. It is as you have found, we forgive and yet feel some return of anger. You forgive, and mean it, but there are times when you get to chewing over the old offense and you feel grieved again. The offense sticks in your throat, does it not? It floats up again, though you thought you had drowned it. This does not mean your daily releasing of her to the Lord has been in vain. Forgiveness is first an act of obedience before the Lord, not a feeling that settles at once. The feelings often follow slowly as the heart is trained to walk in the way of mercy.

Look away from your own strength to forgive and look to Him who is greater at forgiving than you ever dreamed. The promise stands, He will abundantly pardon, for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so are His ways higher than your ways. He says, I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger is turned away from them. As you have been abundantly pardoned through the bleeding Sacrifice, so the silver scepter of His royalty is stretched toward you to give you a forgiving spirit. Ask Him not only to help you release the offense, but to wash every wound with sacred water from the side of Jesus and to spread over it the ointment of forgiving grace. He binds up the broken heart, and He does it Himself, with His own tender hands bowed over the mangled heart.

You also ask for healing of your mind and for that block which has been there since childhood to protect you. The Lord knows how that protection was formed and He does not despise it. Healing and forgiveness are placed in happy conjunction and both are bestowed on the Lord's people. When Jesus healed the sick of the palsy He said, Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you. Pardon and healing were one, for He knew what really ailed the man. So there is an abundance of healing power in Jesus Christ and His salvation. Not only is His fruit sweet and nourishing, but the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations, and the least thing about Christ is healing. These healing leaves change the life blood, affect the spirits and make the nature other than it was before. Bring that childhood wound and that present block to Him daily in the Word and in prayer, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and the healing power is present when Christ is teaching. As you hear Him and obey Him in little and in great, Whatever He says to you, do it, He will work health in you by degrees till you are made whole.

For your driving theory test, we will pray for clarity of mind, steadiness, and diligence as you study. The Lord honors faithful labor and a mind stayed upon Him. Prepare with care, revise with attention, and ask Him to quiet anxiety and to help you recall what you have learned.

Let us pray together. Gracious Father, we thank You that You abundantly pardon through Your Son. Give to this Your child Your strength to forgive as You have forgiven. When anger rises again, teach the heart to release it anew to You and to rest in Your higher ways. Heal the broken heart and the mind that has carried a burden since childhood. Let the healing virtue of Christ flow into every wound, and by Your leaves bring wholeness. Grant peace in place of protection that is no longer needed, and renew the mind day by day. For the theory test, grant understanding, good memory, and calmness, that study may bear fruit. All this we ask in the high name of Jesus, our Healer and our Pardon, Amen.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.