Mark 11:24 & 26 – “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.”
Let us assume that a person has been a Christian for many years. They work hard and are accountable and responsible. It seems like they have never received any real advantages at work or at home. They do not see where being a Christian has given them a whole lot of advantages in their lives. They attend church most Sundays and when they have a chance they read their Bibles. They try to live a moral life and they don’t beat their wives or kids. Why haven’t they received those advantages that are supposed to come from being a Christian?
In the Scripture above Jesus told His disciples that if anyone held a grudge against another person or if they became angry or bitter over something that was done to them or if they had an unforgiving heart they had better get over it if they wanted their prayers answered. Being self-centered human beings that we are and having a carnal nature it is sometimes difficult to overlook something that someone has done to us. Life is not always just a “big bowl of cherries”. However, if we as Christians want an advantage at work, school or at home we had better learn to get rid of the baggage of having an unforgiving heart.
How many believers come to God praying for something specific and God did not answer their prayer? Are you praying that God helps you pass a test or get a special promotion and you receive neither? You wonder why God did not bless you or give you that advantage? Could it be that you have an unforgiving heart?
Luke 6:37 – “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
We must have a forgiving spirit to receive God’s forgiveness and His blessings. Are we critical of others? How do we treat others? If we as Christians are generous and compassionate to others Scripture says we will receive God’s generosity and His compassion. If we don’t it seems we may be treated as we treat others.
Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Do we please God with our attitudes and our actions? God’s mercy and compassion has forgiven us of our sins. It is now required that we forgive others as He has forgiven us. Scripture says that if we are unwilling to forgive others we shall not become one with Christ. But you may say: You have no idea what others have done to you. My answer would be have you ever been placed on a cross and asked God to forgive them for they do not know what they are doing? Living a Christian life is so different from how the world lives. If we are trying to live a Christian life on our own without the Holy Spirit’s guidance chances are we will fail. It is only when we totally die out to self, allow the Holy Spirit to completely guide us, that we will become more and more Christ-like. The sooner we begin listening to the Holy Spirit the sooner we will become spiritually mature and the more we will be blessed. Then we can expect to see more advantages in our lives. Scripture says: God wants to bless us!