Release: 10 Days to Embrace God's Plan for Your LifeSample

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. MARK 11:24–25

Forgiveness is not always an easy topic to cover in relation to embracing the plan God has for our lives. This journey of forgiveness can be challenging or untroubling, depending on what or who it is that you are faced with forgiving. Imagine for a moment standing on the bank of a river. You need to get across to the other side, but there are no boats around. Now imagine you are walking up and down the bank of the river and you run into a man who has a boat and agrees to take you across the river to get you to your destination. The boat represents forgiveness; the man represents Jesus. The river represents the issue that needs your forgiveness. God knows how difficult it can be for us to forgive, but He is able to journey with us through the process of forgiveness. If we don’t forgive, this issue stands in our way of getting to where God is trying to take us. He is telling us that we must first forgive to get to the other side of the issue.

If you are praying and believing God for something and you seem to not be getting an answer, think about any areas of unforgiveness that you need to address. Is there someone who you are holding something against? Have you been trying to justify why you will never be able to forgive someone who hurt you deeply? I’m not saying you should welcome them back into your life or even have a relationship with them. Why not take this to God in prayer? Ask Him the best way to free your heart from the pain, and then lean into Him as He carries you over the water.

Prayer:

God, I acknowledge my humanity in this moment, but most importantly, I acknowledge Your power. I release every person I am holding unforgiveness against, and today, I forgive all of them. Help me to fully forgive, even if it takes more than one moment or one day.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.