Day 8 (From 21 Days of Prayer)
One of Satan’s favorite strategies for sabotaging our work for God’s Kingdom and to keep us bound up in a spirit of sin is to seduce us into a spirit of unforgiveness. Ephesians 6 tells us plainly: “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Grasping the reality that the conflicts we have and the struggles we are embroiled in are not with the people or the situations that hurt us, but instead are with an enemy of our soul that is looking to take up space in our thoughts and lives (Ephesians 4:26-27), it helps us see our situations through a different lens.
A spirit of unforgiveness can take root in our hearts. And that opens the door for the enemy to trap us in bitterness and steal our joy, and even lead us into physical and emotional illness. Even worse, bitterness and unforgiveness interrupts our intimacy and connection with the Lord. As the Bible explains to us, God the Father watched His own perfect Son tortured and killed so that we could be forgiven of our sins - and He did this before we ever asked for it.
In the same way we have received undeserved forgiveness we are to release undeserved forgiveness to others (Ephesians 4:32). When we stubbornly refuse to truly forgive - that is, to forgive as God has forgiven us - our prayers are hindered (1 Peter 3:7b).
Today, ask the Lord to search your heart and show you if there is any unforgiveness that you are holding onto. Then be still and listen for His answer. Then ask Him for courage to forgive the people and things that come to mind.
PRAYER:
Lord, show me any unforgiveness and/or bitterness that is in my heart today. Help me to release to You. Thank You for forgiving me of all my sins so that I can walk in freedom and closely with You!
NOW ADD YOUR PERSONAL PRAYER