Prayer Focus

Heart Guide for Lesson 15:
Freedom through Forgiving

Get your heart ready. The first stage in gaining victory is recognizing the spiritual problem and then allowing yourself no excuses, but being willing to take full responsibility for having it. The second stage is praying for God to help you with it - casting the burden on Him to do it in you and through you and for you. The third stage is coming into obedience to the part that the Lord shows you that you need to do. Let your prayer focus be on stage two: asking God for help and strength to obey Him now that you realize you will have to forgive.

Lord, make me willing to be made willing to obey you fully from the heart. Help me want to want what You want (forgiveness) and hate what You hate (un-forgiveness).

Review the five motivations (review Freedom through Forgiving) and these ten affirmations against holding bitterness.

1) I would rather be free (on the inside), than bitter.

2) I will set free anyone I have to in order to get free.

3) What was done to me is nothing compared to what bitterness has been doing to me all along.

4) I am not bound by the past - only by my bitterness about it.

5) Whatever my reasons are for being bitter, they are not as good as freedom is going to feel.

6) I will turn the key of forgiveness and walk away.

7) I will just give it to God and leave it all behind.

8) I will walk away from the ruined place and let God be the one to restore it.

9) If I have to start my whole life all over, just to walk away from bitterness, it will be worth it in order to live with an un-bitter heart.

10) Why should I complain or be bitter about all of the past years of carrying the pain, because the truth is that I bound the pain of my hurt to myself though bitterness.

Return to Freedom Through Forgiving: Head to Heart Guides for more ways to go deeper into these truths or stay 'on course' by going to the...