Excerpt from
Forgiveness in the Mind of Christ
C. THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS – A SHORT SYNOPSIS
THE COMPLETE CYCLE OF FORGIVENESS
This is an excellent place in this book on forgiveness for me to list the five stages of forgiveness along with a powerful prayer to set in motion the process. This prayer exercise will take the needful person through the five stages with directed verbal prayers. By stating the confession of forgiveness followed by the four stages, the person will experience the full, complete process of sincere and powerful forgiveness from God.
STEP ONE: IS FORGIVENESS TRULY IN ORDER HERE?
Father, I hereby confess that I need to offer full, open and sincerer forgiveness to this person or persons who have offended me. I know that “godly sorrow causes one to repent.” (II Corinthians 7:10). Lord, I have taken another look at the amazing love of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. In the light of His loving gift on the cross, I am compelled by my sorrow for my unforgiving of others for their sin to offer true repentance in the strong name of the Lord Jesus. I pray that you will now forgive me for this sin of unforgiveness. I now accept your loving forgiveness and I will walk with you through the entire process now in Jesus, name, amen!
STEP TWO: RELEASING OTHERS FROM THEIR SIN AGAINST ME
Father, in Jesus’ name I release the people who have offended me by name. I release them from the blame and responsibility of having hurt me and caused me such sorrow, heartache and pain in and through the Mighty Name of the Lord Jesus. I pray that you will cover them with your blood, releasing them as I myself do so from my heart in Jesus’ Name!
STEP THREE: REPENTANCE OF MY SIN FOR REFUSING TO FORGIVE OTHERS
In the Great and Holy name of the Lord Jesus I confess that I have sinned. I have withheld forgiveness and grown resentful, bitter and angry toward those who have offended me. I repent for my own sin in these areas in Jesus Name, amen! Thank you, Lord for full pardon from heaven of this sin. In Jesus name, amen!
STEP FOUR: RESTORING THE OFFENDER TO FULL FELLOWSHIP BY RECEIVING THEM AGAIN, THUS PROVING THAT YOU HAVE OFFERED SINCERE FORGIVENESS
Father, in Jesus name, I now agree to restore these who have offended me back in to fellowship. I prepare my heart to look at them with pure eyes of love and true forgiveness with that assurance from you in Jesus’ name, amen!
STEP FIVE: LOVING THE OFFENDER MORE DEEPLY AND SINCERELY THAN I DID BEFORE THEY EVER OFFENDED ME
Lord, now that I have walked through these four steps forgiveness in the mind of Christ, I hereby agree to love these offenders more deeply and closely than I did before they offended me in the first place. I rejoice for the greater love that you give to me now that my heart is clear and now that I am forgiven for my own sin toward you and them in Jesus’ name, amen!
In this book “Forgiveness in the Mind of Christ” I will seek earnestly to appeal to the tender, merciful and forgiving portion of your heart. I will urge you strongly to offer forgiveness to all those who have offended you on any level. I will strongly warn you not to make the excuse “They are the ones who hurt me so badly, why should I offer true, open and sincere pardon to them.” To answer this question, I simply point to the cross. I remind you that the Lord Jesus forgave you of a lifetime of sin in one moment. I remind you also that you must strongly filter your own insistence to be resentful, bitter and hateful toward another person that only locks you and them in a prison of God’s disfavor.
I urge you to face the truth and admit that you stand in need of forgiving another and seeking forgiveness for yourself for the evil attitudes of this resentfulness, bitterness and hatred. If you refuse to do so, then God will not forgive you your sins. These are very strong and frightening words out of heaven. Friends, we have no choice but to forgive. We must come seriously before the throne of God in humility and sorrow for our hateful, spiteful attitudes toward those who have offended us. After all, God would have been justified to have judged us and punished us eternally for our own sins, but instead He gave us his own Son the Lord Jesus to die for us in our own state of unworthiness and sin. What is your choice? May God strengthen you to clear the air between you and others and between you and your God, amen!
Beloved Friends in Christ, I cannot speak to you strongly enough about the deadly— yes deadly effects of refusing to offer pardon and true, lasting forgiveness to others for their sins against you. Let me appeal to you now.