There is a difference between mental forgiveness & gut forgiveness. The process of Inner Healing helps you accomplish both! 

Inner Healing: A process by which a person goes through confession of the events that took place that brought about an offense, forgiving the offender, taking accountability for receiving an offense, and canceling the judgements that took place. In the end, the person going through inner healing will be freed from emotional pain connected to the offense.

IMPORTANCE of FORGIVENESS:

1)    Matthew 18:21-35 commands us to forgive

2)    Matthew 6 commands us to forgive in order for us to be forgiven

3)    It frees you from becoming bitter and hurting those around you

4)    It strengthens your relationship with God (Matthew 5:43-48) as well as others.

DEVASTATION of UNFORGIVENESS:

1)    Unforgiveness doesn’t hurt the offender at all, it only hurts you

2)    Unforgiveness almost places the offender in jail and you are the warden. This, in turn, incarcerates you too because you have to make sure the prisoner stays there. 

3)    It can cause a disruption in your walk with God and all relationships you are involved in due to the wounds in your heart. 

4)    The inability to forgive (due to the stress it creates) may be the source of physical problems, such as lack of energy, sleeplessness, headaches, joint pain, or back pain. 

5)    It also may be the root cause of depression or anxiety.

What Forgiveness IS:

·      Letting go of the emotional attachment to the memory of an offense.

·      A key part of not letting those wrongs hurt you any longer.

·      Letting go of your desire to hurt the other person or simply put, you cancel the debt.

·      Difficult and uncomfortable at times. However, when you make the decision to forgive, God provides the grace and strength to forgive and to maintain a heart of forgiveness. 

·      Healing for soul wounds.

·      Experiencing empathy for the offender, humility about your own sinfulness, and gratitude for being forgiven by God and others. 

Forgiveness lets us regain our personal power. Our anger, regret, hatred, or resentment towards someone means that we are giving up our power to that person. Envision a chain around your neck, held by the one who wronged you. Until you can forgive, you won’t break that chain and the person will still have an unhealthy hold on you.

What Forgiveness is NOT:

·      Weakness. It is the most powerful thing you can do. Refusing to forgive allows Satan to continue to hurt you; forgiveness stops the destructive power of Satan in one’s life. 

·      Condoning the offense or diminishing the wrong done against you. 

·      Letting the offender off the hook

·      Forgetting the offense

·      Reconciliation. It takes 2 to reconcile but only one to forgive. 

·      Waiting for the offender to repent or change their actions

 

What is unforgiveness:

·      It’s a state of resentment, bitterness, hatred, hostility, anger, fear and stress toward an individual who has transgressed against another person in some way.

·      It is a cancer that eats away at the very soul of a person. 

·      It is allowing the offender to continually control you while they move on with life unaffected. 

 

Are you struggling to love much? 

Luke 7:40-47 NKJV has the answer. It says, And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”

Below is the step by step, self guided process for inner healing:

Step-By-Step Guide To:

Inner Healing / Freedom from the Past

Forgiveness Toward the Other Person

1) Father, (Name) hurt/offended me and he/she...

Explain to God out loud everything he/she did that caused the pain from the past.

Encourage the offended to go into as much detail about the feelings they now have toward the

offender because of the offense. (Example: Anger, rage, retaliation, hatred, bitterness, resentment)

Encourage them to then explain how this person made them feel. (Example: unworthy, unloved,

alone, rejected, etc..)

At this point, you should ask Holy Spirit if this part is needed. Tell them to imagine the person is

sitting right in the room with them. Ask them, "what would you say to them?" Then have them say,

"(Offender's name), after all that you have done to me, today, I choose to forgive you completely

and let this offense go in Jesus name."

IF you choose to NOT do the last section then move onto 1B.....

1B) Father I forgive (Name) on purpose right now and I choose to close all of these past issues with (Name), and I give him/her to you Father.

Accountability for My Sin

2) Father, I am guilty of the sin of judgement and offense against (Name) and I stand accountable for thatsin so I confess my sins of: Speak out loud all the attitudes you felt towards them: criticism, condemnation, rejection, resentment, anger, hatred, bitterness, rage, revenge, retaliation, etc...

3) Father because you told me in yaur Word that if I confess my sin then you are just to forgive me (I John 1:9). I have confessed my sin and I receive my forgiveness right now. Thank you for your forgiveness! Itake back my peace, my joy and my righteousness.

4) Since I have been forgiven for these sins, I now cancel and release all the judgements I made against (Name). I cancel all curses that I established because of my judgements concerning (Name).

4a. (Ask Holy Spirit for direction on this one. It can be done at the end, after all offenders have been forgiven) At times we will also need to forgive ourselves. (Say your name with finger in chest) I forgive myself for my part in this and I let go of all the guilt, self-condemnation and the shame.

4b. (Use this technique if it is a deeper wound from a family member or someone very close. Ask Holy Spirit for direction) Sometimes it is good to give this person to God by handing a physical object to the person offended.

5) I declare this issue with (Name) completely over and closed in Jesus name. I have forgiven (Name) and God has forgiven me.

6) Now have the person pray a blessing over the offender. Matthew 5:44 But / say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;