PRIDE THAT REFUSES TO FORGIVE
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:24-25).
What Jesus is saying is, “The great hindrance to having faith in God is pride, the pride that refuses to forgive (an inflated sense of one’s personal status or accomplishments).
*You have the power to have that removed if, when you stand and pray, you will forgive those who have offended you.” Because the only thing that stops us from forgiving one another is pride.
We feel justified in wanting others to forgive us but also in feeling that we have to exact a price for the hurt they have caused us. So, in many ways—subtle, or direct and open—we insist that we will not forgive, that our offenders have to pay for what they have done to us. Somehow, we are going to make them crawl, make them beg or plead for forgiveness.
“And that,” Jesus says, “is a great mountain that needs to be removed, for it is blocking the flow of the life of God to your faith.” So when you stand and pray, life will flow from God when you are able to recognize that you, too, need forgiveness. God has forgiven you. God has offered it freely to you; give it just as freely to the one who has offended you.
The one thing above all else that seems to block the flow of the life of God to an individual, to a church, or to a nation, is:
this unwillingness to forgive, this holding of grudges,
this desire to put somebody down in order to feel good yourself,
this unwillingness to set these things aside and let God heal all the hurts of life.
The Lord brings us through a time of testing and adjustments. There are corrections to be made to our path of life, and those corrections will begin to bear fruit as soon as we let go of the things that have been a distraction and a hindrance to our progression. You will now be able to see with greater clarity and understanding, as you walk in the Spirit.
Proverbs 10:17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.
Father, how many times I have refused the forgiving word, the restoring act, only to be tormented by fears and anxieties and worries. Thank You for the forgiveness that is mine in Jesus Christ. Teach me to extend it to those around me. Take my pride from me! Amen
Robert Bagne is the founder and president of The Hope Connection Ministry. A gifted Bible teacher and strategist, Robert is also the co-author and coach of Moving Forward: A Vision Without Action Is Only a Delusion. Robert has a professional background in recovery ministry leadership. He currently serves with missions in Ukraine and leads the Elk River Sober Home Discipleship Program, equipping men for successful re-entry into society through faith-based guidance and accountability.
Alongside his wife, Laura, Robert writes daily devotionals, leads addiction recovery support groups, offers spiritual coaching, conducts interventions, and mentors pastors and missionaries around the world. The Bagnes reside in Ramsey, Minnesota, fully trusting God to provide as they faithfully walk in obedience to His calling.
Image by Robert Bagne
Well stated !! We must overcome pride to attain the humility and divine love necessary for true forgiveness and spiritual progress. No wrong is forgiven until it is forgotten. This means that forgiveness requires the complete wiping out of the offense from one’s thought, which cannot happen if pride keeps the resentment “chronic and incurable”.
Your friend – His servant,
Isaac Otieno