I believe that unforgiveness is one of the greatest invisible barriers stopping people from experiencing life as God intends it to be. Freedom will only come as we learn to forgive from the heart.

Unforgiveness binds you to the past. You will never be free unless you learn to be a forgiving person.  In trying to help people to freedom, I have noticed that there are many myths about forgiveness that keep people from letting go of unforgiveness.

In this post I will bust twenty-four forgiveness myths. In the weeks to come we will look in depth at what the word of God says about forgiveness. 

Open up your heart and receive the truths you are about to hear. It will change your life forever.

Sometimes.
But more often than not it is hard.
The good news is you can chose to forgive, even through the pain.

Not really.
We can make forgiveness a lifestyle,
but that does not ease the pain we feel when wronged.

Forgiveness is a choice.
Time will not cause forgiveness to just happen.
It is something that must be acknowledged and released through forgiveness.

No way.
Jesus forgave those who hung Him on the cross and were mocking Him.

Not always.
There may be legal issues to deal with or boundaries that need to be set

Forgiveness is an issue of your heart between you and God.
Will you be a forgiving person?

When we forgive, we release the person
from our anger, judgment, and thoughts of vengeance.
Reconciliation can only take place if the
person repents and seeks to restore the relationship.

In order to forgive, something that needs forgiving has to take place. Forgiveness is acknowledging the wrong
and then choosing to forgive the person from the heart.

We can forgive without the one who hurt us changing.
Forgiveness requires nothing from the person who hurt us
or we would be trapped by their unwillingness to change.

Not a chance.
Forgiveness is costly.
It costs the one forgiving, but it is well worth the price.

It takes incredible strength
and courage to be a forgiving person.
It also takes faith in God and His word.

We are never to downplay the wrong done against us.
We can fully acknowledge the pain we have suffered because of the wrong.

Can’t happen.
You will always remember what has happened to you.
It will no longer hurt and cause pain.
When you forgive you choose not to bring
the event up again and use it against a person.

Your forgiveness is not dependent upon
any response from the one that hurt you.
Forgiveness is a choice to forgive as you have been forgiven.

Forgiveness does not mean that we have to
allow the person to hurt us over and over again.
We can set boundaries and protect ourselves from those who hurt us.

When we forgive a person, we release them
from our judgment and desire for revenge but not from God’s.
Vengeance is the Lord’s. He will assure that justice is ultimately served.

Not necessarily.
It is an issue of your heart.
If the person repents and asks for forgiveness, we can give it.

Your forgiveness is not dependent
on the other person being near.
You do not have to have contact with a person to forgive them.

Forgiveness is not dependent upon being free from pain.
Many times healing comes as we forgive.
Forgiveness is not based upon our feelings, it is a choice of our will.

This happens much of the time, but not all of the time.
Sometimes healing take some time.

Forgiveness has to do with loyalty and faith in God.
Forgiveness does not mean you agree with what took place,
it is a response to the grace of God.

No way.
When we forgive we are turning that person
and the things they have done over to God.
We are trusting Him to bring justice to our situation.

Yes you can.
It is a choice of your will.
God will help you forgive.

Certainly not from a human perspective.
God sees the big picture He will bring justice.

These twenty-four myths are just the tip of the iceberg. I look forward to studying the idea of forgiveness with over the next few weeks. May God bless you as you learn to be a forgiving person.