Walking with an unforgiving spirit, being bitter towards someone, is one of the worst sins we can commit. It is a state where all spiritual progress comes to a halt. Solution: Forgiveness!

Forgiveness is the best “medicine” against spiritual dryness and apostasy. Jesus says: 

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Mark 11:25

An unforgiving spirit prevents God from answering our prayers. Heaven is closed. My wife Solveig wrote a fantastic book some time ago titled: Forgiveness – The Key to Peace, Freedom, and Progress. In this book, she includes a story about a man from Stord who heard the message about forgiving those who have wronged us. The man was born with a brain injury and had been prayed for many times without any change. Then he started a spring cleaning in his life. He remembered someone who had hurt him many years earlier. He chose to forgive, for forgiveness is not a feeling but a choice to follow God's will. 

When he was examined again a few weeks later at the hospital, the doctors could not find the brain injury. He had been healed! God waited to heal him until he had forgiven that man. 

There are a number of reasons why healing doesn’t occur. Here we are at an important reason: Lack of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not the same as saying that the wrong done to us was OK, and we should not blame ourselves. Forgiveness is a choice, where we choose to put aside a matter and not bring it up again – or hold it against the one who wronged us. And it can sometimes be very tough!

It is not always wise to continue the close contact you had with the person, but nonetheless you can forgive him/her. It will benefit us! Bitterness can lead to a number of diseases – and even apostasy from the faith! 

We can therefore pray for the Spirit’s power to forgive. Jesus is our best model. On the cross, he prayed for those who had crucified him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” The gospel that we are forgiven FREELY by grace is the path to take when we feel injured and trampled upon. Just as we received forgiveness from God freely, we should also give it freely – freely.

The gospel is the greatest power in the world. The message here can help prevent war between friends and family members, between churches and nations, at work and in school. Do as Jesus did – who welcomed Judas with open arms – and called him “friend”!

Forgiveness is a good start to the day. Satan loves to bring up old things to separate friend from friend and lead us away from God’s grace. Forgiveness should be a daily spiritual practice. 

It is said that the Christian leader and professor C.S. Lewis often had to forgive his old schoolteacher again and again. “The cruel teacher who darkened my youth.” We are never done with forgiving. Let us start each day by examining our hearts and not bringing up old junk again. 

One of the Greek words for “forgiveness” in the Bible means “to send away”. It reminds me of how God forgives us humans:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Psalms 103:12

In other words: He sends our sins eastward and us westward. We will certainly not meet our sins again. And God doesn’t see them either. Isn't this great!!

There were 12 gates out from the old Jerusalem. One of the gates was called “Dung Gate”. There they removed old waste from the city.