More On Getting Your Prayers Answered

Forgive today, live in peace tomorrow. Forgiveness; one of the many hardships we encounter throughout life. As Marianne Williamson, an American author, stated, “Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.” Forgiveness leads to peace because it lets go of all the negative feelings and allows freedom from disturbance to take place.

It is also vital to look at Wilson’s view on the practice of forgiveness and how if an individual decides to ignore it, it can place a road block in their process of change. She believes that God speaks about forgiveness for the following reasons:” (1) we are all sinners with whom to relate so we’ll need to become skillful forgivers (2) God makes forgiveness a centerpiece of our healing process because living in un-forgiveness is so much worse (Wilson, 2001).

The bible teaches Christians to forgive in order to receive forgiveness. People often retaliate for wrongs suffered by not forgiving. However, researchers are discovering that not forgiveness can lead to health problems.

Prayer is an essential to any kind of religious faith. Over the years and years of believing in a higher power,

Our God forgives our daily sins for he knows that we are imperfect. Yearningly, I hope my children to imitate this Godly quality and “forgive one another freely”, thus building strength in their faith in their relationships, whether it is with God, their spouse, or their friends. All of my relationships are present today due to forgiveness. Optimistically, I wait to teach my children to resemble forgiveness so they will cultivate strength and be unmovable with their faith. When people witness my future offspring and I demonstrate these acts of forgiveness, kindness will continue and flourish in the family, community, and hopefully the world.

While numerous teachings Jesus conveyed were challenging, many people believe his call for forgiveness to be extremely difficult to practice. It is not easy to pardon, or even love someone who has betrayed us. These sins people commit against can leave behind scars, and it can take a long time in order for our pain to be healed (Saint Mary’s Bible,1456). Moreover, when we have been wronged, it might be tempting to seek revenge against on the person who has done us wrong, to make him or her hurt as we have been. Additionally, if we do not seek vengeance, we might hold onto feelings directed against that person and well into the future. After we have been wounded in a specific way it is difficult to let our guard down and be vulnerable again

In the book Immaculée explains the importance of forgiveness and what it does for you. Forgiveness is about you and the key aspect to understanding forgiveness is understanding yourself and knowing your limitations. Immaculée goes into more detail about what forgiveness meant to her when she describes her relationship with God. Through the Holy Father, she truly discovers forgiveness. In Left to Tell, Immaculée states. “In God’s eyes the

“Those who use forgiveness in counseling because it helps people feel better often acknowledge the religious meaning of forgiveness” (McMinn, pg.

The act of forgiveness may appear to be a simple task. Well, it is not.

As Christians, we are told that “You can get anything—anything you ask for in prayer—if you believe” (Matthew 21:22 LB). Shouldn’t we encourage our

The cornerstone of the Christian faith is that of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an area in our lives that many of us can struggle with simply because we have to overcome our own pain and suffering that another person has inflicted on us. It also may be believes by many that forgiveness is to forget or condone the person for what they did but, according to the article, “To forgive is to offer mercy to someone who has acted unjustly and then be able to look at the person who violated us and give them mercy.”(Enright & Magnusin, 2008, p. 114)

Christopher Raines, I appreciate your emphasis upon prayer. It is something I myself often emphasize while talking with others and think it is a critical aspect of the Christian’s life, both leader and follower. I often see posts on Facebook and hear people saying things like “I’ll pray for you” or “I’m praying”, and while I appreciate the sentiment it is often only that, a sentiment. Saying “I’ll pray for you” has, for many, become just a nice though, what they are really saying is “I’m thinking about you” but prayer is much more than sentiment.

“Cause we all make mistakes sometimes and we’ve all stepped across that line” (Toby Mac, 2012). What is asked for by many when a mistake has been made? This would be forgiveness. Toby Mac, a Christian hip hop recording artist sings about the burden of carrying around sin and how hard it is to ask for forgiveness and to forgive. Some people forgive more easily than others and often depending on the situation, forgiveness may take time. In a world full of temptation even Christians make mistakes. In his song “Forgiveness (feat. Lecrae)”, the lyrics: My heart’s been broken and my wounds been open - And I don’t know if I can hear I’m sorry been spoken - But those forgiving much should be quicker to give it - And God forgave me for it all, Jesus bled – Forgiveness - So when the stones fly and they aimed at you - Just say forgive them, Father, they know not what they do (verse 2, Lecrae).

That's why it's so important to value forgiveness towards others and towards ourselves. It helps us stay present and move forward without baggage that keeps us in a state of negativity. If kids can carry over the importance of forgiveness into their teens and adult life, they will live a much easier and more rewarding life.

Having been a Christian for many years I thought that I had a fair knowledge of what it meant to pray. I was amazed and humbled by the idea that through Jesus’ restorative act on the cross I am able to come into God’s presence - and not only come but be welcomed and even longed for. I believed that prayer is a powerful tool to petition God , a vehicle to praise Him , and an instrument to increase our intimacy with Him . I understood that people pray in a variety of ways, based on the teaching they have received, their experience, and even their personality. Most commonly, I engaged in prayer as a conversation with God.