The following is a devotion from my message series 10 Steps to Freedom. I hope these devotionals help you experience lasting freedom in Jesus!

STEP FIVE: day 4

Release your hurt through forgiveness

What does it look like on a practical level to release your hurt through forgiveness? It is more than simply saying the words, “I forgive you.” Here are four steps to forgiveness:

1. Meditate on how much God has forgiven you. Many times unforgiveness begins to feed upon itself, magnifying our hurts until they dwarf out everything else. When we intentionally meditate (through Scripture, song or reflection) on just how much God has forgiven us, everything begins to come back to its proper balance.
2. Try and see them from a different perspective. Hurt people hurt people. Because our pain causes us to look inward, it is not natural for us to try and see things from their perspective. This never excuses their behavior, but it may help explain it. For example if someone has betrayed you perhaps it’s because they were betrayed as a child and it was the only way they were taught to interact with others, as destructive as it might be.
3. Decide that their harm is not worth your continued pain. Your unforgiveness does much more damage to you than it does to them. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. You have to choose to put the poison down.
4. Trust that God will avenge you. Forgiveness is ultimately about trust. If you choose to forgive, do you trust God to avenge you and hold them accountable?

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Of the four steps listed today, which one seems the easiest? Which one seems the hardest?

2. Read Romans 12:19-21. How does this change your view of how God avenges those who have hurt you? What happens when you choose to forgive and be kind instead of choosing revenge and unforgiveness?

You can read other devotional entries for 10 Steps to Freedom here.