In this life, there's a lot to be angry about. Someone cuts you off in traffic. Someone lies to you. Someone gossips about you. Someone's dog chews up your newspaper. Someone bullies your grand child. Someone tells your boss bad things about you. Someone breaks your daughter's heart. You get the idea, right?
There is such thing as righteous anger, and that is ok.
The problem comes when it turns from righteous anger to un forgiveness. That is when the one who made you angry is no longer your worst enemy, and you become your own worst enemy.
It isn't necessarily easy to forgive and forget, and quite honestly--you might never forget. When you say to yourself, "I am justified in my anger, and I will never forgive him for what he did to my family!", you basically send yourself to a prison where the enemy of your soul can keep you.
But if you choose to admit to your anger, but leave the door open for The Lord to help you eventually forgive the object of your anger, you will be much better off.
There are at least 31 verses in the Bible about forgiving others. I am not going to write them all here, but I will say this much: God expect us to forgive others, and that is a prerequisite to his forgiveness of our sins. It says in Luke 6:37, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." and Luke 6:38 "For with the same measure you mete withal it shall be measured back to you." So basically, if you refuse to forgive others, it causes not only problems for you here on earth, but eternally!
If there is someone who has wronged you, even if they never repent, forgive them! And if you're saying, "I can't forgive. The hurt is too bad." Or, "I could say I forgive but I don't, and furthermore, I don't want to forgive.", that is where you seek God. Tell him how you feel and ask for his help in doing what seems to be impossible on your own. He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
There is such thing as righteous anger, and that is ok.
The problem comes when it turns from righteous anger to un forgiveness. That is when the one who made you angry is no longer your worst enemy, and you become your own worst enemy.
It isn't necessarily easy to forgive and forget, and quite honestly--you might never forget. When you say to yourself, "I am justified in my anger, and I will never forgive him for what he did to my family!", you basically send yourself to a prison where the enemy of your soul can keep you.
But if you choose to admit to your anger, but leave the door open for The Lord to help you eventually forgive the object of your anger, you will be much better off.
There are at least 31 verses in the Bible about forgiving others. I am not going to write them all here, but I will say this much: God expect us to forgive others, and that is a prerequisite to his forgiveness of our sins. It says in Luke 6:37, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." and Luke 6:38 "For with the same measure you mete withal it shall be measured back to you." So basically, if you refuse to forgive others, it causes not only problems for you here on earth, but eternally!
If there is someone who has wronged you, even if they never repent, forgive them! And if you're saying, "I can't forgive. The hurt is too bad." Or, "I could say I forgive but I don't, and furthermore, I don't want to forgive.", that is where you seek God. Tell him how you feel and ask for his help in doing what seems to be impossible on your own. He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
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