Many Of Us Have Been hurt
Many of us have been hurt by others during our lifetimes. We carry resentment and unforgiveness in our hearts towards those we perceive have treated us unkindly. Even though we know it is our Lord’s will that we forgive those who trespass against us we have wondered why we should and find it difficult to do so. Many of us have never fully understood why evil people are worthy of our forgiveness.
I believe is that people who hurt us are worthy of forgiveness because they, know not what they do. In essence, we are all influenced by demonic forces which cause us to do wrong. Sometimes we do small acts of unkindness and sometimes we really yield to the dark side. However, big or small, it all add up to hurt. The point is that, without demons influencing us and left to ourselves, we would not be nearly as awful.
They are not in their right mind
Therefore, it helps to understand that people who do bad things to us are under the influence of demonic spirits. Even though these people allow spirits to manifest in ways that wound us, it is really not entirely their fault. We are all caught in a whirlpool of sin which seeks to drag us down into the depths of hell. The truth is, we are all caught in something we have little control over.
God sees that His children have been harmed by Satan. Our Father knows when they act out in ways that are not good. Our Lord realizes they have been unfairly corrupted by the wicked one and so has grace towards them. While we were yet in our sins God gave His only begotten son to die in our stead. Though we were not worthy, YHWH understood we are all snared in deception that we cannot break free of ourselves.
Evil spirits are controlling them
It is Satan and his demonic horde that we war against. It is not the flesh and blood that they inhabit which we battle . We fail to recognize that the eyes, tongues, and hands of those who harm are motivated by the evil spirits. This is why a person who would not harm a flea might speak terrible words to us. Their core character may wish to be good but they have allowed demons to move through them to do evil.
In the broad perspective the whole human race was unfairly taken advantage of by Lucifer. God, knowing this, decided to show grace and mercy to us even though we deserved death. If God can show grace to those who caused the whole human race to suffer, isn’t it is easier for us to forgive the few who wrong us.
For your sake, don’t hold on to the hurt
Many find it easy to forgive others, but some hold on to perceived injustices for a long time. The demand that repentance must precede forgiveness. Knowing that people are not fully in control of themselves helps us to focus on the true culprits: demons. Indeed, many people that say hurtful words immediately find themselves remorseful of their words. Crushing guilt overwhelms them but they are at a loss of what to do our say because the angry words have already left their mouths. This means that in their heart of hearts they never really felt the way. It was the demons which influenced them to speak and when the demonic influence leaves they come to their senses.
One note, forgiveness does not mean that we have to continue to allow people to treat us badly. If a person cannot stop allowing the demons to influence them do wrong it is proper to protect oneself. For instance, if a person has proven that they are unfaithful with finances, don’t let them be tempted again. Forgiveness does not mean we must be unwise.
Stand up and fight
In conclusion, we can forgive because those who seem to do us wrong are not really those who are responsible. We need to fight against the unseen spiritual wickedness. These are the real agents of chaos and show mercy to our brethren as God has shown mercy to us.