When we say God help me to forgive and forget we are turning to the only one who can really intercede for us and free us from all resentment. Forgiveness is a mandate from God, since just as he forgives us and forgets our sin and does not remember it anymore, in this way we must do it with our neighbor.
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This is demanded by the word: “I, I am the one who erases your rebellions for love of me; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25) So our Lord forgives us if we repent from the heart and does not remember that sin anymore because it cleanses us and renews us. He gives us clean, white garments so we can enter into the presence of God.
But we must keep those garments intact and not stain them with our sins, or we could lose the precious gift of salvation. For this we must always ask God to help us and maintain communion with him.
God Help Me To Forgive And Forget: How We Can Be Freed From Resentment
Resentment is a feeling that eats away at us over time and prevents us from moving forward in the spiritual realm, since we are constantly remembering the wounds that caused us. Which increases the pain and takes away our peace.
For this reason we must always say God help me to forgive and forget in order to heal the deep wounds of our hearts and free ourselves from that heavy burden that diverts the purpose that God has for each one of us.
This is not easy, because although we are not from this world, we live in it and there are many evil powers that can stalk us, reminding us of the things that hurt us, making us feel sad, depressed, desolate. The devil intends to undo God’s work here on earth, so he will do anything to attack God’s children, especially those who are weak.
But how can I free myself from resentment and learn to forgive my neighbor for his transgressions, how can I forget those things that hurt me and still hurt me.
This is complicated because we are imperfect, but we must not forget that we have a Father who does not leave us alone, we have the Almighty who makes things impossible, the one who can do everything, The Great I Am, so why cling to the past and to something that you can’t change.
You can only forgive and forget so that you can rest in the Lord and release your burdens and be reborn like eagles. For them you have powerful tools that you can use, such as prayer, reading the word, fasting, praise, adoration, among others.
In this sense, there are multiple ways to attack the enemy so that he no longer disturbs you and you can forgive and forget everything that hurt you, since the admirable light of Christ removes all pain, heals wounds, restores our life and gives us joy. Against this, the enemy cannot prosper, he has no place in our life.
What does it mean to forgive and forget
The phrase “forgive and forget” does not appear in the Holy Scriptures. But there are a large number of verses that command us to “forgive ourselves” As we can see in Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Forgiveness refers to apologizing to a person who has attacked us or not considering their mistake. In the Bible, this Greek term translated “forgive” literally denotes “let go.” In this regard, Jesus Christ used this comparison when he taught his disciples to pray: “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who owes us” (Luke 11:4).
In such a way that a believer who does not have the disposition to forgive his neighbor, will not be able to find a true communion with God, since he commands us that we must forgive each other and leave the old man, because with Christ we are new creatures. So we must bear witness to what he does with his children.
However, forgiveness is a personal and voluntary decision that has to be made from the heart, since God knows everything about us and it is impossible to deceive him. The Lord commands us to forgive, so we must make a conscious choice to obey Him and genuinely forgive.
The offender may not want that forgiveness and it may never change, but that does not negate the Lord’s desire for us to have a forgiving spirit. However, the correct thing would be for the person who offends us to want reconciliation, but if it does not happen, the person affected still has the decision to forgive.
So there are no excuses to forgive, we just have to give our resentment to God and ask for his help at all times, and he will give us strength to heal the wounds that have caused us.
It is certainly impossible to forget all the bad things that were done to us. But God is the Father of the impossible and if we ask him what we want to forget, he will be able to erase all the bad thoughts we have and let the good memories flourish.
All for our spiritual growth, since when we hold a grudge we hurt ourselves, moving away from the presence of God and risking our salvation. If God no longer remembers our sins, we can too because he is our Father and he gave us power over principalities and hosts of wickedness.
In this way, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us and our sins are not remembered, since the blood of the lamb has totally cleansed us. We belong to Christ, so we can no longer feel guilt, fear, or burdens because we have given everything to him to be released and receive the joy of the Lord who is our strength. As seen in the word:
“Now therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
In this way, forgetting and forgiving is a personal decision, so if you decide to forgive the offender and move on with your life, you are making a wise decision that is freeing you from a very heavy burden.
But this does not mean that you have not learned your lesson. For example, if someone scams you, you can forgive them, but you have already learned to be more prudent and cautious. That is to say that from the bad God teaches us something good. Just like when we fall to learn to walk.
In this life we are not exempt from being hurt, from having disappointments, setbacks, among many adversities. But if we do this journey together with Christ, I can assure you that he will guide you according to his will and his justice.
In this way, for the children of Christ, all things help us for the good, they help us learn, to mature and be cautious. Avoid being impulsive and walk cautiously. Always asking the Lord for direction and discernment.
We must leave our vanity, and not think that we already know everything, and in this way give our lives completely to our redeemer Jesus Christ. In this regard, the word exhorts us: “The warned one sees the evil and hides; But the simple ones pass and receive the damage” (Proverbs 22:3). For this reason, we must avoid places that lend themselves to strife, quarrels, and vices, because they are dark places that give entrance to the devil.
In the same way, Jesus Christ invites us to be prudent and to choose our friends well, as revealed in the book of Matthew 10:16. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; So be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
In this sense we must be kind and cordial with those who do not repent and who have not accepted Christ in their hearts. But at the same time we must be prudent and cunning and not let them confuse us or divert us from our path, which is Christ.
The ideal for the life of a Christian is to be able to forgive and forget, since love has no grudges and covers a multitude of sins. But, when it comes to changing hearts, we must leave that in God’s hands, and keep our distance from our aggressors to avoid all kinds of contentions.
So when we are prudent, we are not being spiteful, but we have already learned a lesson and we must act with caution, maintaining communion with our Heavenly Father who is our guide and immediate help. We are not God, we have limitations and that is why we cannot see the hearts of others, so we must protect ourselves and act cautiously.
In this sense, we forgive another person when we no longer hold resentment and do not demand compensation for the damage they did to us or for any loss. As the word states:
We forgive others when we stop holding resentment and do not insist on seeking compensation for the harm done to us or the loss we may have suffered.
What should we avoid when forgiving?
As previously mentioned, forgiveness is a personal decision that has to come from the heart. So when we forgive, we are leaving the grudge behind. But this does not mean that we accept or condone the aggressions. Therefore, it is important to consider the following aspects:
- Forgiving does not mean that we approve of the aggressions
- We must not act as if the person has not made any mistakes and has not offended us
- Not allowing others to take advantage of us, since kindness is often confused with a lack of authority.
- Never fall back into the mistake of fully trusting the person who attacked us, if he or she has not accepted Jesus Christ or has not sincerely asked for our forgiveness.
- We must not forgive without having a valid basis, since God does not expect us to forgive those who deny the Lord.
In this sense, forgive and forget covers more than we think, since it is about what exists in your heart, and sometimes it is difficult to decipher it. Only God can search the hearts, heal the wounds and free us from sin. But there has to be a total willingness to do it. No one can be forced to forgive, because it is a very personal and particular decision.
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In such a way that we must, for example, forgive what has seemed an offense to us because perhaps our anger does not have a valid reason. It simply has to do with our weakness and imperfections, typical of the human being. So, another of the things that we must do to be able to free ourselves from resentment is to know that we are special to God, that we are his children, that we are called to the admirable light of Christ and that no one is allowed to offend us, because we are clothed with the blood of Christ, we are new creatures, prostrate at the feet of the Most High.
And if God is with us, no one can hurt us. The word exhorts us as follows: “Do not rush in your spirit to feel offended, because offending is what rests in the bosom of the stupid” (Ecclesiastes 7:9).
What can help us forgive
When we cry out and say God help me to forgive and forget it is because we know that he has the power to do so. We must not accommodate the thoughts that take us time and again to the past, to that situation that caused us pain, since it is something that we cannot change because we do not control time.
However, we can control our mind and our heart with the help of our Heavenly Father…