In this world, we say 🤷‍♀️”nobody is perfect”. It is commonplace for someone to hurt 😔you at least once a day.

Apart from strangers, these are the people that will regularly hurt you:

1. Your spouse
2. Your in-law(s)
3. Your boss or colleague or business partner
4. Your neighbor
5. Your friend
6. Your brother or sister at church
ETC

Even if you decide to go and live alone on a 🌌mountain, you will soon get offended at someone, maybe the government or even God.

If Jesus could be betrayed by Peter, how much more you.

As you grow in fulfilling purpose, *pleeeeeenty* trusted people will hurt you.

You must become skilled at forgiving people. 😎You must gain mastery over bitterness so that no weight will be able to slow you down🥵 and so that you can run 🏃🏽‍♀️🏃‍♂️with God’s vision for your life. God will help us in Jesus name.

When Cain was seething with bitterness (the product of unforgiveness) towards Abel, God told Cain in Genesis 4:7 that, *“sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it”* GNB.

The bible describes bitterness as a poison (Acts 8:23). Unforgiveness is the root of bitterness referred to in Hebrews 12:15. God says we must overcome it. The bible says, we must not let it trouble us, that we must forgive as Christ forgave us (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32).

I know we are all good people. Many times we find that its not that we purposely don’t want to forgive someone that hurt us. It is that we are struggling.

You wish you could forgive and forget. You have even prayed to God to take away the hurt. But anytime you see the person that hurt you, those wounds open afresh, and there is pain in your heart.

SO WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN SOMEONE HAS HURT ME?

*ANSWER: Let the person know (Matthew 18:15)*

Once someone has hurt you, this is what Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior said you should do:

_*“Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”*_

Satan tries to trick us into thinking that if we somehow keep our hurts to ourselves, we are being well-mannered and holy. That we are being enduring. *Please do not try that with unforgiveness.*

Why?

❗1. Because bitterness defiles you (Hebrews 12:15) i.e. is a sin on your record

❗2. Because Satan takes advantage of you (2 Corinthians 2:10-11) i.e. can gain access into your life to steal, kill and destroy

❗3. Because God will not forgive your sins (Mark 11:25-26). Check your bible. Jesus (not me) clearly said this

This issue of bitterness and unforgiveness is such a serious issue that Jesus said in Matthew 5:24 that your gift (prayer) is meaningless if you offer it with unforgiveness in your heart.

The writer of Hebrews in 12:14 says we are to *PURSUE* peace with all men. That means, do not wait for the person to come to you first. Go 🏃🏽‍♀️🏃‍♂️and look for the person that hurt you and reconcile.

Perhaps they 🤷‍♀️do not even know they have offended you.

May God give us grace and wisdom as we make up our minds to seek healing from every hurt in our hearts and reconciliation with everyone we are not in good terms with, in Jesus name, Amen.🙏