Forgive Offenders: Part 4

June 24, 2024

Have you ever forgiven someone only to wake up the next morning to feel all the old hurts and bitterness again? We can be discouraged and wonder, “did I actually forgive them?” It is important to realize that just as we need to come to the initial choice to forgive, we also must learn to walk out the “journey” of forgiveness. A key in this journey is learning that forgiveness is not an emotion; it is an act of the will. As we choose to forgive, to bless, and to release our offenders, our feelings will follow.

Our natural, human response to hurt is to get bitter. Bitterness always brings bondage. But praise God, He has made a way for us to walk free from bitterness! No matter how deep the hurt, God’s love is deeper. God desires to enable us, through Christ, to do what we could never do on our own — to forgive, to release, and to bless our offenders. Forgiveness equals freedom!

Learn more about Forgive Offenders

Topics:

Forgiveness

Gabe Cleator, Host

Gabe Cleator loves Jesus and desires to help others cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ as the All-Sufficient One. Gabe holds a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Ministries, is author of the book Always and in Everything, and currently serves as the director of the Home Discipleship Network under the ministry of IBLP. His passion is to see God’s people turn back to a vibrant, living Christianity that has Christ at the center and the Word as the foundation. Gabe and his wife, Sara, live in East Texas where they enjoy serving the Lord together and spending time in the great outdoors, taking fishing trips or visiting National Parks.
Nate Paine, Host

Nate Paine enjoys encouraging people in God’s Word. When he was eleven years old, Nate gave his life to the Lord, and about that same time, felt God’s call on his life to preach the Word. In pursuing this call, Nate earned his BA in Biblical Ministry and was licensed and ordained. In his teens and his twenties, he began to mentor young men through the Journey to the Heart as well as pour himself into prison ministry discipling inmates in multiple correctional facilities. Nate, his wife and six children live in East Texas where he serves on staff with IBLP and the Home Discipleship Network.