One of the reasons we find forgiving others difficult when we are offended is that we have told ourselves probably thousands of times that forgiving is hard to do. We have convinced ourselves and set our mind to fail at one of God’s most important commands, which is to forgive and pray for our enemies and those who hurt and abuse us (see Luke 6:35, 36). We meditate too much on what the offensive person has done to us, and we fail to realize what we are doing to ourselves by taking the bait of Satan. Keep remembering that being offended will not change the person, but it does change you! It makes you bitter, withdrawn, and often revengeful. It keeps your thoughts on something that does not bear good fruit in your life.
While praying for our enemies and blessing those who curse us may seem extremely difficult or nearly impossible, we can do it if we set our minds to it. Having the proper mind-set is vital if we want to obey God. He never tells us to do anything that is not good for us, and never anything we cannot do. He is always available to give us the strength we need to do it (see Philippians 4:13). We don’t even need to think about how hard it is, we just need to do it!
God is just! Justice is one of his most admirable character traits. He brings justice as we wait on Him and trust Him to be our vindicator when we have been hurt or offended. He simply asks us to pray and forgive-and He does the rest. He makes even our pain work out for our good (see Romans 8:28). He justifies, vindicates, and recompenses us. He pays us back for our pain if we follow His commands to forgive our enemies and even says that we will receive “double for our trouble” (see Isaiah 61:7).
As we renew our minds with thoughts such as, I am difficult to offend, or I freely and quickly forgive, we will find forgiving and releasing offenses easier than ever to do. The reason this is true is because “Where the mind goes, the man follows.” As we mentally and verbally agree with God by obeying His Word, we become a team that is unbeatable.
The Bible teaches us about the power of agreement. Deuteronomy 32:30 speaks of the fact that one person can put one thousand to flight and two, ten thousand. In Matthew 18:19, Jesus says, “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.” If people on earth can get these kinds of powerful results simply by being in agreement, just imagine what will happen when we come into agreement with God.
I actually believe that forgiving those who hurt and offend us is one of the most spiritually powerful things we can do. The Bible says we “overcome (master) evil with good” (Romans 12:21). The best way to defeat the devil is to do what is right. I can’t imagine how it frustrates him when we pray for those who hurt us instead of hating them. It makes me want to laugh out loud when I even think of it.
Think about It
In what areas do you frequently take the bait of Satan and fall into his trap of being offended? What is your new power thought that will prepare you ahead of time for victory?
