Author & Pastor Lawrence Bishop talks about the journey that leads to the forgiveness and healing found in his new book ‘The First Day of Your Worst Day’ Lawrence Bishop II says ‘I hope you never need this book, But I hope you have it in case you do.’

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Forgiving Yourself

“For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Psalms 103.11-12 NLT

It’s been difficult in my life to forgive myself. I constantly ask ‘why did I do that?’ We can tend to look back, can’t we? We go back as far as 15, 25, 35 years, asking “why, why, why?” And the Lord is saying, “I have forgiven you. Forget it. When I forgave you, I forgave you as far as the East is from the West.” Meaning, He doesn’t remember it anymore. But we do. When we can forgive ourselves, it frees us up in life to forgive others and to walk out being someone who’s whole, because if we hold on to unforgiveness, especially to ourselves, it’s damaging to our heart and it affects our relationships. I’ve seen it affect mine and I’ve seen it affect loved ones.

If we can forgive ourselves and say, “you know, I might see these things in myself that I don’t like, but they’re under the blood.” When we can learn to love who God called us to be, not in an arrogant way, but in a humble way, then it’s easier for us to walk in freedom, to love others, to say, “Father, I know that when I was in the womb, You had a plan for me.” He loves you so much and He forgives you. When we embrace that, when we drink that in, when we walk in it, it’s a whole lot easier for us to bestow the same love, grace, and forgiveness on others around us. 

Forgiving Others

“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”

Matthew 18.21-22 NLT

It’s not easy thinking I’m supposed to forgive someone 7 x 70 times. What? No way! But this is the thing, God has given us wisdom. When you’ve forgiven somebody, that doesn’t mean you give them access to your heart right away, if ever. You have to pray about it- you have to look at the situation and see what’s going on with that person. It means you are releasing the feelings of anger, frustration, and betrayal. You’re saying, “Lord, I’m going to give that to You.” We don’t want to get a seed of bitterness in our hearts. For the Lord to fully use us effectively, we’ve got to be able to walk out forgiveness. 

Forgiving When The Person Hasn’t Asked 

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Romans 12:18 NIV

I’m thinking this morning of people I need to forgive. I might not want to, but Jesus forgives me Every. Single. Day. Can’t I forgive others? Whether they’re sorry or not. You might be thinking, “but, they didn’t come tell me they were sorry…” You’re not responsible for them. We’re told in the Word of God, “be at peace with all men as much as possible.” And what depends on us is doing the right thing. Forgiveness equals freedom. The Lord is saying, “If you’ll walk out forgiveness, you will have freedom. You won’t have a seed of bitterness. You’ll be able to walk out a fulfilled life.” If we have bitterness, that will hold us back and we don’t want anything holding us back from all He has for us.

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