Open the Door for a Miracle

By Victoria Osteen, Friday, June 10, 2011

Mark 11:25 in the Amplified version says, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop."

People have a lot of misconceptions about forgiveness. Some people think they can't forgive because it's just "too difficult." The hurt is too deep or the offense is too painful. But in reality, it's more difficult for us when we choose not to forgive. Our bitterness is not hurting the person who offended us; it is only embedding itself into our own hearts and keeping us from God's best. Bitterness and unforgiveness block the flow of God's blessing in your life and actually hinder your prayers. But choosing forgiveness opens the door of your heart and makes way for a miracle in your life.

Many people know that in 1981 my mother-in-law, Dodie Osteen, was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the liver and was told she had only a few weeks to live. No medical treatments for the disease were available at that time, and the doctors told her there was nothing they could do. She and her husband, John, went home after they heard the report, got on their knees and asked God for a miracle. Dodie did everything she knew of in order to be in the position to receive her miracle. Whenever she shares her story, she talks about one of the main keys to receiving God's healing was her willingness to let go of offenses and keep her heart clean through the power of forgiveness. She tells how she wrote letters of forgiveness to people-her husband, children, parents or anyone she could think of that she might have offended or might have offended her. She went the extra mile to make sure her heart was free of any offenses that would have blocked God's healing in her life. It took about a year of standing and fighting through all the symptoms, but she did receive her miracle healing and is still 100 percent cancer free today.

It's important to recognize that forgiveness is more than mere words; it's a heart attitude that induces a spiritual transformation. Sometimes we don't necessarily feel like forgiving, but when we humbly obey God in this area, He will work a miracle in our lives. Forgiveness doesn't mean that what the other person did was right or excusable. It doesn't mean that the incident didn't matter. It simply means that you are trusting God to make up the difference and allowing Him to move you past your hurts and pain into your divine destiny. I've heard it said that forgiveness is setting the prisoner free and then realizing the prisoner was you. You can choose freedom today by choosing forgiveness.

Let me encourage you, if someone has wronged you and you still get that cringing feeling on the inside when you see or think about that person, take it to God and allow Him to keep your heart soft and sensitive. Don't let offense keep you from His best. Instead, choose forgiveness and open the door for a miracle in your life today!