Four Steps Towards Forgiveness

[Four Steps Towards Forgiveness]( Current Teaching Series [The Seven Greatest Words of Love]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Four Steps Towards Forgiveness]( By Rick Warren — 03/17/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV) If you’re like most people, you might have some misconceptions about what it means to forgive. And, because you don’t understand forgiveness, you find it really difficult to forgive. As a follower of Jesus, you need to understand forgiveness. The Bible clearly calls Christians to forgive. Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” (NIV). So, if God expects you to forgive others, what does healthy, biblical forgiveness look like? Here are four things you should do when you need to forgive someone. 1. Recognize no one is perfect. When you hate somebody, you tend to lose your perspective about that person. Resentment, bitterness, and hurt make you stop seeing that person as a fellow human being. You treat them like an animal. But the truth is everyone is in the same boat. The Bible says, “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT). We’re all imperfect. 2. Relinquish your right to get even. This is the heart of forgiveness. The Bible says, “Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it” (Romans 12:19 TLB). Even if you think you deserve to retaliate, don’t. If the hurt runs deep, you may have to commit over and over again to not getting even. But, no matter what, leave the repayment to God. 3. Respond to evil with good. Humanly speaking, it’s nearly impossible to respond to evil with good. You’ll need God’s help. You’ll need the love of Jesus to fill you up. Why? “[Love] keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV). When you can respond to evil with good, you’ll know you’ve fully released someone from the wrong they’ve done to you. 4. Refocus on God’s plan for your life. As long as you continue to focus on the person who has hurt you, that person controls you. In fact, it often goes a step further: If you don’t release your offender, you will begin to resemble your offender. So stop focusing on the hurt and the person who hurt you. Instead, refocus on God’s purpose for your life—his purpose is greater than any problem or pain you might be facing. Don’t sit another day in your resentment. If you’ve been holding on to pain caused by someone else, go through these four steps and move on to the life you were created to live! [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - In today’s Daily Hope devotional, Pastor Rick shared four things to do when you need to forgive someone. Which one of these four steps is most difficult for you? Which is easiest? - When did you try to get revenge instead of leaving repayment to God? What did you learn from that situation? - When have you responded to evil with good? How did that situation turn out? What did you learn? The post [Four Steps Towards Forgiveness]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get The Seven Greatest Words of Love Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( Unlock the blessings found in the words Jesus spoke during his final hours on the cross with Pastor Rick’s The Seven Greatest Words of Love study kit, which includes a 7-session DVD and workbook, perfect for both individual and group studies. You’ll discover seven statements Jesus made from the cross he didn’t want his followers to forget. As you unpack these life changing words of love with Pastor Rick, you’ll realize how the blessing of the gospel speaks personally and powerfully into your life, your career, and your relationships . . . and can help you find true fulfillment in them. And, if this is your very first gift to support Daily Hope, it will be doubled by a special Matching Grant! [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 7 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Seven Greatest Words of Love. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: The Word of Forgiveness Message 2: The Word of Assurance Message 3: The Word of Love Message 4: The Word of Substitution Message 5: The Word of Humanity Message 6: The Word of Victory Message 7: The Word of Trust [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. 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