Tag: #forgiveness

The Importance of Repentance

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Repentance is a crucial aspect of prayer, clearing the way for God’s will to be fulfilled in our lives. It makes more room in our hearts for His Spirit, which guides and comforts us. If we don’t know what we need to repent of, we can ask God to reveal anything that is hindering His presence in our lives.

In Psalm 51:10, David asks God to create in him a clean heart and renew the right spirit within him. This came after Nathan confronted him with his sin in his life. David’s sin was significant enough that others noticed and held him accountable for it.

Still, there are times when our sin is not as prominent, and we may not realize the need to take it to God and ask for forgiveness and help in changing. Spiritual maturity comes when we openly seek God to help us work on those character traits, emotional responses, and offenses that hold us hostage.

Nehemiah demonstrated a meaningful prayer life modeled after those of Ezra, which included confessing sin as he prayed for others (Neh. 1:4-11; Ezra 9:6-15, ESV). Nehemiah spent four months in intensive intercessory prayer, which provided the power to accomplish God’s will (Neh. 1:1; 2:1, NLT).

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray – not the verbatim words – but the structure that emphasizes how to pray, not what to say (Matt. 6:9, ESV). In verse 12, Matthew notes Jesus’ instruction to ask God to “Forgive us our debts” (Matt. 6:12, emphasis added). The ESV Study Bible notes that this does not mean believers need to ask daily for justification since they are justified forever from the moment of initial saving faith (Rom. 5:19; 8:1; 10:10, ESV).

The repentance I am talking about echoes this sentiment, in that we are not asking to be saved repeatedly; instead, we acknowledge our shortcomings and sinful nature, bringing them to God to restore fellowship with Him when it has been hindered, because we are cautioned not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).

Other aspects of the prayers modeled by these historical figures include our praise, thankfulness, and our unworthiness of Christ’s sacrifice. Intercessory prayer can involve asking for forgiveness on behalf of others (Ezra 9:5-6), depending on God to change people’s hearts.

God nailed our note of debt to the cross (John 19:19-22), and those who are recipients of such forgiveness are so moved with gratitude toward Christ that they are more apt to forgive others who have wronged them (Matt. 6:12), clearing their hearts of resentment and clutter that only harms us.

Taking the time to ask God to reveal our offenses and help us correct them will significantly improve our relationship with Him and with others, and, on top of that, it makes our day run more smoothly and with more joy.

“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, emphasis added).

Pursuing Perfection Over Offense

by Angela K. Crow-Mitchell

Are you offended easily? I have found that being offended mostly hurts me. But I have more peace when I extend grace to the other person and forgive quickly, not allowing myself to take it personally. This takes effort and a lot of prayer, but it is worth it.

When someone mistreats us, it reveals their internal struggles rather than being a personal attack. Whether it’s a stranger or someone we love, taking a step back and pausing before reacting is essential. It’s natural to feel offended, but it requires strength and God’s guidance to restrain ourselves, forgive, and extend grace to others who may be going through difficult times.
That doesn’t excuse their bad behavior, but it keeps us from mirroring it and adding fuel to the flame with our bad reactions. It brings peace and a sense of freedom to pause before reacting, forgive quickly, and move on. A simple whisper and prayer to intentionally take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and be conscious of each word that comes out of our mouths will save heartache and strife from reacting out of our emotions. Anytime our egos are triggered, we are Edging God Out of the equation. This is precisely what the enemy desires – for us to become self-focused and harbor resentment toward others.

We are called to love everyone, even our enemies (Matt. 5:44). Jesus said God’s common grace is shown to everyone. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45, emphasis added).

God’s grace extends to all His creatures, even those who do not believe. These blessings guide unbelievers toward repentance (Acts 14:17; Romans 2:4). While God abhors evil and does not condone the wicked, His blessings are His primary means of provision for humanity in the present moment.

Jesus’ disciples are called to imitate God by loving neighbor and enemy alike (Matt. 5:44). This leads us to another verse, where Jesus admonishes his disciples to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect (V48). In this sense, the word ‘perfect’ means complete or mature. As Christ-followers, we are called to pursue perfection or spiritual maturity by living according to Scripture.

By showing love and grace to everyone – in all circumstances – we are achieving a level of perfection only attainable through Christ, who showered His love and grace on us first. As Roxanne Parks explains, we give away God’s gift to us – grace.

Our goal is to help each other reach completeness. It is not an individual accomplishment. Although we are to strive toward perfection daily, it will not be fully known until we reach heaven (Brand, 1245). While waiting, why not treat each other with kindness and love? Endeavoring for spiritual maturity is a daily choice. None of us are perfect; even as we attempt to achieve it, an abundance of grace is needed in all our relationships.

Love trusts in the best intentions of others and hopes for their success (I Cor. 13:7).

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11, ESV, Emphasis added).