2 Corinthians 2:10-11 “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, (11) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
Unforgiveness is an effective device used by Satan to gain advantage over believers. Satan uses unforgiveness as a weapon against believers because he knows that this is a very effective way for him to hinder a Christian’s walk with the Lord. The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul reveals this particular truth to us in the above quoted passage of scripture.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
When a believer walks in unforgiveness toward anyone, then that Christian has given Satan an opportunity to take advantage of them. As believers, we are no longer part of Satan’s kingdom and he no longer has any authority over us. In fact, we now have authority over him. But we can open the door for him to take advantage of us, and we are the only ones that can do that. If we give him no access to our lives, then we are off limits to him. The above quoted passage of scripture states that he walks about seeking whom he may devour. It does not state that he walks about devouring whom he wants.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
We should always guard ourselves from the temptation that Satan puts in our way to walk in unforgiveness, for unforgiveness does come in the form of temptation to the believer. When a believer is wronged in some way, the fleshly reaction is to then walk in unforgiveness, because the flesh feels justified in not forgiving. Forgiveness however, is of the heart. It is the spirit of man that has the capacity to forgive, and it is the spirit of man that wants to forgive. Remember we read that Jesus said we are to forgive from the heart (Matthew 18:35). When we walk in the spirit, then forgiveness is easy. It’s when we walk in the flesh that forgiveness seems impossible, because the flesh does not understand the concept of forgiveness. The above quoted passage of scripture teaches us that the natural man thinks the things of God are foolishness, and that would include the concept of forgiveness.
James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
This is when the Christian is to walk by faith, and simply obey the Lord’s commandment to forgive. Forgiveness is an act of our will. We choose to forgive. There are no emotions involved in the act of forgiveness. Although once the believer does forgive, they may experience emotions as they are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb for their own sins. The scripture quoted above says that we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed. This scripture is referring to our own fleshly desires, for it is only in our flesh that Satan is able to tempt us to walk in unforgiveness. Be quick to forgive. The longer you take to forgive, the more difficult it becomes. Some have held onto unforgiveness for years, and the negative impact upon their lives has been devastating. But no sin is more powerful than the blood of Jesus. And the moment the believer forgives (even after many years), the door is closed on Satan, and all the negative consequences of unforgiveness are immediately put to a stop. The believer’s sins are forgiven, the tormentors are stopped and the believer can once again pray the prayer of faith.
Michael E.B. Maher
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