When You Pray – First Forgive
Mark 11:25 (NLT) “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Many Christians don’t like to read this scripture or skip over it because there is always someone who has wronged them. Forgiving a person means they have to give up their right to hold on to a grudge or a sense of righteousness over the other person.
Jesus clearly stated that if you don’t forgive others, then God will not forgive you.
- Matthew 6:14 (NLT) “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. “
- Matthew 18:21,22 (NLT) “Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.”
- Colossians 3:13 (NLT) “Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Did you happen to notice that this scripture comes right after Jesus told His disciples that you can pray for anything and that, if you believe you have received it, it will be yours? (Mark 11:24). But your prayers will go higher than your bedroom ceiling if you have unforgiveness in your heart.
Unforgiveness focuses only on yourself and the injustice that happened to you. You could be 100% right, but in God’s eyes, forgiveness is for the undeserving, not those who are good enough to win back your favor. So, being blunt, unforgiveness is sin. And when you have sin in your heart, it severs your relationship with God.
Forgiving others is critically important to your life, your peace of mind, and maintaining an open relationship with God, which enables your prayers to be answered. If you feel like your prayers are not being answered, ask the Lord if there is any unforgiveness in your heart. He will use the Holy Spirit to reveal to you everyone you have unforgiveness towards. Hanging onto unforgiveness either makes you bitter or leads you to believe your own lies about loving everyone. But operating in forgiveness allows you to flow in God’s grace towards others.
Be Blessed!
Ron
Ron Cobbs Ministries © Copyright June 27th, 2026, All Rights Reserved
