Fast Day 9
Fast Day 9 - January 19
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” — Matthew 6:14-15
At the end of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. We have freely received love and forgiveness from the Father, and so we freely extend forgiveness to others. The word forgive literally means “to give completely.” In forgiving someone else, we are completely giving up our right to get even and laying down our weapons of anger, vengeance, and retaliation.
Forgiveness is rarely easy. But thankfully, we can draw power and strength from the Holy Spirit! I recently experienced this in my life. I had been struggling to forgive someone who had hurt me. I had said the words “I forgive” and even prayed for this person, but the bitterness in me was deep. One day, I was asking the Lord what He wanted to say to me about this pain. The Holy Spirit spoke very clearly and showed me that the Lord was using this hurt to work things in me that could not be accomplished any other way. In that moment, I experienced the “completeness” of forgiveness. It was like the Lord had reached inside of me and pulled up that bitter root completely. Hallelujah!
I want to encourage you to freely receive the Father’s love and forgiveness today and to freely give the same forgiveness to others.
Father, we take this moment to receive your love today. Thank you for giving us everything that we need for life and godliness. Help us as we consider those who have sinned against us. Empower us to freely give forgiveness just as we have freely received forgiveness from you. In Jesus’ holy and powerful name, amen.
Dan Kirk
Missionary in Clarkston, GA
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” — Matthew 6:14-15
At the end of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. We have freely received love and forgiveness from the Father, and so we freely extend forgiveness to others. The word forgive literally means “to give completely.” In forgiving someone else, we are completely giving up our right to get even and laying down our weapons of anger, vengeance, and retaliation.
Forgiveness is rarely easy. But thankfully, we can draw power and strength from the Holy Spirit! I recently experienced this in my life. I had been struggling to forgive someone who had hurt me. I had said the words “I forgive” and even prayed for this person, but the bitterness in me was deep. One day, I was asking the Lord what He wanted to say to me about this pain. The Holy Spirit spoke very clearly and showed me that the Lord was using this hurt to work things in me that could not be accomplished any other way. In that moment, I experienced the “completeness” of forgiveness. It was like the Lord had reached inside of me and pulled up that bitter root completely. Hallelujah!
I want to encourage you to freely receive the Father’s love and forgiveness today and to freely give the same forgiveness to others.
Father, we take this moment to receive your love today. Thank you for giving us everything that we need for life and godliness. Help us as we consider those who have sinned against us. Empower us to freely give forgiveness just as we have freely received forgiveness from you. In Jesus’ holy and powerful name, amen.
Dan Kirk
Missionary in Clarkston, GA
Posted in 2026 Breakthrough Fast
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