When Leading others we have learned to always pray for forgiveness first. Helping a person get free from unforgiveness brings tremendous healing and freedom. Before leading the prayer explain that God will give His grace and His enabling power to help them forgive. That does not mean they condone what the offender has done. Help the person understand that unforgiveness is actually holding them in bondage. Every person needs to forgive and release those who have sinned against them so that they can be free from torment!
Forgiveness is the act of “letting go” or “releasing to God” the person and all that he/she did to abuse, hurt, offend, or wound them. As Christian, God commands us to forgive. He does extend His grace or enabling power to help you through the process. Forgiveness is one of His spiritual principles.
God freely forgives us of all our sins and iniquities. So, we must forgive others and release them to God – giving up all resentment, bitterness, ill-will, and offense. We must forgive from our hearts. If not, unforgiveness can and will block deliverance. As one holds onto the hurt, they are bound to the past.
WHAT DOES FORGIVENESS MEAN?
• It doesn’t whitewash their sin.
• It doesn’t mean it was God’s plan for your life..
• Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling.
• The choice to forgive is obedience.
• It means that we give all bitterness to the Lord.
• It means that you don’t refer back or remind that person of their actions.
• It’s God’s grace (His power) to help you forgive.
Forgiving others is a principle in the Word of God that cannot be ignored. Forgiveness causes you to release all hurt and woundedness to God. We are not meant to carry this heavy load. Only Jesus can carry it for us and that happens when we choose His way of doing things – forgiveness. After forgiving others, themselves, and God (if need be), the person always feels “lighter.” That’s because they just “let go” and “released” unforgiveness and bitterness. At least 80% of mankind’s problems are connected to hurt, offense, unforgiveness, and bitterness that they hold on to.
SYMPTOMS OF UNFORGIVENESS:
• Revenge
• Anger
• Heaviness
• Hurt
• Offense
• Bitterness – from generation to generation
• A wall erected between persons unable to forgive and let go
• Depression
• Pain connected to memories
• Talking about the situation
• Resentment
• Physical illness
• Inability to love others
• Binding others – we can bind up a person and block God’s redemptive
dealings with him and even cause God’s judgment on him. We see
this in John 20:23 “[Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being
led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are
forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.”
HOW TO MINISTER:
• Repent
• Renounce all bitter roots, unforgiveness, tormentors, hurt, offense
• Break the yoke of bitterness, unforgiveness, and torment
• Break generational curse(s)
• Command the spirit to go in Jesus’ name
• Fill
Now it’s time to forgive one person at a time, out loud. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind all the people you need to forgive. It may be yourself or even God!
PRAY THIS PRAYER:
God, today I choose Your way. I ask for Your help, Holy Spirit. Give me Your grace so that I may
truly forgive – once and for all. Right now, in Jesus’ name, I choose to forgive ___(name)_____. I choose to forgive him/her for ____________. When ___(name)______ did this to me, it made me feel _____________, ____________, and ____________. (abused, hurt, violated, hated, traumatized, etc.) I give You all these hurtful emotions. But today, I choose to forgive __(name)__________ and release ____(name)_________.
Now, pray this same prayer for each person you are forgiving.
After you have gotten it all out, visualize yourself in your mind kneeling before Jesus. You are carrying a heavy load of hurt and unforgiveness. Visualize this hurt and unforgiveness in a backpack.
NOW SAY OUT LOUD:
“Jesus, I give You this offense, unforgiveness, bitterness, wounded heart, hurt, pain, and abuse. I can’t carry it any longer it’s too heavy for me. You carry it Jesus.”
Now visualize yourself taking off the backpack of unforgiveness, bitterness, and woundedness and giving it to Jesus.
NOW PRAY:
I repent of all unforgiveness and offense and ask You, God, to forgive me. I renounce all unforgiveness, bitterness, and resentment in Jesus’ name. I renounce all trauma at its entry point in my heart in Jesus’ name.
Let me pray for you:
Put your hands on your head. “Right now in Jesus’ name, I break the yoke of unforgiveness, hurt, offense, and resentment in Jesus’ name. I break the yoke of unforgiveness off of you. I pull up bitter roots that may have taken hold of your life. I separate the pain from the memories and command all pain to detach from your memories. I command the tormentors to go in Jesus’ name. I break off all trauma at its entry point in the cellular memory of your mind and heart.”
Put your hands on your heart:
“I speak to all brokenness in your heart and mind and ask the Holy Spirit to heal you. I break all trauma at its entry point. Jesus, bring restoration to their heart as only You can.”
RAISE YOUR HANDS TO THE LORD:
“I ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His supernatural love right now.” Now, you ask Him to fill you.
Take a deep breath:
Lord Jesus, I ask that Your Holy Spirit fill me with Your peace, joy, and supernatural love right now. Just keep “breathing in” His supernatural love. He is filling you.
Mark 11:25, 26 (AMPC)
25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings. †
Matthew 5:23, 24 (AMPC)
23 So if when you are offering your gift at the altar you there remember that your brother has any [grievance] against you, 24 leave your gift at the altar and go. First, make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your gift. †
Matthew 18:21, 22 (AMPC)
21 Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? 22 Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! †
WE MUST NOT ONLY FORGIVE, BUT WE MUST ALSO RELEASE
Matthew 6:14, 15 (AMPC)
14 For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. †
Isaiah 43:18 (AMPC)
Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. †
John 20:23 (AMPC)
[Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained. †
