Forgiveness and Prayer

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift (Matthew 5:23-24).

In order to have a strong, effective prayer life, you need to make forgiveness a priority. Unforgiveness is a big stumbling block to your attitude and to having God's unfettered ear. There're three main types of forgiveness that we need to be aware of and implement in our lives.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

First of all, you must ask God for forgiveness of sins and accept Christ as your Savior. This is the first crucial step to everything. You get to trade your sinfulness for Christ's righteousness so you can stand sinless and perfect before Holy God. This is the most important thing you will ever do in your life, and it's so easy. However, it must be heartfelt. You can't just go through the motions and try to fake it. God knows.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9).

You must also ask for forgiveness and repent when you realize that you've sinned again. King David in the Bible is a good example of this. He committed adultery and murder, but he felt deeply sorrowful over what he and done, begged for forgiveness, and repented. God called him a man after His own heart. Because of the sinful nature we inherited from Adam and Eve and Satan's temptations, we will continue to fail and fall short, but forgiveness is there for the asking as long as we are sincere.

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15).

And then, forgiving others is imperative. The Bible is very clear. If we don't forgive others, God won't forgive us. It's strange how many people want to hold others to a higher standard than they do themselves. They admit they aren't perfect but still expect perfection in others. Love and a humble spirit will cover a multitude of sins, and forgiving someone who has wronged you is very freeing. Unforgiveness will weigh you down with unnecessary burdens. Forgiveness is an important key to having a blessed prayer life.

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