1. Forgive because God said to forgive. The authority of God’s desire overrides your desire/will not to forgive (Mark 11:25).
2. Forgive because you want your sins forgiven. Unless you forgive, God will not forgive your own sins (Matthew 6:15).
3. Forgive to be emotionally free. When you forgive, you feel free from bitterness and anger toward your offender.
4. Forgiveness removes feelings of retaliation. The natural tendency of unforgiveness is “to get back at” and punish the offender.
Forgiveness rids you of this ungodly tendency (Romans 12:20).
5. In forgiving you are leaving the judgment in God’s hands. When you forgive, God will take it from there with the offense and the offender (Romans 12:19).
6. Forgiveness is showing mercy to the offender like your heavenly Father. To forgive is to behave like the merciful God (Luke 6:36).
7. When you forgive, you are showing the world who your role model is - Jesus Christ who forgave His offenders on the cross (Luke 23:24).
8. Medical science says that unforgiveness could lead to physical setbacks due to jagged emotions.
9. Unforgiveness of past offenses and offenders affects your present social interactions. Innocent people become victims of your past hurts. Lack of forgiveness makes you look negative and unfriendly (1 Samuel 22:19).
10. Forgiveness promotes unity in the church or in any organization. In the absence of forgiveness there can be no unity (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13).
Dr. Tai Ikomi lost her husband and 3 children to a drunk driver on an interstate highway in Missouri. She preaches and conducts seminars and workshops on forgiveness as the ground, not only of our own forgiveness but as a means of emotional and mental healing. She has authored over 25 books.
Dr. Tai Ikomi
triumphpublishingtai@juno.com
www.forgivetobefree.com
Read more articles by Tai Ikomi or search for articles on the same topic or others.
