How to Pray (Part 6 of 9)

…Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…

Scriptures:

Matthew 6:9-12

“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

1 John 1:6-10_KJV

 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Colossians 3:13_KJV

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

In this portion of the Lord’s model prayer, Christ is teaching us how to maintain a close fellowship with the Father, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Every day we transgress and every day we fall short. Even on our best days, there is no escaping sin. We cannot get away from the fallen nature of our flesh. How many times have you thought more highly of yourself and fallen into pride? How often do you complain under a trial? How often do you covet something that is not yours to have or think perverse or murderous thoughts? When is the last time you’ve gossiped or watered a root of jealousy? The truth is that the ability and desire to sin doesn’t go away when you become a Christian. What goes away once you have been saved is that the penalty of your sin has been removed by Christ. We are saved from the wrath to come and sins grip on our lives. We are now free to choose righteousness, whereas before salvation our will was a slave to sin. It is only by the Holy Spirits indwelling presence within the heart of every born again believer that we are not on a path of destruction. Just think of what your life would be like if you were allowed to act on every wicked thought that came into your mind during the course of a day. A prayer of repentance should be said daily. We should never compare ourselves to other people, but should only compare ourselves to Christ and His Word. It is easy to find someone on this fallen earth that you are doing better than. As you grow closer to Christ the paradoxes of the more that you know the less you know, the more holiness you have the more sinful that you are, the more love you have, the more there is to love will become more and more true the longer you walk with Christ. Like Paul you may find yourself saying, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24).

Practical Steps:

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, remember God is All Knowing and Everywhere Present. He knows our thoughts, He knows our sinful imaginations, yet He is patient towards us. He is slow to anger and He loves us. He loves us so much that He will rebuke, convict and draw us to walk closer to Him. Let us never allow the sun to go down on our anger. Let us be those who model our Savior by forgiving others who sin against us (read “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant” Matthew 18:21-35). If someone sins against you, choose to forgive and ask God to convict them and draw them to Himself for His forgiveness. When you do this, it helps you to walk in freedom and close fellowship with God. Don’t be those who harbor a seed of unforgiveness toward others. Brothers and Sisters let us desire to please God every moment of our lives. If Christ teaches us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive those who sin against us, don’t harden your heart. He knows best. He knows what such a seed can do to you over time. He knows that if you hold onto it you will in turn sin more, thus affecting your fellowship with Him. If you have been hurt deeply by someone here on this earth, choose to forgive. God is the judge and He will bring justice where justice is due. Your focus should always be to maintain a right relationship with God by asking for forgiveness for yourself and to forgive others. Does this mean reconciliation between you and that person is always possible? Of course not, your responsibility is to forgive them just as Christ has forgiven you of your sins. Just as we sin every day, it may be that you need to forgive that person every day. Remember Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”