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Forgiveness breeds mercy and love. Forgiveness pushes us, spiritually, to be better people and develops virtues in us that are pleasing to God.
But there's more. Read on. You may be surprised.
Did you know?
“WHEN YOU FORGIVE... THAT’S WHEN GOD’S VENGEANCE CAN MANIFEST.”
Most of us have experienced being hurt by others and it’s natural to want vengeance. However, I want to suggest something better—forgiveness.
Forgiveness breeds mercy and love. Forgiveness pushes us, spiritually, to be better people and develops virtues in us that are pleasing to God.
On the contrary, unforgiveness is a breeding ground for bitterness, strife and hate--things that benefit no one. In fact, these feelings won’t even hurt the person who offended you. That person may not be aware of your pain and bitterness, and they are long gone possibly hurting someone else.
The Secret
I want to share a secret, but request you read the whole thing to take it correctly.
WHEN YOU FORGIVE, THAT’S WHEN GOD’S VENGEANCE CAN MANIFEST.
Having witnessed this many times has caused me concern in the past. I prayed, “Lord, I know that I must forgive, but when I forgive this person, they’ll experience Your vengeance and that will make me sad because once I have forgiven, I won’t want them to suffer. What to do?”
The Holy Spirit (our Heavenly Teacher and Guide) revealed to me that I’m not hurting them by forgiving them. God loves them far more than I, and yes, He will deal with them because of His Word, and the principle of sowing and reaping. However, God will use this to teach the offender, to humble them, to develop meekness (consideration of others) so that they grow, hopefully get closer to Him, and STOP hurting others.
Pray
“Pray good prayers for others, or pray nothing at all for them.”
Never pray evil on others, even those who hurt you. If you can’t pray for a person’s good, don’t pray for them at all. Good or bad, your prayers will come back to you. So try always to pray for the good. Vengeance is the Lord’s, He will repay. Once you have forgiven, pray for God’s mercy upon the offender in hopes that the recompense will benefit them as God intends. Peace and love to you all. Apostle Tracey Smith. SalvationLive.com.