Essential Church

Forgiveness Standalone Essential Church December 29, 2024  SUMMARY Forgiveness is defined as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance towards someone. The speaker shares his personal story of not being able to forgive his father who abandoned him and later committed suicide. Forgiveness is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, and it is part of God's plan for us. The three things we need to do first are: accept God's forgiveness, learn to forgive others, and forgive ourselves. There are four stages of forgiveness: hate, hurt, hook, and healing. When asking for forgiveness, one needs to be responsible for their sin, be regretful, repent, reconcile, and restore the relationship. The steps to take when doing forgiveness include: letting go of the need for closure, accepting the past cannot be changed, establishing a habit of grateful thinking, understanding it is a process, and coming out stronger. The speaker uses the example of Joseph forgiving his brothers to illustrat