Joel Osteen Devotional April 11 2021 – Forgive

Ephesians 4:32, NIV

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

It takes a lot of emotional energy to hold a grudge, to live with unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, jealousy, and guilt. When you’re always thinking about what someone did, reliving how wrong it was, you wake up and it’s on the forefront of your mind. You spend emotional energy that you need for your dreams, for your career, and for your relationships. You won’t become all you were created to be if you’re wasting emotional energy on things that don’t matter. Unforgiveness is an impurity, a toxin that contaminates our life. It’s like an infection inside that is slowing us down. If you have it, release it through forgiveness, as Jesus forgave us. When you let it go, you’ll not only feel a new freedom, not only have more energy, but God will be your vindicator. He will make your wrongs right. You don’t have to pay people back. You’re not the judge; God is. If you leave it to Him, He’ll vindicate you better than you can vindicate yourself.

Father, thank You for forgiving me of all my sins and mistakes and setting me free. I invite You to search my heart and mind. I choose to let go of any anger, hurt, and bitterness, and to forgive. I will not let the toxin of unforgiveness contaminate my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.