Pardoning the Prisoners of Your Heart

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.  3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

There is a mechanism inside of all of us, that was formed (or at least malfunctioned) during the Fall (Gen 3). This mechanism is capable of holding anger towards others. This mechanism stores up wrong done and resentment, it remembers others faults and holds other in the courtroom of our hearts for judgment.    This mechanism must be cleansed and closed down. It must be forever broken so that we are not capable of hold anyone captive. 

See that’s the nature of this type of sin you hold others captive by it. This is why we have to seek not only to forgive, but to live lives constantly conscience of who we are offending. We have to be willing (often for me) to humble ourselves before others and drop the awkward question of, “have I done anything to offend you?”

For us who believe and spend any amount of time with the Father, we are not able to hold too much in our hearts without Him correcting us. But for others who don’t know Him, our actions can cause hours, days, weeks, months, and even years of heartache because they have no way of healing and finding peace.

God hates sin. Sin holds people ransom and kills them. Don’t sin against yourself or sin against your neighbor.

Love your neighbor as yourself…. Forgive and be forgiven…. Live free from looking over your shoulder….. Live free of resentment.

Selah