“To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave
any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of
Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of
his devices.” (2Co 2:10-11 AV)
We
wonder what it is the devil uses to gain an advantage over the people of
God. There are many things. In this passage, it is the spirit of
unforgiveness. Nothing will kill the
spiritual life of a church like the spirit of unforgiveness. When two or more people are at odds, it
effects the whole family of God. Even if
those who are at odds are separated by distance, it still effects the local
body of believers. The mere fact that
Christ warns us if we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us,
reveals to us that without forgiveness towards others, we cannot possibly walk
with God ourselves. Forgiveness is
essential. Forgiveness is
necessary. The spirit of unforgiveness
is a device of the devil to destroy the individual as well as the church.
I
have seen more times than I care to dwell upon how unforgiveness can eat a
person from within. I have seen the root
of bitterness take over a person’s heart.
I have seen that hatred rack the body of a believer and send them to an
early grave because of bitterness and malice.
I have seen extreme loneliness the end result of an unforgiving
heart. Closed off from the offender, the
unforgiving become entrapped in the thoughts of their own heart. This leads to misconceptions. As if the whole world doesn’t care about the
injustice that was suffered. Becoming a
recluse, their bitterness doesn’t stop with the offender. It reaches to the uttermost, enveloping all
mankind. I have seen people come to the
church, attempting to worship in a heart of unity. Their definition of unity is not causing a
ruckus. Yet, far from the offender is
their heart. They endure one another’s
company. During fellowships, they are as
far apart as the room allows. They are
cordial, but deep in their heart they wish the other ill will. Joy is robbed from the atmosphere of worship. The church as a whole cannot put their
collective finger in the issue, but they know something just isn’t quite right. This is the device of the devil. I fear he is succeeding.
Let
this sink in real deep. If we are one
with the spirit of unforgiveness, as much as we may think God is ok with it and
He will use us anyway, the truth of the matter is, we are an active tool in the
hands of the devil. We are participating
in a satanic scheme to ruin the work of God because our feeling got hurt. Our pride as opened the door for the
adversary to waltz right in and wreak havoc with the house of God. We are a tool of the devil and no longer a
servant of the most High.
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