How many of us have ever had someone stab us in the back? A family member? A friend? A coworker? Another Christian Or even a complete stranger? And how did we feel when they very first did so?

Our first reaction was likely shock and anger, followed by a sense of hurt, resentment & disillusionment. In our younger day, we might’ve thought of *revenge tactics* to get back at them. But in our older day, we slowly come to realize that two wrongs don’t make a right and also that there’s usually something going on with a person psychologically or emotionally if they hurt someone like that.

But you got to realize something. Nine times out of ten, it’s not ABOUT you. It’s really about them and their character. Many people who feel insecure in their own lives will go about trying to put down other people trying to make themselves feel better. But that doesn’t mean you have to partake in their drama. No. You can be better than that. On the other hand, we should never TOLERATE repeated bad behavior from others. There’s a difference between forgiving someone and getting out of a bad situation. We must take the necessary steps to block their access to continue harming us. We also must respond according to God's Word. 

When Jesus Christ died on the cross for forgiveness of mankind’s sins, he KNEW how humans would be like after that. He knew the future that would encapsulate the “culture” surrounding the passage of Matthew 24:12-13: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Just like he KNEW that many people, in the End of Days, would stab each other in the back and constantly try to “one up” one another (either for the pure revenge of it or just for the mere “fun” of it). 

And though there is the popular saying “don’t get mad, get EVEN”, Jesus Christ would likely say to each of us something along the lines of: “I understand if you’re mad/hurt about this but don’t let your anger get the best of you and do NOT get even”. The Lord God said in the bible in Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” In other words, if we HATE someone that hurt us,  or go out of our way to try to hurt THEM, the only person we’re hurting is ourselves. It takes SO much time and mental energy to HATE someone. But it takes very little time and energy to try to forgive someone. Afterall, we’re all human, we ALL make mistakes. And besides, that person might not have realized they’ve hurt us. And if they hurt us *intentionally*, well, then it’s really themselves that they’re hurting. Cause no true person in their RIGHT MIND would have to go to such great lengths to hurt someone unless they themselves were hurting from within.

Though some people that LIKE to “one up” people seem to feel pretty good about themselves from the onset. But lets face it. No truly CONFIDENT person would have to hurt someone in order to prove their worth. For if they were TRULY confident in themselves, they wouldn’t HAVE to prove anything. Because they’d technically already KNOW their self-worth, without having to prove or justify it.

Proverbs 20:22 says: “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee”

Plus the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. “So what does THAT mean?”, you may ask yourselves. It means that if WE want to be forgiven by Jesus Christ for all the wrong things that WE ourselves have ever said or done throughout our lifetime, that WE must forgive OTHERS that have said or done wrong/hurtful things towards US.

And yes, that’s easier said than done. But the good thing about the Lord Jesus Christ is that he will ALWAYS answer a sincere prayer. If there’s someone in your life who has majorly hurt you and you’re having trouble forgiving that person, then take it to Jesus. Pray to him “Lord, I’m still very hurt and angry over this person who has hurt me. Please help me with forgiving this person as I am still struggling with that. I don’t WANT to hate this person or be mad at them anymore. Please help me Lord. Amen” and the Lord will help you forgive that person. And once you truly forgive a person and are able to move on with your life, it is the most peaceful, happiest feeling in the world. It’s like the Lord Jesus Christ has set your soul free from the *sinful bondage* of hate/resentment/anger.

Note: EVEN IF somebody has already passed on or you’ve lost contact with that person, you can STILL forgive that person or those people and be released from the sinful bond of anger/resentment/hatred. Just pray: “Lord, I know it’s too late at this point to have an Earthly reconciliation with this person, but please cleanse my heart and mind and allow me to fully forgive this person. Thank-you, Lord. Amen”. 

And if it’s a case where you just can’t seem to forgive this person, no matter WHAT you do, (be they dead/lost contact with or alive), pray the following prayer : “Lord, this person has done SO much to hurt me, I’m STILL angry, hurt, disillusioned, scared. I don’t know if I can ever forgive this person or not, on my own. Please heal me and cleanse me from within so that I can someday forgive this person with no sinful burden of anger in my heart. I don’t WANT to hate anymore! Please help me get rid of the hate in my heart so that I can forgive this person. Amen”. And pray and believe the prayer with ALL your heart, ALL your soul and ALL your mind and the Lord Jesus WILL help you forgive that person/people! 

Someone once shared that a family member had hurt them and passed away before they had reconciled. They chose to write a letter and went to the gravesite of the person and prayed and then read the letter to them and even folded the letter and used their finger to push it into the ground. This helped them to let go of the feeling they had held. See, cause if you CONTINUE to hate someone for hurting you without forgiving them the hate and resentment will just eat AWAY at you, night and day. Sooner or later, you could start to hate others. You could become extremely pessimistic and bitter toward others and have difficulty in finding  joy. 

But if you can learn to forgive someone for hurting you (with the Lord Jesus’s divine help, of course), then your soul will be SET FREE from all that *negative energy* trying to weigh you down. You will feel relaxed, as if a HUGE weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You will feel content and free and joyous in the Lord and joyous in your life. Your spirit will feel *spiritually revived*.

Sometimes people are depressed and have problems in their life. So they subconsciously try to hurt others to try to make themselves feel better. Yet, others are sometimes jealous of what others have and what they feel they do NOT have. Those things are not necessarily material but are often the happiness, peace and love that someone has, that they  resent. But regardless the reason, NEVER let it get to you! Not only does Jesus Christ say we must FORGIVE the people that hurt us in our lifetime but we must also PRAY for them. We must pray that satan will lose his grip on their souls and that the Lord will open up their eyes and make them see what they are doing and why it is wrong.

But no matter the situation, one thing is clear. Jesus Christ hears ALL the prayers of his saved and faithful. The sooner you forgive people in your life, and the sooner you become restored to the peace you can only get from Jesus Christ, the better. Let us  pray for all the souls that read this and pray that each soul that reads this is given peace if they’ve been hurt by someone and that all come to Jesus Christ to make their heart right with Him if needed. If they are not saved by Him that they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ before it’s too late. Amen