Pray to Forgive Others

"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”Matthew 6:14-15(NLT)  

by Alexandra Copeland

I’m a prophetic dreamer, have been for many years. It is beyond a blessing, and I cannot express the enormous amount of gratitude that I have for this gift. Years ago, as I began to ponder the content of my dreams, and then came face to face with my reality just a short time after them, the link was undeniable. I understood John 16:13 with crystal clarity. This verse says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” It was surreal, and I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. Truth is, I was spooked a little bit. I fellowshipped with Christians who believe wholeheartedly in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, but I considered myself to be on the periphery of such giftings, and never thought I’d manifest in such a wonderfully amazing way.

When many Christians hear the word ‘prophetic’, they immediately put up a wall. This is understandable. We must be extremely cautious. 1John 4:1 (KJV) warns us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” The devil was once an angel of light. As such, he knows how to counterfeit something in order to trick us. Even so, in the very same chapter of the warning in 1John 4:1, God tells us in verse 4 (NLT) “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” So we shouldn’t go so overboard with skepticism that we miss a prophetic Word from Heaven. The spirit that lives in us is the indwelling Holy Spirit, and he will let us know in undeniable ways when a person is truly speaking the truth and delivering to us a prophetic word.

I believe in the gift of prophecy, and that it is alive and thriving in the time in which we now live. One of the ways in which God is preparing the body of Christ for the coming of our Lord is through those who are receiving prophecy, visions, and dreams. Acts 2:17(NLT) tells us, “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”

Not too long ago, I heard a young man share a prophetic dream, and I was moved in my spirit by it. Over the years, I’ve listened to many people share their prophetic dreams and visions; and like many of us, my spirit will testify within when the truth is spoken.

After his resurrection, Jesus Christ walked and talked with two disciples. They said of this encounter in Luke 24:32 (KJV), “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” This is very much the way I feel when I hear razor sharp truth. It cuts through all the layers with such specificity and veracity that it just brands you through and through. A true prophetic word from the Lord will do the same.

The young man I mentioned above spoke of a dream he had about the judgement that occurs when we transition from life on earth. He spoke specifically of a woman that had been terribly wronged very early in her life, and for many years she harbored resentment and unforgiveness in her heart. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:14-15(NLT) “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This is classic Sunday School 101. Most of us are taught these verses from very early on in our Christian development, but very rarely do we drink in the severity of the sin of unforgiveness, and we take far too lightly God’s faithfulness to make sure that this stain is not found amongst His people.

Unforgiveness is said to be the greatest trick of the enemy. One of the reasons for this is that it can potentially attach itself to our hearts, and many of us carry it until death. The toxicity of this kind of resentment is so pervasive that other extremely harmful emotional ills are spawn from it. They take root and produce behaviors, attitudes, and thoughts that will keep a person on the losing side of life.

Jesus Christ delivered a standard in God’s Word that must be more important to us than the air we breathe. In Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT), he established commandments that every Christian must follow: “37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Unforgiveness belongs to the adversary. It is his lock, stock, and barrel. Our Lord and Master has told us that God requires all of our hearts, and if unforgiveness is hanging out there, we’ve given what belongs to God to the enemy. This is a sin of epic proportions, and it is a choice that we consciously make.

God’s love cannot be made perfect in us with unforgiveness in our hearts. It chokes our capacity to love others, and it diminishes our every effort. Through Jesus Christ, our precious and powerful Lord and Savior, we can release the toxicity of unforgiveness and be free from its grips. These words make it sound somewhat easy, and it isn’t nearly as hard as we make it, but for some it will require much prayer. There are a great number of individuals that have held grudges for so long that they’ve become very comfortable with them. They want their hurt avenged, and to see those that have caused it come to a dreadful end. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. He has taken care of every detail of it through His wondrous Will and Plan, and our only involvement with resentment should be to release it.

The young man with the prophetic dream saw what happened to the woman who carried unforgiveness in her heart for most of her life. She died with it, and because of it she was sent to hell. It was so disturbing to him that he pleaded repeatedly with the body of Christ to please pray to Jesus to be released from the spirit of unforgiveness. If this is something you are struggling with, pray to the Father; surrender to Him completely. Invite Him into your heart, and He will not only help you to forgive others, but most importantly He will forgive you.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.