While John the Baptist was in prison, he heard about the many miracles Jesus had performed and sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah to come. Jesus said to them,“Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Luke 7:22-23 NKJV).
From outward appearances, it sounds like Jesus changed the subject, doesn’t it? He started out talking about miracles and ended up warning them about offense.
Actually, Jesus didn’t change the subject at all. He was purposefully warning John - and us - to avoid the pitfalls of offense. Jesus knew that offense would hinder our access to the blessing of God. He didn’t want one of us to miss out on all God has planned — a life that lacks nothing.
We find a perfect example of offense hindering divine blessing when Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth:
He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was astonished and said, “Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers - James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:54-58).
Isn’t it amazing that these people recognized and acknowledged both Jesus’ wisdom and the power to perform miracles that was working through Him - yet they became “deeply offended” simply because they were familiar with Him? Offense worked so forcefully against them that it limited the miracle-working power that flowed through Jesus in city after city throughout the surrounding region. In fact, Jesus was limited to only a few miracles in Nazareth because the people of His hometown “refused” to believe.
What a staggering thought! When we’re offended, we become our own worst enemy because offense is the forerunner to “refusing to believe.” Offense — no matter how big or small — can hinder God’s blessings from flowing freely in our lives. Yet although offense has the power to prevent us from experiencing God’s blessings in our lives, there is a much greater force that paves the road to His blessings and makes them accessible to us. Whereas offense can prevent miracles, this godly force can enable them.
What is this prevailing force? It is nothing less than the power of forgiveness.
Let me give an example from my own life. When my father died, I was just sixteen years old. Only three weeks after his death, I came home from school to meet my mother’s boyfriend — a married man she lived with for the next thirty years. I was already very angry about my father’s death, but this man’s unexpected presence in our home pushed me over the edge. As an unbeliever and a grieving teenager, I made my disdain for this man clearly known. Things in our home went from bad to worse as I expressed my hatred for him and my mother.
As you can imagine, our home was emotionally charged by enormous difficulties that fueled my ill feelings for both my mother and this man I saw as an intruder. But after I became a Christian, the Holy Spirit began His transforming work in my life. My feelings gradually moved beyond my own pain and anger to compassion as my eyes were opened to the guilt, shame, and misery these two people suffered.
Thirty years later when this man was about to die, the Lord revolutionized my thinking through a vision He gave me. I saw both of my hands extended in front of me, cupped together as though they were holding something. After a moment, this man’s heart appeared in my cupped hands. And this is what I heard: “You have the power to crush his heart and allow him to continue suffering the guilt and shame of his sin. Or you can forgive him and release him from the prison of his lifelong bondage.”
Suddenly my eyes were opened to the life this man had lived and the guilt and shame that had isolated and imprisoned him. And I possessed the keys that would open his prison doors and set him free! It was overwhelming to know the degree of authority and power I possessed over another person’s soul. It wasn’t the kind of power that fed my ego or my flesh the way fame, fortune, or influence might do. It was the kind of power that resonates from Heaven. It was the power to influence another human being’s destiny.
With all the wrong that had been done, I could have chosen to allow this man to suffer what I felt he deserved. But as I contemplated that alternative, another revelation hit my heart: Even though I hadn’t deserved to be forgiven, God had forgiven me nonetheless.
Isn’t that the message of the Gospel? Jesus bore the punishment that I deserved. How could I do anything less than what was done for me?
The realization hit me that if I completely forgave this man — holding nothing against him — I would be exercising the power that I had always imagined was reserved for God alone. I held in my hands the divine ability to release the man from his lifelong prison — the guilt of his past, the shame of hidden secrets, and the fear of being exposed and rejected.
This is the very message that Jesus spoke to His disciples after His resurrection. He commissioned them with this message: “‘…As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:22-23 NIV).
Jesus gave the authority to forgive sins to those present at the resurrection - and to us as well. Forgiveness not only frees us to receive the blessing of God personally, but it also releases others from the guilt and torment that sin produces.
Paul used this same authority, “When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).
Don’t be surprised if people get very angry about this scriptural truth. After all, they got angry with Jesus! When a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus to be healed, Jesus told him, “…Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). Once again, Jesus connected the miraculous with forgiveness. The religious leaders who heard this were infuriated with Jesus, accusing Him of blasphemy. In response, Jesus simply replied, “Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’?” (v. 5). Obviously, the answer was that both are equally as miraculous!
Supernatural power is released in our lives when we choose to forgive. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come” (Luke 4:18-19). The same anointing that was on Jesus to release captives is available to each of us as believers. When we forgive those who have wronged us, God’s supernatural power is released to set us free and keep us free - to heal us personally and to heal all our broken relationships. Forgiveness gives us access to Heaven’s unlimited resources.
Power is also released in our lives when we choose not to forgive —either way, supernatural power is released. Unforgiveness, however, gives the kingdom of darkness the power to take us captive and then keep us in bondage.
Unforgiveness is one of the open doors Paul warned about that enables Satan to gain access into our lives. We don’t want to relinquish the power of God to the enemy by refusing to forgive. Anytime we hold something against someone, we give Satan the advantage over us. Holding a grudge is not worth forfeiting the supernatural power of God in our lives.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional habit; it is a permanent attitude. We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” Martin Luther King Jr. had experienced his share of injustices - certainly enough to rationalize harboring unforgiveness; nevertheless, he chose to release every hurt and offense.
The truth is, we’ve all been wronged and hurt at some point in our lives. We’ve all been unjustly accused and called hurtful names. And we’ve all experienced betrayal in one form or the other. That’s why we all need to walk in the supernatural power of forgiveness. We must learn to forgive here on earth so we can experience God’s blessings in this life.
Think about forgiveness from this point of view (author unknown):
The language spoken in Heaven by the angels and the redeemed is the language of forgiveness. It will be the only language spoken there. No other language will be understood. It will be spoken by the seraphim and the cherubim and the whole angelic host as they praise God, the Author of forgiveness and of eternal salvation. It will be spoken by all the redeemed as they greet one another on the banks of the River of Life and gather around the throne of the Lamb and sing their song unto Him who loved them and washed them from their sins. But no one can learn that language after he gets to heaven. It must be learned here upon earth — in this world, and in this life.
If you find this “language of Heaven” somewhat strange, think again. The language of forgiveness was spoken in Heaven before man even existed. With such intense love for the family yet uncreated, our Heavenly Father designed a failsafe plan to ensure that nothing would hinder His blessings from being enjoyed by humanity. The Plan of Redemption - forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus - was thus conceived in the heart of the Father, accomplished by His Son, and now received by whosoever will.
Once you’ve received forgiveness for yourself, you then have the power to forgive others and thus gain access to the supernatural power of God working in your life. Many of the problems you’re struggling with today would turn around if you simply forgave your offenders. You could be set free from guilt, shame, condemnation, fear of rejection, and a sense of worthlessness. And your forgiveness could be the instrument of divine release for those offenders who are trapped in the prison of their own self-made bondage.
Forgiveness is one of the characteristics that transforms you more and more into God’s image. And contrary to what you might believe, forgiveness is not weakness.
As I showed you with the example of the man who had wronged our family, you are never more powerful and strong than when you forgive. In doing so, you’re not conceding that the offender was right or that forgiveness was granted because it was deserved. Rather, you’re saying that you are releasing your offender from the sin that was committed against you and transferring the right to punish that person into the hands of the Lord.
So have you learned the language of forgiveness yet? Remember, it must be learned here upon earth and in this life. It’s the only language spoken in Heaven. No other language will be understood.
*Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures come from the New Living Translation of the Bible.
From outward appearances, it sounds like Jesus changed the subject, doesn’t it? He started out talking about miracles and ended up warning them about offense.
Actually, Jesus didn’t change the subject at all. He was purposefully warning John - and us - to avoid the pitfalls of offense. Jesus knew that offense would hinder our access to the blessing of God. He didn’t want one of us to miss out on all God has planned — a life that lacks nothing.
We find a perfect example of offense hindering divine blessing when Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth:
He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was astonished and said, “Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers - James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:54-58).
Isn’t it amazing that these people recognized and acknowledged both Jesus’ wisdom and the power to perform miracles that was working through Him - yet they became “deeply offended” simply because they were familiar with Him? Offense worked so forcefully against them that it limited the miracle-working power that flowed through Jesus in city after city throughout the surrounding region. In fact, Jesus was limited to only a few miracles in Nazareth because the people of His hometown “refused” to believe.
What a staggering thought! When we’re offended, we become our own worst enemy because offense is the forerunner to “refusing to believe.” Offense — no matter how big or small — can hinder God’s blessings from flowing freely in our lives. Yet although offense has the power to prevent us from experiencing God’s blessings in our lives, there is a much greater force that paves the road to His blessings and makes them accessible to us. Whereas offense can prevent miracles, this godly force can enable them.
What is this prevailing force? It is nothing less than the power of forgiveness.
Let me give an example from my own life. When my father died, I was just sixteen years old. Only three weeks after his death, I came home from school to meet my mother’s boyfriend — a married man she lived with for the next thirty years. I was already very angry about my father’s death, but this man’s unexpected presence in our home pushed me over the edge. As an unbeliever and a grieving teenager, I made my disdain for this man clearly known. Things in our home went from bad to worse as I expressed my hatred for him and my mother.
As you can imagine, our home was emotionally charged by enormous difficulties that fueled my ill feelings for both my mother and this man I saw as an intruder. But after I became a Christian, the Holy Spirit began His transforming work in my life. My feelings gradually moved beyond my own pain and anger to compassion as my eyes were opened to the guilt, shame, and misery these two people suffered.
Thirty years later when this man was about to die, the Lord revolutionized my thinking through a vision He gave me. I saw both of my hands extended in front of me, cupped together as though they were holding something. After a moment, this man’s heart appeared in my cupped hands. And this is what I heard: “You have the power to crush his heart and allow him to continue suffering the guilt and shame of his sin. Or you can forgive him and release him from the prison of his lifelong bondage.”
Suddenly my eyes were opened to the life this man had lived and the guilt and shame that had isolated and imprisoned him. And I possessed the keys that would open his prison doors and set him free! It was overwhelming to know the degree of authority and power I possessed over another person’s soul. It wasn’t the kind of power that fed my ego or my flesh the way fame, fortune, or influence might do. It was the kind of power that resonates from Heaven. It was the power to influence another human being’s destiny.
With all the wrong that had been done, I could have chosen to allow this man to suffer what I felt he deserved. But as I contemplated that alternative, another revelation hit my heart: Even though I hadn’t deserved to be forgiven, God had forgiven me nonetheless.
Isn’t that the message of the Gospel? Jesus bore the punishment that I deserved. How could I do anything less than what was done for me?
The realization hit me that if I completely forgave this man — holding nothing against him — I would be exercising the power that I had always imagined was reserved for God alone. I held in my hands the divine ability to release the man from his lifelong prison — the guilt of his past, the shame of hidden secrets, and the fear of being exposed and rejected.
This is the very message that Jesus spoke to His disciples after His resurrection. He commissioned them with this message: “‘…As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:22-23 NIV).
Jesus gave the authority to forgive sins to those present at the resurrection - and to us as well. Forgiveness not only frees us to receive the blessing of God personally, but it also releases others from the guilt and torment that sin produces.
Paul used this same authority, “When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are very familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).
Don’t be surprised if people get very angry about this scriptural truth. After all, they got angry with Jesus! When a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus to be healed, Jesus told him, “…Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). Once again, Jesus connected the miraculous with forgiveness. The religious leaders who heard this were infuriated with Jesus, accusing Him of blasphemy. In response, Jesus simply replied, “Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’?” (v. 5). Obviously, the answer was that both are equally as miraculous!
Supernatural power is released in our lives when we choose to forgive. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come” (Luke 4:18-19). The same anointing that was on Jesus to release captives is available to each of us as believers. When we forgive those who have wronged us, God’s supernatural power is released to set us free and keep us free - to heal us personally and to heal all our broken relationships. Forgiveness gives us access to Heaven’s unlimited resources.
Power is also released in our lives when we choose not to forgive —either way, supernatural power is released. Unforgiveness, however, gives the kingdom of darkness the power to take us captive and then keep us in bondage.
Unforgiveness is one of the open doors Paul warned about that enables Satan to gain access into our lives. We don’t want to relinquish the power of God to the enemy by refusing to forgive. Anytime we hold something against someone, we give Satan the advantage over us. Holding a grudge is not worth forfeiting the supernatural power of God in our lives.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional habit; it is a permanent attitude. We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” Martin Luther King Jr. had experienced his share of injustices - certainly enough to rationalize harboring unforgiveness; nevertheless, he chose to release every hurt and offense.
The truth is, we’ve all been wronged and hurt at some point in our lives. We’ve all been unjustly accused and called hurtful names. And we’ve all experienced betrayal in one form or the other. That’s why we all need to walk in the supernatural power of forgiveness. We must learn to forgive here on earth so we can experience God’s blessings in this life.
Think about forgiveness from this point of view (author unknown):
The language spoken in Heaven by the angels and the redeemed is the language of forgiveness. It will be the only language spoken there. No other language will be understood. It will be spoken by the seraphim and the cherubim and the whole angelic host as they praise God, the Author of forgiveness and of eternal salvation. It will be spoken by all the redeemed as they greet one another on the banks of the River of Life and gather around the throne of the Lamb and sing their song unto Him who loved them and washed them from their sins. But no one can learn that language after he gets to heaven. It must be learned here upon earth — in this world, and in this life.
If you find this “language of Heaven” somewhat strange, think again. The language of forgiveness was spoken in Heaven before man even existed. With such intense love for the family yet uncreated, our Heavenly Father designed a failsafe plan to ensure that nothing would hinder His blessings from being enjoyed by humanity. The Plan of Redemption - forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus - was thus conceived in the heart of the Father, accomplished by His Son, and now received by whosoever will.
Once you’ve received forgiveness for yourself, you then have the power to forgive others and thus gain access to the supernatural power of God working in your life. Many of the problems you’re struggling with today would turn around if you simply forgave your offenders. You could be set free from guilt, shame, condemnation, fear of rejection, and a sense of worthlessness. And your forgiveness could be the instrument of divine release for those offenders who are trapped in the prison of their own self-made bondage.
Forgiveness is one of the characteristics that transforms you more and more into God’s image. And contrary to what you might believe, forgiveness is not weakness.
As I showed you with the example of the man who had wronged our family, you are never more powerful and strong than when you forgive. In doing so, you’re not conceding that the offender was right or that forgiveness was granted because it was deserved. Rather, you’re saying that you are releasing your offender from the sin that was committed against you and transferring the right to punish that person into the hands of the Lord.
So have you learned the language of forgiveness yet? Remember, it must be learned here upon earth and in this life. It’s the only language spoken in Heaven. No other language will be understood.
*Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures come from the New Living Translation of the Bible.
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Vikki Burke and her husband, Dennis, founded Dennis Burke Ministries more than 46 years ago. Vikki ministers in churches, women’s conferences and seminars with a commitment to see people raised to a higher level of living through the Word of God. Vikki is the author of numerous CDs and books including: Help! It’s Dangerous Out Here, Some Days You Dance and Destiny Held Hostage. Vikki’s daily devotional, Enriching Life Daily, along with other correspondence is personally touching people worldwide.
