"Help or Hindrance?"

We all have different catch phrases that we use from time to time. A few of my personal favorites are “Onward and Upward”, “you have to inspect what you expect” and “sometimes you have to eat the hay and spit out the sticks”. I was talking to a co-worker today and he said something that he often says that really stuck out more so today. When he has decisions to make or things that he wants to share with other people, he asks himself “Is that a help or a hindrance?” Earlier this morning my husband and I were discussing our own ability to “hinder the Holy Spirit” from working on our behalf. Putting two and two together, I decided to focus a little more on the importance of forgiveness.

The very foundation of Christianity is based upon the incredible forgiveness that God offers us through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are all born into a sinful nature, inherited from Adam and Eve, and it is our nature to sin and to live life in a way that is contrary to the principles laid out for us in the Bible. In His never-ending love for us, God has provided a way out of our sinful state and spelled it out for us. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

One of the most essential elements of our faith is that of forgiving others. Ephesians 4:31-32 (KJV) states, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” God does not want us to be burdened with grudges and bitterness, as it can have a negative effect not only on our emotions and our spiritual health, but on our physical health as well. If we are to receive the forgiveness God has provided, we must first be willing to forgive those who have wronged us. It isn’t an easy feat and sometimes we need to hit our knees and ask God for His help in revealing any hidden resentments, and then confess this sin in order to receive His forgiveness. Holding onto grudges and bitterness can manifest in unhealthy ways and be a hindrance to moving forward in the things that God has for us.

Jesus gave us a beautiful example of how to extend forgiveness when He said in Mark 11:25, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” We are to forgive those who have hurt us, in order to receive forgiveness ourselves. This is clearly an expectation from God to put away any bitterness or unforgiveness that we may be harboring in our hearts and instead to be kind to one another and to forgive we have been forgiven in Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 6:12-14, we are instructed to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Here, we see that God’s desire is for us to turn away from bitterness and forgive those who have wronged us. To refuse to forgive someone else and then to ask God for forgiveness is a asking God to give you what you are unwilling to give to someone else.

Colossians 3:13 reads, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” We are called to forgive, as Jesus did for us. In addition, we too can extend mercy and grace to those who we feel have wronged us. We need to be kind, compassionate and forgiving to one another. In addition, sometimes, we also need to extend that same mercy and grace to ourselves. It is easy to be overly critical and judgmental of ourselves. We need to see our self as God sees us!

Finally, we can look to Ephesians 1:7, which states, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Think about the amazing grace and mercy that God offers us that is beyond measure and freely given. As long as we keep unforgiveness in our hearts, it will hinder the Holy Spirit from working in us. As we forgive others, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to move freely in our lives, unhindered by our bitterness and unforgiveness, drawing us even closer to God. We are forgiven through the blood, the death and the resurrection of Jesus. Remember to ask yourself, “is it a help or a hindrance?”

We must forgive and be kind to one another, walking in love just as God first loved us. We can live in abundance, basking in the promises of God. With the Holy Spirit working on the inside, unencumbered by any unforgiveness, bitterness, or grudges, we will live victoriously in Christ with perfect peace and joy unspeakable! ©Rita Larson 4/4/2023

#HelporHindrance #Forgiveness #Promises #OnWordandUpWord

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