Forgiveness

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Forgiveness is one of those things that we are encouraged to ask God for again, and again, and again. It appears in the Lord’s prayer – “forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us” (Matt. 6:12, Luke 11:4). And God is always willing to forgive us. But there is one condition: we must confess our sins to Him.
In confessing our sins, we acknowledge that we are in the wrong. Confession requires us to humble ourselves, and it is this attitude that God is looking for.
It’s the same when we seek forgiveness from other people, or when they seek it from us. When someone does something wrong against us, we are to forgive them in our heart, so that when they come to us and acknowledge that what they did was wrong, we can instantly extend forgiveness to them. Forgiveness means to not hold that sin against them, to use as ammunition later. I’m not saying this is easy – most of us are prone to holding grudges. But we need to let the hurt go, otherwise we are only harming ourselves.
Having said that, we are under no obligation to offer forgiveness to someone who hasn’t asked us for it. In some cases it is unwise to do this, as it gives the person a false impression that they can use you as a doormat (if they feel no guilt about what they did to you). God does not forgive until there is first a confession. But when there is confession – even if it’s non-specific, so long as it’s genuine – He will readily forgive. Ask the Holy Spirit today to help identify those sins in your life you need to confess and have forgiven. God promises that He will forgive your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.