Seeds of Destiny Devotional 10 December 2021
Topic: The Heart of Forgiveness
Until you let go of what is behind, you can’t lay hold of what is ahead.
SCRIPTURE: And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Until you let go of what is behind, you can’t lay hold of what is ahead.
Prayer is an art that can be taught and learnt. It is an art that is designed to register impact in three realms; an impact on God, on the devil, and on the one who prays (Luke 9:29).
The tragedy, however, is that there are many people whose prayers affect nobody – God is untouched, the devil is unmoved, their lives remain unchanged, probably because the art of praying has not been well learnt.
So, today, we are going to look at one of the things to do for our prayer to be effective – Forgive.
Our anchor scripture says, And when ye stand praying, forgive. That is, if you are interested in securing God’s attention, forgive. Praying with bitterness is praying in frustration.
Forgiveness is a major key to fruitfulness. Why did I say so? Joseph for instance passed through terrible things – he was dumped in a pit, sold into slavery in Potiphar’s house, wrongfully accused and cast into prison. When he came out of prison and God made him the Prime Minister of Egypt, he gave birth to his first son and called him Manasseh which means, “I forget”- everything my brothers did. Then he gave birth to the next child and called him Ephraim. Ephraim means ‘fruitful’.
So, to forget comes before being fruitful; where forgiveness is lacking, fruitfulness is not in view. Your spiritual life can never be fruitful; your prayer life can never be fruitful, if there are people you have imprisoned in the prison of your heart.
Everything of the past that you are holding unto deprives you of so many things in the future. Until you let go of what is behind, you can’t lay hold of what is ahead.
Beloved, if you are interested in that prayer being answered, forgive!
Remember this: Until you let go of what is behind, you can’t lay hold of what is ahead.
ASSIGNMENT(S):
1. Ask God for the grace to forgive anyone who offended you except the devil.
2. Refuse to live in bitterness; release offenders from the prison of your heart.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: REQUIREMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE PRAYER PART 5
PRAYER: Lord, I receive the grace to forgive those who offended me. And I make demands on all-round fruitfulness in my life, Lord in Jesus’ Name.
DAILY BIBLE READING: 1 Timothy 5-2 Timothy 1
QUOTE: Bitterness reduces your productivity and fruitfulness. It reduces what comes out of your life. Culled from “AM I BITTER?” By Dr Becky Paul-Enenche.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Grace to forgive and release offenders is released for you in Jesus’ Name.
REFLECTION: You can’t look backwards and forward at the same time. To focus on the past is to pass away with the past.
