“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” Mark 11:25-26.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
What is the most important thing you do all day? Before you answer, note that I did not say what is the one thing necessary, I did not say what are you to do without ceasing, I did not say what do you seek first, I simply asked the most IMPORTANT thing you do all day.
First, what is the most important thing I tell you that I did for you in Jesus?
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3.
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:27-28.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38.
Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43.
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38.
To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ Acts 26:18.
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14.
I think I have made My point. Without forgiveness of your sins, you could not enter My Kingdom. Without forgiveness of sins you could not receive the gift of righteousness and enter into fellowship with Me. I judged sin in Adam and its penalty was eternal death. Simply put, without forgiveness of sins you could have no relationship with Me, and certainly not an eternal one.
Now, what is the first benefit I list in Psalm 103 that opens the door for receiving all the other benefits? That I forgive ALL your sins. Psalm 103:3. And from that flows healing, redemption, love and compassion, good things, and renewal of youth. My forgiveness of all your sins is of first importance in your life to open the door to promotion, blessing, and eternal life, which is to know Me and My Son. The reason you can come with confidence to My throne is because your sins and offenses I remember NO MORE.
Think about that a moment.
Now what do I require of you? Go and do the same. As you have freely received, you are freely to give.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32.
In the perfect pattern of prayer that Jesus taught you in addressing Me, your Father, which means you are saved and have taken Jesus as Lord and with Him you can call Me your Father, there is only one request that is conditional on something you do. And that is to forgive you AS YOU FORGIVE OTHERS WHO SIN AGAINST YOU.
And in My instruction on answering things that are obstructive in your life with My Words of faith, and praying with complete confidence that what you have asked for you have received, there is one caveat to having full authority to do this unhindered, and that is: “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” Mark 11:25-26.
This is not something to take lightly.
“You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.” Psalm 50:20-21.
You may be thinking that I am lenient about letting you keep unforgiveness in your heart because another has treated you unjustly, but I am not. You are not the judge of others conduct in that you keep holding it against them or holding that bitterness and offense towards them. Vengeance and vindication come from Me and I will see to it that justice is done but as far as your heart is concerned it is not to be held there and grown. Why do you think I promoted Joseph, the son of Jacob, to such an exalted position and entrusted to him a nation and, not just one, but feeding all the nations surrounding Egypt in a famine, and entrusted to him preserving the line that was to birth the Messiah according to the flesh (remember it was Judah that presented the idea of selling Joseph into slavery to the Ishmaelites)? I knew how he would care for his brothers with no rancor in his heart for he kept his heart pure for Me by not counting their sins against them. As far as he was concerned, they had meant it for harm but it turned out to be an avenue by which he received his dream and his destiny. And he treated the deception of Potiphar’s wife the same way. He never mentioned her again. Genesis 40:14-15. Nor did he ever mention what his brothers had done him. Pharaoh did not know of his brothers but welcomed them with joy because they were of Joseph’s family. It was My area to judge them and his to go forward to his high calling with Me.
But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21.
I am not telling you to let evil go, but I am telling you not to let it grow in your heart in response. When I act justly I do so with no hate or rancor, but I will put things right. As I did for My people in Egypt when I redeemed them out of slavery and the killing of their baby sons by a corrupt and evil government. But I took care of it when they went too far and were about to slaughter My nation.
You may be thinking that worship is more important in your day than forgiving others sins, but when you worship with bitter roots entwined around your heart I cannot get My benefits and answers into your heart, they are all piled up outside the door of your heart for I cannot get it to open, for Satan has built a fortress therein. So what do I tell you to do before you worship?
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Matthew 5:23-24.
And I tell you that if someone takes you to court, settle with him before you even get there to fight it out. Blessed are the peacemakers, they are My children, for I am your peace and Jesus is your prince of peace, making peace through the blood of His cross. And that is how I forgive you, by His eternal blood which paid the price for the eternal life you lost by sin. And as I forgave you that is how you forgive others too. You have been paid in full for any harm done to you by the Blood of Jesus as I was.
And always remember there is a spiritual law here that I must obey. The standard by which you judge, and the measure by which you mete, I must apply back to you. If you cannot forgive others, or even yourself, you are telling Me that the blood of Jesus is not enough for you to forgive. But applying that same standard, then the blood is not enough for Me to forgive you. It is more than enough but I cannot apply it to you if that is your standard. It is by your words you are acquitted and by your words you are condemned. Consider that.
“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:23-35.
Do you understand why?
Furthermore, when you believed that all your sins were forgiven and gone and took Jesus as your Lord, you were born again from above and I gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit! You never would have had the gift Jesus came to give you without your sins being forgiven. Do not grieve My Spirit who is within your heart by letting in unforgiveness and giving Satan a way in. Just keep receiving the love I am pouring into your heart by the gift of the Holy Spirit in you and that will eradicate all unforgiveness. Be conscious of that and do not violate so great an entrustment to you as My Spirit. Be holy as I am holy. You can with Him in you and on you. Repent and resolve to refuse to receive the spirit of unforgiveness and hate and I will help you with the rest, for you were made in My image and I am love so you will never be happy if you are harboring unforgiveness and bitterness, it is not the true you.
Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:9-12.
So what is the most important thing you do all day every day? Forgive from your heart all those who offend you, anger you, or in any way cause you to stumble. I will help you and I will create in you a clean heart. And it will give you joy, freedom, and a good conscience now and forever. And then, like Joseph, I can promote you.
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:5-11.
Be watchful and on your guard, Satan knows that the easiest way to enter a believer is by getting into those near to you and offending you. Unforgiveness can be a form of pride. Be on the alert and take him down by taking every opportunity he gives you for offense as an avenue to show others the good news of salvation by your gentle spirit and wise answers.
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
And remember, I told you that if others will not receive your message, shake the dust from your feet and leave, but never hold it as unforgiveness in your heart.
To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9.
I love you. Of first importance to keep your heart clean and pure is to forgive from your heart. Pull up all those bitter roots before they close off your source of supply. I tell you that these three remain: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. Love your neighbor as yourself and treat others the way you want them to treat you. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, it makes you whole and all within and without to be shalom, it makes a happy home.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. Hebrews 12:15.