(Matt. 6:12,14-15) “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.””... For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Prayer without forgiveness is dead. The prayers of an unforgiving Christian cannot be honored by God. Why? Because God commanded that those who seek forgiveness must not harbor unforgiveness in their hearts. Being offended is just a part of life, therefore how we handle those that offend us determines not just our fellowship with God but answered prayers. (Eph. 4:32) “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” We therefore must forgive others with just as much forgiveness as God has given to us! So, what happens to a Christian that does not practice forgiveness. 1) He Loses his fellowship with God. (Ps 66:18) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Harboring the sin of unforgiveness is not only a bad idea, but its a sin that leads one into a whole group of other sins such as hatred, bitterness, resentment, anger, evil speaking, and the like. 2) He grieves the Holy Spirit. Grieving means that God’s Spirit is offended by one’s carnal behavior and cannot work. Though the Christian does not lose his/her salvation, he does lose the power and fellowship of The Spirit, as well as God’s ear in prayer 3) He also loses his joy. There is a great joy in a personal relationship with Jesus, but also a lack of joy when we do not love God and others the way we ought. Jesus said, (Jn 15:11-12) “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. this is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Forgiveness not only restores our fellowship with God, but it also opens up the door to love and joy as well.
(Mark 11:23) "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."Over a hundred years ago, the great evangelist Dr. R. A. Torrey told the story of one little church in Maine that was dead spiritually. In fact, most of the churches in that town were pretty dead, but in this one particular church a few of its godly men decided to petition God for a miracle, and so they said, "here we are, uneducated laymen, but let us form a praying band, and center our prayers on the salvation of one man." So, they decided on one of the hardest men in town, a hopeless drunkard, and centered their prayers on him. To their amazement in just a week this man was converted. Seeing therefore the impossible become possible, they began to pray for another, and then another, unti…
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