“You walk in unforgiveness and still claim to be My vessel of service. How can that be? Forgiveness is what the cross of Jesus is all about. He died so that you could be forgiven. Forgiveness is what you have received so that We could talk. Forgiveness is what you are counting on when you stand in front of Me on that last day. Would you like to be given the same forgiveness that you have given others, especially those close to you? That is what will happen unless you change your heart. Forgive as Jesus did. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Don’t think that I am with you in anything you do until you have forgiven everyone who has harmed you. Come to Me; I will help you!”

Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

23) “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24) leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

The root sin of unforgiveness is pride.  Because that is rarely recognized, it is never really dealt with as such; and we evade submitting the root sin to the total Lordship of Jesus Christ. Anyone harboring unforgiveness toward another has, in essence, determined to hold that sin (real or imagined) over that person and has chosen to be the “lord” of that incident or grieving situation. The dominance and control exercised by the unforgiving party denies all that was promised to God when he/she committed to the Lordship of Jesus in all areas.  This area, therefore, remains under the dominance of Satan. Pride caused him to be expelled from the presence of God, and he is delighted when we follow his lead in any area of our lives.

If God has forgiven the person who has offended you but you won’t, are you not telling Him that your position is loftier than His? In light of the truth, that’s not possible, is it? What do you need to do at this point?

God demands that we forgive if we desire to be truly free.  He even shows us, in Luke’s account of the crucifixion, that Jesus forgave all those who harmed Him; and also the repentant thief just before he died. We must do the same.

Unforgiveness, although often deeply masked by wounds, scars, and self-pity, is one of the greatest causes of weakness in the body of Christ and it will cripple any attempt to draw close to the Lord if left unconfessed. Once this main stronghold is acknowledged and confessed, a tide of healings and freedoms are able to surface and it can be brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help me forgive everyone, Lord,

Jim Corbett