Power of a Praying Woman 10/17/06 9:02 AM Page 50
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The Power of a Praying Woman
This is very serious. We who have received Jesus have been forgiven a large debt. We have no right to be unforgiving of others. God says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). If we don’t forgive, we will be imprisoned by our hatred and tortured by our bitterness. Everything we do in life that has eternal value hinges on two things: loving God and loving others. It’s far easier to love God than it is to love others, but God sees them as being the same. One of the most loving things we can do is forgive. It’s hard to forgive those who have hurt, offended, or mistreated us. But God wants us to love even our enemies. And in the process of doing so, He perfects us (Matthew 5:48). It’s always going to be easy to ?nd things to be unforgiving about. We have to stop looking. God wants you to move into all He has for you. But if you don’t forgive, you get stuck where you are and shut off God’s work in your life. Forgiveness opens your heart and mind and allows the Holy Spirit to work freely in you. It releases you to love God more and feel His love in greater measure. Life is worth nothing without that.
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My Prayer to God
Lord, help me to be a forgiving person. Show me where I am not. Expose the recesses of my soul so I won’t be locked up by unforgiveness and jeopardize my future. If I have any anger, bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness that I am not recognizing, reveal it to me and I will confess it to You as sin. Speci?cally, I ask You to help me fully forgive (name anyone you feel you need to forgive). Make me to understand the depth of Your forgiveness toward me so
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