Forgiveness is a huge subject and certainly one in which the Bible is not silent. In the Bible we can read about our amazing and loving Heavenly Father who forgives us of all trespasses. God calls sinners to seek Him and promises them forgiveness. It is because of His great mercy and grace that God rescues the believer from the dominion of darkness that began way back in the Garden. Jesus extends a loving invitation for forgiveness of sins which is only possible through His shed blood. He gave His life so that we may live. We are forgiven because He was forsaken – That is amazing love! Here are some encouraging Scripture quotes about forgiveness.
Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
God’s Character is Forgiving
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 86:4-5 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Psalm 103:8-12 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Jesus Invites and Forgives
Matthew 5:22-24 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 11:28-30 “… Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Luke 7:47-48 “…Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Jesus speaking to the accusers and the woman caught in adultery)
Luke 23:43 “…Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Jesus speaking to the thief on the cross)
John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jesus speaking to the woman at the well)
God’s Gift to All – The Only Way
Seek the LORD while He may be found ... call upon His name
Acts 4:10-12 “… let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Peter speaking to the rulers of the people and the elders at Jerusalem)
Acts 10:42-43 “…And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Peter speaking of what Jesus commanded the Apostles to do)
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Ephesians 1:7-10 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Christian’s Attitude of Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (attitude: forgive because you love the Lord)
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (attitude: can love cover it?)
2 Corinthians 2:5-8 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. (attitude: stand ready to forgive)
Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (attitude: approach gently and stand ready to restore the relationship)
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.(attitude: loving and forgiving just like God forgave you)
Christian Quotes About Forgiveness
“A forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note, torn in two and burned up, so that it can never be shown against the man. “ ~ Henry Ward Beecher
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom
“Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness.” ~ Billy Graham
“Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.” ~ C.S. Lewis
“To err is human, to forgive, divine.” ~ Alexander Pope
| Looking For Something Else? Here are some more Bible verses and pages about forgiveness that you might want to check out: Bible stories about forgiveness David Peach shares some examples in the Bible which illustrate the forgiving character of God toward His people. 5 Bible Lessons about forgiveness also written by David Peach, in this article David shares more real life examples of how forgiving our Heavenly Father is to His creation. Songs about forgiveness is a collection of songs that speak of forgiveness. |
Resources
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
www.youtube.com – ” Amazing Love” by Chris Tomlin
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{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
Woo Hoo! Another great list. I have one on this subject myself!
Yes, I agree with the previous comment. Absolutely wonderful work. I enjoy digging into the Word of God to learn more about the wonderful ways of our Master and Lord. Thank you.
i am new here God has being speaking to me thru dream that i should go and evagelize is work to people but i dont know or let me say i dont understand it until my wife dream and tell me same thing now i want to gon into the world and preach the gospel si, ma wo do i start please i need you in the lord thank Isaac from nigeria
Hello Irayesorisane Isaac, I have an article that might help you with your questions. Our writer, David Peach wrote this one and it has some great advice in it. I hope this is helpful. Click on the following link to read it:http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/how-to-become-a-christian-missionary-following-god%E2%80%99s-call/
Thank you for leaving your questions in the comments here at WCWTK.
Hello. I have a question. What if someone has done something that is past being forgiven? I am 12 years old and my mother doesn’t seem to care. Wait doesn’t seem to….. she doesn’t actually she didn’t. I dont know anymore. I think she finally woke up and cared but even now she doesn’t care enough to come visit a lot. I wanted to live with her and she said, and I quote, “I don’t have the time for you right now.” Yet she gave birth to me and she says shes trying soo hardd but im not stupid no she is not. Yet I should forgive her when she is so unworthy of my forgiveness?
Hi Natalyia, First, please accept my apology for taking so long to reply. Honey as parents, sometimes we do things that are very selfish. I have 6 children and I know there have been times that I have failed to be a good mom. Even so, they have always stood ready to forgive me. I cannot tell you why your mom cannot make time for you, but I can assure you that no matter what is happening in her life right now, she will always love you. It may not seem so, but a mother’s love is like no other. It is very possible that she just does not know how to show her love for you. I do not believe that anything can be “past” forgiveness. Remember this: you cannot control what your mom does or says or neglects to do and say. What you can do is “stand ready” to forgive her. When you have a heart ready to forgive you will be blessed beyond anything you can imagine. When you hold bitterness in your heart you miss out on blessings. Love the unlovely, this is what we are encouraged to do. I believe you can do this! The Bible is so full of encouraging words, here is what I would like to leave you with: “Trust in the LORD, and do good … Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:3-4). This is a promise and God is not a man that he can lie. I will lift you up in prayer sweet Natalyia. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your heart here at WCWTK.
Do not hold resentment against your mother. Her lack of what seems like care, is maybe missunderstood. Fill your life with love from others and God. Dont let this hold you back. There is a reasoning for everything. Forgiving doesnt mean you have to completely forget, just that you dont want to hold something against that person. Pray for good to come there way-just as you wish upon yourself.
I am a christian… but i am having a hard time forgiving those who has hurt me in the past… I just cant get pass the hurt… what should i do???
Hi Jazmine, thank you for your question. I suggest that every time you think of the hurt that has been rendered towards you, that you think on something else. Paul gives us a great list of the kinds of things that we can think of, take a look at Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Do you see that? God promises “peace” when we think on the right things. Dwelling on past hurts are troubling and unpeaceful. When you find yourself going to that place, check the list in Phil 4:8-9 … if what you are thinking on is not in that list, think on something else. It takes some time but if you can commit this passage to memory, you will have it in your heart whenever you need it. I do believe you can get past the hurt Jazmine — it begins with what we think. We do what we do because we feel what we feel because we think what we think. Renew your mind with the Word of God. Get daily in the Word, when you are focusing on the things of God, other things will not invade your heart. I will pray that you are able to change your thinking so that you can move forward. Blessings to you sister.
I am struggling with some issues with both my mother and my daughter. I hae tried so hard to help them finacially and emotionally. I really tried but they wore me out. One drinks, one gets high all the time. I was the only working in the household, I gave all I had financially then, I got tired and moved out w/my aunt. Now they in very deep financial trouble and I tried to get and guide them to get help, but no one get up ealry enough to go and seek help, part time work or do anything. I feel horrible for them, but I feel that they should take this moment and do what needs to be done. I can’t enable them anymore. But I still feel so badly….I pray for them and do check up once in a while… What should I do. Are these feeling a sing? Please help.
Hello Lolita, Please forgive me for taking so long to reply to your question. It sounds like you have worked hard at caring for your family. What you are feeling is compassion Lolita. You feel bad that your mother and your daughter can not help themselves because they are blinded by the things that choke their ability to be responsible. You should continue to pray for a change in heart for the two of them and continue to check in on them, letting them know that you love them. What I can do is join you in prayer for your family. I will pray that God softens their hearts and that they come to Him for what they need. I will pray most of all that if they do not know the Saviour Jesus that they come to know Him. What they need is the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer. That power will take their life defeating habits and replace them with a new love the is beyond compare with anything. It is the love and peace that only a believer can have. You can count on me for fervent prayer in this circumstance Lolita. Thank you for bringing this to our attention so we can pray!
I have been hurt by who I considered one of my best friends.
She stopped talking to me due to me filing for divorce from her husbands best friend. She decided that she would no longer commuicate with me until yesterday. It has been more than a year later and she all the sudden what to say hi and acts like everything is fine. She wants to talk and be friends. I told her how I felt when she deserted our friendship. How do I forgrive her with my whole heart and be able to be friends with her again when she did such an terrible thing to me?
thanks
OH Katee, Thank the Lord that she is wanting to cultivate your friendship. She may never ask you for forgiveness, but the main thing is that you should stand ready to forgive. Remember that God is ready to forgive us of our sins, but we must choose to accept his gift of salvation. Friendship is a very special thing and when a husband and wife break up it is very, very hard on our friends. You see, they think they need to choose which of the couple to remain friends with. They feel awkward about the whole thing. Here is an article about friendship that you might want to read that was written by our Josh Wiley … he did a great job and I hope you are blessed by it http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-friendship-20-good-scripture-quotes/
In the mean time … love your friend and be friendly … that is what you should do (Prov 17:17 and Prov 18:24)
Blessings to you and thank you for stopping by and leaving your comment at WCWTK! Stop by regularly, we love to share God’s Word.
“If we refuse to freely release forgiveness, then we have become slaves to unforgiveness, and a slave must be set free…LaToya S. Fontenot”
AMEN! Thank you for posting your quote LaToya.
HEY EVERYONE I HAVE A QUESTION…MY NAME IS STAR AND IM 22YRS OLD…IVE BEEN RUNNING THE STREETS SINCE I WAS 13..AND NOT IM JUST TO THE POINT WHERE IM TIRED..TO ME I REALLY THINKS IT’S GOD DOING THAT..2010-2011 WAS A VERY BAD YEAR FOR ME….I START’D ROBBING PEOPLE N SELLIN…IT WAS JUST WORST THEN BEFORE AND I KNEW I HAD TO STOP SOON BEFORE I LOST MY LIFE….TWO DAYS BEFORE NEW YEARS LAST YEAR…I GOT ROBBED AT GUN POINT….WORST DAY N MY LIFE….THEN THIS MAN I HAD BEEN LOVIN AND GIVIN MY HEART…TOOK EVERYTHING I HAD ($10,000) AND DIDNT CARE…TOLD ME IT WAS ALL PART OF THE GAME…TEL THIS DAY I WANNA DO SOMETHING TO HIM OR HIS FAMILY BUT I ALWAYS FIND MYSELF READING FORGIVENESS VERSES…TRYING TO HEAL MY OWN BROKEN HEART I GUESS BUT FOR SOME REASON I JUST CANT FORGET AND THE PAIN AND ANGER IS GROWIN STRONGER..TO THE POINT I HAVE TO STAY IN THE HOUSE BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I LEAVE THE HOUSE MAD….I JUST DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO…PLEASE HELP
Hello Star, Your first step if you have not done that already is to trust Jesus as your Saviour. To do this it is very simple. You must believe that you are a sinner and know that there is nothing you can do yourself to be forgiven of that sin. All people are sinners, just like me. But the good news is when you believe God loves you so much that he gave his Son Jesus to pay your sin penalty (which is death), then you will be forgivebn of your sins, past, present and future. AND there is even more good news, when you believe in the truth of this gospel, that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried and then rose again in victory over death, you receive His promise of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit indwells all believers and gives them the power to overcome the difficulties that we have in this present world. You will even have the power to forgive those that have done you wrong. The most important thing you can do with your life Star is to surrender to the fact that you need a Saviour. He is the only One that can heal your broken heart and give you the power to move on. I will pray that you accept God’s gift of grace and believe in what Jesus did for you.
i am so excite about what i read on this site and i believe this is a good start for a sinner to repent and learn on how to forgive….thank you so much Mrs Pam for posting this here may the good lord almighty be with you and your family….AMEN
Hello Johnson, thank you for taking the time to post these kind words. Blessings to you too!
Hi im 23 years old and my B/F is 32 we have a daughter together and she is 18months we have been together 5 years this month. Now we have had terrbile times with him cheating and just recent . we have both come to the Lord and involed in a church.. but there is apart of me still so angry and unable to forgive him and when i cry i cry for the Lord to take my pain away because it so deep. is there any suggesting to us building our realtionship bigger and better and with the Lord
Hi Krista, I have some suggestions but before we even start to look at you as a couple, let’s see how things are with you. How is your prayer life? Do you spend time with the Lord daily? If not, an easy way to get started is to take a look at the book of Proverbs. Notice that there are 31 chapters there. On each day read and meditate on one Proverb — the one that corresponds with the day that we are in, so for example, today is Feb 1, so I read Proverbs 1. Then read one a day. When you have a short month read more than one chapter on the last day so that in the new month you begin at Proverbs 1 again.
Next, I want you to choose a verse or couple verses and memorize it (them). Everyday before you get out of bed say that verse in your heart. A good one for you to start with might be: //Psalm 86:4-5 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.// I mention this one because you have shared that you are having a hard time forgiving your loved one. So begin with yourself Krista. Do that for February and when you are finished we can talk about the next step. You can see that my contact email is prwilliams01@gmail.com. I will be happy to help you in this situation.
I can not close without encouraging you and your B/F to be married. In the eyes of God you already are but as a testimony of your love and devotion to one another enter into matrimony. This will please the Lord very, very much.
Krista when you have a good relationship with the Lord your other relationships will come together. I hope to hear from you in March.
I just wanted to say thank you for posting these encouraging verses. I often struggle with accepting forgiveness for past sins. When I read these scriptures and your uplifting and loving words to others, it makes me realize that God not only forgave me, but also wants me to move on and live an abundant life. Thank You God and thank you Mrs. Pam.
AMEN Megan! Indeed, accepting forgiveness and standing ready to forgive is very liberating! I am happy to post these Scriptures and blessed to be part of the WCWTK team. Blessings!
hi there, i just got done reading the encouraging verses of forgiveness. And i was just wondering how our heavenly father has so much mercy and can easily forgive anyone who believes in him its so amazing. Now im going through some trials in my life right now. My children are being kept away from me and their father has them in hes custody it seems like hes using the children to get back at me for whatever he has against me. We have been apart and hes moved on. So i don’t understand what the problem is and why were always arguing about past issues. And he uses such cruel words along with judgmental accusations that he has no knowledge about towards me in such a hateful way i just don’t understand where i need to stand if i should still forgive or be forgiven or i don’t know im just confused and hurt. Most of all im missing out on my kids life because of this situation. i guess im afraid too. any suggestions? thanks Bryana..
Hello Bryana, I am truly sad that you cannot be with your children. In a situation such as you have shared it is perhaps the most difficult to stand ready to forgive. We should pray for the love of Jesus to resolve the issue. I will pray if he does not know Jesus that things happen for the gospel to be presented to him so he can accept the gift of grace. Only then will he be able to see how important it is for your children to have you in their lives. My heart aches for you and I pray Jesus can shine through you in spite of your circumstance.
Hello,
I have been through alot in the past couple of months. I am 7 months pregnant and I just recently found that the man I though I was in love with was living a lie. He had been dating another lady and also trying to start a family with her as well. When I found out of this I literally almost lost my mind but with me accepting christ into my life and lots of prayer God gave me the strength to move on. I have forgiven him but I’m finding it hard to forget what he has done to me. How do I move past it?
Hello Janesiah, thank you for leaving your comment here. Forgetting is the most difficult as humans. I do not believe we ever forget about the hurt,rather we can choose to replace the bad thoughts with good thoughts. Try memorizing Phil 4:8 and then when you find that you are dwelling on things that are not found in this passage of Scripture ask the Lord to help you to think on true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good and virtuous things. its all about how you think Janesiah We are promised peace when we direcr our thinking in the right direction.
Also very soon you will have a new bundle of joy! Look forward to that and love your babay because children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward (Ps 127:3). I will add you to my personal prayer list and pray that the Lord richly blesses you.
Hi…..
I am having a really tough time of it right now. I know that God has put me here for a reason and I feel I can’t get to what that reason is until I have closed everything from my past. My ex-husband was unfaithful to me with our two boys in the house and awak. They were banging on the door crying for him and he kept telling them to go away because he was busy. They were young at the time 5 and 4 at the oldest. Now the girl that he cheated on me with has the nerve to send me an e-mail blaming it all on me!! This has been many years back and the boys and I are far away from him and happy and healthy. they are well adjusted and 2 weeks ago we were all three saved and last Sunday we were all baptised. He called me up threatening me with court action saying at 7 and 9 they were not old enough to make that decision. I did not ask them to do it…they asked our pastor on their own what it meant to be saved and he took us in his office and explained it all to them in very clear words to be sure they understood. He then invited us to be baptised the next Sunday he took the time then also to explain to them what that meant also. How do I get beyond this? I have prayed for him (not for her but I will tonight) to see what he did to me and to them but I still have this anger in my heart because he has never paid one cent in child support but expects me to send him school pictures and have them call him all the time. That cost money and he doesn’t seem to care or understand. He was always rather selfish and controlling but now he seems to be pushing even more. When I have to speak to him on the phone I remain calm and relaxed (on the outside) even when he is screaming at me. HELP!!!!
Hi Heather, please forgive me for my very tardy reply.
I must start by saying Praise the Lord that you know Him as Savior and now you have the power of the Holy Spirit to help you through this stuff. Perhaps this is why you feel like you need to close a chapter.
Heather, it is difficult when we are mistreated and yet God expects us to be kind. l encourage you to somehow find it in your heart to stand ready to forgive. You must understand that the only way that your ex-husband will change is also by the power of the Holy Spirit. For now, he is acting just as you should expect — an unsaved person acting like an unsaved person.
Contrary to what their father thinks, your boys are old enough to make this decision for Jesus and truly no court will prevent them from that. At least not in the USA
If you truly want to stand ready to forgive does money have anything to do with that? I understand your point about the expense and the child support and also know that there are government agencies that can help with that. Have you looked into that? Also, I see that your heart wants your children to know their father in spite of his selfishness. This is the right thing to do Heather, continue to let them know their father but make sure it is a safe thing to do also.
Consider this, warn your ex-husband that when he begins “screaming” that you will end the conversation immediately. And then follow through with your promise to do it. Shouting does not make it true and no one needs to be the receiver of such verbal abuse. I want to encourage you that it appears that you are keeping the proper attitude and please know that you can not be your ex-husband’s Holy Spirit. You can only be responsible for your actions and nothing he does should cause you to “react”. Incorporate these four things into your communications with him, they are biblical principles and you will be blessed when you stick to them: (1) Be Honest; (2) Keep current (don’t bring up the past — there are enough problems today); (3) Attack the problem, not the person and (4) Act, don’t React (continue being swift to hear and slow to speak).
I pray that you are able to one day resolve your differences with your children’s father and that one day he too hears the truth of the gospel and accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord. God can even save him.
Hey…
My husband and I just got married a month ago but we’ve been togethe for 17 yrs, weve broken up only 2 times because he decided he wanted some one else, but I took him back because of my love for him. Well a month before we got married I emailed a guy at work , it was a flirtatious one but let tha guy know I was married n had no plans of learning my husband. Now my husband went into my phone n seen tha emails so I confessed what I did was wrong n how deeply sorry I was for even entertaining it. I asked for forgiveness but he seems unwilling to give it… He says were just 2 ppl living in the same house… I told him id do whatever it takes for him to believe me.so ive decided to leave my job n find a new one… I dont wanna throw up his past ive greatly forgiven him, but id love tha same forgiveness n love ive givin to him…
Hello TJ,
I apologize for my late reply. How are things going with you and hubby? Would love an update, perhaps I may be able to give you some advice but I need current circumstance.
I,hen I am trying so hard to forgivre my friend.I hszve been hurt by him over and overagain.WhenI say something to him about it,he getmafat me. Sometime I fell that I can’t talk to him.But the strange part of this is thatI amm on oxygen and he still smoke.Now he cough somuch that I try telling that his smoking hasgot in his wzy and it cloging phis lungs.He ge myselfet mad at mefor saying that.Sometime I just don’t want tobe with him.I blame some time because I HAVE A HARD TIME TELLING nO,ii NEEDHELPTOMAKE ME STRONG AND NOT GIVE IN TO HIS BAD HABITS.wHAT AM i SPPOSED TO DO?
Hello Sharon, I see it has been a long while since I responded to you, please forgive me.
I will give you what the Bible has to say about friendship:
Prov 17:17 A friend loveth at all times
Prov 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Love him in spite of his bad habits. That is what you are supposed to do. And pray for supernatural intervention so that he can drop the bad habits and be healthy.
Thank u for this
You are quite welcome Audrielle!
Im 20yrs old. Have been in a serious relationship with my bf for a little over 2 yrs. may not seem like a long time but he has always treated me right, never had put me down, on the plus side parents love him. Just recently I found a picture I never hoped to find. I was so heart broken and devestated. I have always had a heard time forgiving people and especially forgetting. I cry when I’m alone, heart aches just thinking about it. I love him so much. I know he is deeply sorry but I don’t have the strength to forgive him completely and honestly can’t forget. I can’t see myself without him, and he doesn’t want to let go either. I just need encouragement to forgive.
Thank you Orodiguez for your comment and open honesty. You are right…you don’t have the strength to forgive him…but we can do all things thru Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). In my own strength, it is useless, but God can enable us to do what we can not ourselves. Ask Him for this strength and surely, a merciful and gracious God would honor such a request. Think of this that Christ died for us while we were still yet enemies of Him. Let the Word of God say it better than I could:
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:7-8). He died for us while we were still sinners. Sin had separated us from God and we were enemies of the cross, yet Jesus died for us, regardless.
Amen, I could not have said it better myself
Powerful words directly from God’s Word.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:7-8). He died for us while we were still sinners. Sin had separated us from God and we were enemies of the cross, yet Jesus died for us, regardless.
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Hi,I am 21 yrs old and I am now a preacher.I have been preaching for two years in our church.The thing is that I have been dropped out of school when I was 17years old due to my sickness.Before that I had a car accident.And my parents at home most of the times they have conflicts and we as children try our best to calm them or try and reconcile them together but it doesn’t work. I have been sexually abused three years ago and I have forgiven the people who have done it. But,as a Christian,I have been a very bad boaster in the past and the people that i have been boasting about doesn’t seems to forgive me when I try to say that,’I am sorry’.What should I do???
Mary, at least you have tried. When you asked for forgiveness from them, God has forgiven you for your boasting. Their unwillingness to forgive you is on them and not you. You have done what you can and gone to the party that you sinned against…now only the Holy Spirit can convict them and I would just say, let God be God and let Him do the convicting. You have forgiven them and so your Father in Heaven has forgiven you. You can only pray that God the Holy Spirit convicts them to forgive you because we can not do this work of the Spirit. I am blessed by your comment. So abused, so much conflict and trials, yet you are a forgiving lady. God will and if fact, I believe, has already blessed you and you are free from that sin. Now it is up to them to clear their own harboring of their grudge for it. Who among us has not had pride and boasted. I can not cast the first stone unless it would be at me. Please keep in touch and thank you for your visit.
I am much bless and hill spiritually, i was having a grange with my friend, from what i have learn in this quotes and vases, so mighty, i have to forgive and repent to him my friend that is. May the Almighty above, the only and the holy of Israel forgive me and bless you all.
amen
Amen!
Another good one saying of God’s forgiveness is Psalm 25. The list was awesome & very helpful! Made me truly know about forgiveness right from God’s word. Don’t we have such a forgiving Savior?
Pam,
I have a man who we were once in a relationship and when we came to God together we made our lives different. My children have come between us that is why i believe we never married , and i believe to it was because his wife passed away in 2002 . after coming to Christ we n
know longer slept together, which i know that is right but out relationship went only to friends and i had other things with my kids come up that didn’t help us get a relationship back on track but none the less we stayed close to one another and seen eachother alot , but not as i would have liked it . I always did for my kids cause i felt sorry for them cause they grew up without there dads in there lives (by the fathers choices not mine) and i did to much for them.they are now all grow up an adults but don’t act like it . my daughter had a drinking problem at 20 and became an alcoholic. she had to 2 children who i took her to court for and won until she got her life together. so now this ment that my wanting a relationship with this man was yet on hold again and he was ok with it but says when will you let your kids live there lives and stop running there lives for them. ok i guess sometimes i do that with my kids cause i feel at times i know whats best for them than they do. so ok my friend rents and apartment to me (the 2nd floor) and my daughter the first floor cause he knows that im working on her getting her kids back. but a fight broke out with my son and daughter and they physically touched either and the cops were called . im now stressed at this point and what does my daughter do but call my friend (my ex boyfriend who i want a relationship with again) and he comes to her house to see if shes ok and sits with her awhile. he then leaves and doesnt’ speak to me at all cause when i was talking to the cops i called him my former boyfriend/friend and that hurt him … (really) my son and a friend i guess while i was at work sat across the street from the house to make my daughter mad and yelled stuff out the window as they drove by , so once again she called my friend up and he went over and stayed with her about 2hours (now mind you he never came to my house when i was upset to talk to me … he talked over the phone to me ) so my son calls me at work to tell me has been there at her house for 2 hrs now and playing with my grandchildren and talking with my daughter ..my mind and mouth got away with me … my daughter had accused me with sleeping with her boyfriend and that is all she kept saying and it really made me mad and upset that i lashed out at my friend and call my pastor to tell him i think there is something going on with my daughter and my friend. now my pastor said are you sure.. i said no but what else am i to think at this point . my pastor said call me when your done working and we will talk about this more . so ok i call him and i then also found out my friend left her his business cell phone so if she needed to call the police if my son went back around there .(and im not to be mad about that too) so i call my pastor back he says well im gonna talk to him and see whats going on and in the mean time where are you staying (cause when this all started i moved out of his apartment) i said in my car some nights and some nights with my mom and older son.. (but i did’t really want to impose ) my pastor tells me that he called my friends daughter and talked to her about all this (i dont understand why though since he was to talk to him not the daughter , but then again he gave my daughter his cell phone so i guess he couldn’t talk to him) the daughter told the pastor that she feels her dad was with me cause i reminded him of his wife ( really that is what she said) he said he also had asked my friend once that if we decided to get married his gift would be to marry us (but i never knew this ) and im not sure what my friends response was cause alll my pastor said at that point is that i should move on without him (really ) i thought that are to help you resolve the problem and work things out … ( i guess not ) my pastor then tells me he will call me back on monday to make sure im alright and talk somemore cause he wanted to make sure i wasnt sleeping in my car ( guess what he has yet to call me back and its been over three weeks) but i still go to the bible studies we have and he says nothing to me . I have since also asked my friend on the phone to , if i could stop and talk to him after work , he says ” what for ” i said i need to talk to you and (what i wanted to do was do a foot washing and tell him how sorry i was for ever thinking that he and my daughter every did anything ) after 10 years i do know the man and i was just so hurt that day and depressed that i left the devil get ahold of me and all these bad things came out my mouth, but yet my friend said no he didnt want me to go to his house and said what is it you want .. ” i said i want to tell you how very sorry i am for saying the things i said about you . i never really ment for this to happen and go so far. he said “listen i forgive you cause thats what we are to do .” we didn’t talk long and then he hung up . i called him days later and talked and again told him how sorry i truly was . (see he gave me a ring in the beginning of our relationship an i gave it back after the fight ) i asked for it back cause it ment something to me and i was angry when i gave it back . he said ” listen i have only given 2 women a ring and the one is still wearing hers and said i couldn’t have it back right now ” the phone conversation went good at the end and he said we could talk cause i said i don’t want to loose you i love you and miss you . he said we can talk . well that has been over 2 weeks cause when i call him he dont’ answer i get voicemail. he did call me back the one time to say you called me, i said yes to talk cause i was a little upset and he use to calm me down. but now he don’t answer at all .
Im sure i deserve the silent treatment , but don’t tell someone you can call them then dont answer. what am i to think … did he really forgive me or just say it cause he knows thats what we as christians are to do. i do love him and want him in my life . i have loved him 10 years and that never changed .. but what really gets me is .. he can’t truly have forgiven me at all … cause his wife had cheated on him in there marriage and left her kids and went with another man for a couple months and he forgave her and left her back in his life , yes they were married and had kids , but im stressed at this point in my life and have since told my kids they need to deal with there own problems and leave me out of it so i can move on with my life whatever that may be . with or without my friend i guess… if you truly have forgiven someone should you ignore them or what ? how can i make things right again with him to know that this would never happen again ? i need help cause i can’t ask my pastor cause he sticks by my friend cause he gives money to the church and to him and i feel that if the pastor says anything to him my friend wont give no more money or help… and i know that is terrible to say that but that is the way i feel. PLEASE help me and what should i do ? im tired of crying and feeling so depressed and alone .
sincerely
Wendy
I am so sorry for answering for Pam. She may have better advice than I can give you. I am also so sorry for your troubles here that sound very difficult Wendy. In the first place, if you forgive someone and they don’t respond, you have done all that you can do. I commend you for that for that is Christ-like.
I am sad to see that the pastor sticks by your friend just because this friend gives money to the church. It sounds like bribery to me if the pastor fails to stick by this person just because they give offerings.
In my opinion, you should not ignore the person that you forgave for it you do, it appears that you still hold a grudge. We should love them not because they deserve it but because they need it. This is Jesus’ model. He loved us while we were still enemies of Him. If he hasn’t forgiven you, that’s not your fault. That is on him and you are off the hook. Let me say that we will pray about this for you.
We can only pray about this and place this in God’s hands. When we cast all our cares upon Him, He can handle what we can not. Proverbs 21:1 I believe it is says that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Now if God can direct and lead the king’s heart like water in His mighty hands, we must trust Him to direct all things, including this person’s heart. I know that the trouble is in his heart but God can do mighty things as we know. Is anything to hard for Him? Of course not. He created the universe so we can pray that He send God the Holy Spirit to move and direct her heart toward the things that count and are eternal. I too am grieved by what you are going thru. I pray God will play the velvet thumb of pressure, move into their conscience even if it takes a dream to wake them up, or something or someone outside of the family to move them but truly, this type of work has to come from God and God alone, as you know of course. I feel helpless and unable to say anything else. I’d surrender it all to God and believe this is what God delights in. When we come to the end of our selves our own strength, our own effort, God was waiting there all the time to have us let go and let Him. Miracles still happen and truly the conversion of the human heart is the greatest miracle of all time and all eternity in all the universe. Trust Him, let go, and pray and I will join with you Wendy.
Jack, no apology necessary, you gave and excellent response, as always because I know it is from the Lord and not of your own accord.
Wendy, I am sad about your situation and sadly this is a common, yet terrible occurrence in our churches today. Actually, it is not uncommon for a Pastor to take his family and leave a church that has members that want to control him with the purse strings.
As far as what you should do — exactly like my brother Jack says: //Trust Him, let go, and pray and I will join with you//. I am praying now Wendy, in Jesus Name. AMEN
i am from cameroon, i had this guy who told me he will marry me and when i felt sick, and went to the my sister, this guy pregnant another girl and now they are staying together.
this guy left with my money and somethings in my house. we fellowship in the same church and each time i see this guy, i am not feeling fine and even the girl does not greet me.
i find it difficult to forgive and forget this incident; couple with the disappointments that i have been having; please Pam i need help and how to go about this.
For i want to forget this and move with God, i dont want to think about it again any more.
Hello Favour. I am so very sorry you are enduring such a severe trial. I don’t know what Pam would suggest, but let me say that the greatest model of forgiveness is Jesus Christ as He prayed to the Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. You are never more like Jesus than when you pray for those who hurt you and dispitefully use and abuse you. We give them not what they deserve but what they need; forgiveness. Jesus said to pray for our enemies…He teaches us to bless those who persecute us. To pray for God’s blessing on these two who have wounded you so deeply is only possible thru the power of the Holy Spirit. Try this…pray for them, forgive them, treat them with love and then, as the Bible says, “In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (Prov 25:22) and “On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head” (Rom 12:20). I know this is what the opposite of our human nature says we should do but you will never be more like God than when you pray for them, ask God’s blessing on them, and forgive them.
Hello Favour, I see my brother Jack has given you excellent advice already and I thank him for that. Perhaps I might understand a little more the feelings of a woman. We are so much more emotional than a man, as by our design. Because of this it is much more difficult for us to forget the hurt that is inflicted upon us by these life issues. I love how Jack used Jesus as the greatest example of how to forgive. Jesus also taught that we should love everyone, even our enemies. We are commanded to do that and so it is what we must do.
I am reminded of the first martyr, Stephen … as he was being stoned to death his dying words were: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:59-60)
Favour, I believe that this account about Stephen was given for our learning — can you ask the Lord to “not hold this sin against them”. Give this to the Lord and He will give you peace. You can not control what they are doing, you can only do what you know pleases the Lord and that is forgiving them and then putting it out of your mind. Replace your thoughts with other things. Find someone who needs your help and serve them. When you edify others greater than yourself you will find that you have no time to dwell on these sad memories and deep wounds that you have. Serving others is what will give you true joy because it is what God wants you to do (Phil 2:1-4).
Pray for them because they are not able to pray for themselves.
So in summary, here is what you should do (1) Love them; (2) Pray for them and (3) Find someone who needs your help so that you can redirect your thoughts to edifying someone, replacing the bad memories and then you will be able to “move with God”. In the meantime, I will pray also and ask God to give you peace and joy.
To Jack and Pam, it is only God who will reward you people for when i read the comments i was sharing tears; because of what i read and i see that God has use you people to heal the wound in my heart today; therefore i thank God and let his name be praise forever.
when i was growing up i did alot of ills and when i receive christ i ask him to forgive me and cleanse me and make me a new person and infact i am seeing that he is doing it for me. i desire not to stay alone but to get marry for i dont want to go back to the vomit again and eat.
Infact, i cant hold myself to the comments and i am so happy to have you people in my life.
there is a program in our church and the theme: it was not so from the beginning.
i pray that God visit me and my family for no one is marry in my family.
Infact alot of disappointments, and so on.
let God do it again for us.
Hello again Favour. I know that God hears and answers our prayers and we will continue to do so. We too are happy to have you here my friend. Don’t lose heart, don’t give up, God cares and so do we.
Hi Favour, I am so glad you came back to leave this lovely comment. I am honored that God is using us to help you. I know He will give you the desire of your heart. Here is a Psalm for you to meditate upon:
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. ” (Psalms 37:3-5)
Nothing is impossible for God. I will pray that your faith remains strong my friend.
I think I ruined someone’s life. I have prayed for forgiveness. I pray that the person won’t be affected by this horrible mistake. I know I’m probably over exaggerating. And nothing bad is going to happen to her in Jesus name. But I still feel bad. I can’t forgive myself for doing it even though I know God will. And to make it worse I was told God doesn’t answer prayers like mine. I truely am sorry and I need to get back on track with God. I feel as though whenever I make stupid decisions God always uses that as a way to tell me that I’m straying away and that I need to come back to him. Leave this life alone and focus on me.
Dear God,
Please forgive me of all my sins. I pray for a blessing for this person and also a blessing in their life. I also pray that any thing that could possible be associated with this person be removed.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen!!
What a precious prayer for forgiveness and I truly believe that God has already honored this prayer Random. Let us look at what the Word of God, the Bible says about God’s forgiveness in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Random, this means that God has promised to forgive you and me if we confess our sins, which you have done, and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. We must believe God, Who can not lie, and not trust our feelings. Now, you must forgive yourself since God has boldly stated in His Word He will forgive ALL sins. Claim it, believe it, for God can not lie and our feelings are no comparison to God’s bedrock truth.
Hello Jack and Pam,
I want to thank you for the encouraging words and i can see that you people are God sent to me.
Please, continue to pray for the Tamngwa’s Family that God should touch them and show them his power.
Pray for sister Mambo eveline who is a widow and is facing alot of challenges in her office, she is a manager in a cooperative credit union and people take money and don’t refund it back, this is giving her alot of stress.
please, put her in your prayers.
we have a conference and the theme: “its wasn’t so from the beginning”. I ask for your prayers that let God visit me and all those who will attend this historic crusade for four days.
thanks
Hello…….I was going through a situation with this guy I love who basically lied to me for 3 years about wanting to commit to me. I did everything to show him I loved him and begged him if he didnt feel the same to be honest & let me go. He continued to lie, there was a time I needed his help with food until my ne xt check came and he didnt help me. The last straw for me was when he was suppose to spend my birthday with me & cancelled at the last minute knowing I had already paid for my plane ticket to see him. Since then he’s never called or even said he was sorry. I’ve had to work on forgiving him for myself even though he’s not sorry. I wish nothing bad for him but when I think of him sometimes I hurt like it just happened. He usually waits awhile and then contacts me & I always forgive him and take him back as a friend. This time I cannot. I know I can forgive him, but I dont trust himto let him back in my life and even be friends with him. How can I say he’s my friend and he didnt even care if I had food to eat. Ibcan forgive but I can’t be friends. Am I not truly forgiving him if I can’t be friends with him?
Hello Hadassah. I believe you are doing the right thing and in fact you show me that you are living out the life in Christ because there are many people who would not be as forgiving as you and hold a grudge. I believe you are showing wisdom because you might be setting yourself up for another big hurt if you let him come back into your life to hurt you even worse the next time and he has shown that he can not be trusted. Time will prove this and from what you’ve written, it appears that he can not be trusted…at least for now. You are truly a forgiving person just from your message here. Yes, I believe you are being forgiving of him even if you don’t want to be friends because he has shown some unstable tendencies. A true friend would not do that to another friend, and by not caring even if you had food to eat, it appears to me that he only wanted you for his own interests. Good for you. You are right in not being friends with him for the reason you stated and this does not mean that you haven’t forgiven him. That is my humble opinion. The writer of this article, Pam, may have a different take on this. To me, you took the high road and showed the love of God by forgiving him, even though he’s hurt you time and again. God bless you.
Thank you so much for these verses! I was looking for a way to show my friend that I forgave her and these were great! Thank you thank you thank you!!!