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Contrary to popular opinion, forgiveness is innate and unforgiveness is learned from our environment, says T.D. Jakes, pastor of the 30,000-member The Potter’s House in Dallas and New York Times bestselling author.

“We develop our propensity to forgive or not to forgive by what we see illustrated at the early ages of our development. We don’t come here unforgiving. Children are not unforgiving. You can punish them and they will hug you in a few minutes,” said Jakes to The Christian Post in an interview. “They can have an altercation with another child and want to go outside and play by lunch time.

“We don’t come here pre-wired to bear this kind of acrimonious type of lifestyle. We don’t come here like that. We come here with a certain propensity to be open, loving, accepting, and trusting. We learn to be unforgiving, doubtful, suspicious, guilt-ridden, and anxious.”

Jakes, whose latest book titled Let It Go: Forgive So You Can Be Forgiven goes on sale March 27, says that since people learn how to be unforgiving, they can also unlearn the behavior. They can start by applying the biblical principle of “resisting the enemy and he will flee from you” to unforgiveness. When people feel the urge to go against someone, then they should try to go the opposite direction of the emotion.

“You don’t want to be controlled by those feelings, and you make those feelings submit,” said the popular charismatic leader. “See, we are commanded to forgive [but] we are not commanded to trust. We wouldn’t be commanded to do something we can’t do.”

Especially for Christians, who pray the Lord’s Prayer (“forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”), the act of forgiveness is of utmost importance because it is connected to God’s forgiveness of people’s sins. Click here to read more.

SOURCE: Christian Post
Michelle A. Vu

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