The Practice of Forgiving

By Robert F. Cox

Bishop Cox gives compelling reasons why it is important to forgive others. Providing the potential benefits that can be achieved by forgiving.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669862734

Robert F. Cox

Robert currently resides in Hamden, Connecticut and soon he will celebrate twenty five years in ministry for the kingdom of God. He is a father, grandfather and widower who spends most of his time raising his two god sons. In December of 2020 he officially retired from pastoring and continues to perform other duties in ministry. Reverend Cox has self-published seven books in all, According to Your Faith (2021), God, Money & You (2020), When Satan Attacks (2018), Believe in Yourself (2017), What God requires (2017), A Man with a Dilemma (2007), Overcoming Rejection (2006).

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Copyright © 2023 by Robert F. Cox.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 01/13/2023

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Controlling Our Anger

Chapter 2 We Must Forgive

Chapter 3 Forgiving Ourselves

Chapter 4 Forgiving God

Chapter 5 Forgiving Confuses the Devil

Chapter 6 Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 7 Forgiving Helps You to Prosper

Chapter 8 Loves Completes the Process

Conclusion

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to the many Christians that have learned the the power of forgiving. And for those on the journey to forgiving may God grant you the strength along with His wisdom to do so.

INTRODUCTION

I believe that one of the most difficult challenges that a person will ever face in their lifetime is having to forgive someone that has deeply offended or hurt them. Forgiving someone is actually the act of giving another person a pardon for the wrong that they have done to you. Many people are walking around today stressed out, angry and bitter because they are holding on to some form of hurt that they have experienced in their life. Refusing to forgive someone will in time cause that individual to have a life that is often filled with rage, hatred and misery. Before I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, I would hold onto situations where people had offended me. My motto at that time was that I will pay the person back eventually for the wrong that they have done to me. However, after my conversion to Christianity took place I learned that this type of thinking was damaging and detrimental to my life. There are others I am sure of who are thinking this way so let me tell you honestly that you need to change your thought process immediately. Wrong thinking or attitudes will do more destruction to your life than the offense you suffered at the hands of another person. It is not my intent to judge you but to assist in showing you that there are many benefits to forgiving others that have hurt you. Oftentimes we hold on to or refuse to forgive someone but the other person doesn’t know or when they do know they simply do not care. Think about that for a moment we are walking around angry at someone silently suffering trying to get even with them while they could care less. Actually the person we refuse to forgive wins because they continue to be happy enjoying their life while we the grudge holder lose and are stressed out daily. Hopefully you are beginning to see why you need to not only read this book but practice forgiveness in your life. When I first came to Christ, I asked the heavenly Father to forgive me of my sins thankfully He did just that. Now that I am saved I have a duty to forgive others just as I have been forgiven by God the Father. Let me tell you that forgiving someone will not be an easy thing to do but as a follower of Christ, I am required to do so.

Every believer or follower of Christ has a duty to forgive those who have hurt or offended them. I have seen many occasions where believers have been willing to practice forgiveness showing their true character and strength from God. One day I was watching a show on television where a woman went to a prison to meet the man that murdered her son. The man that was convicted of the murder agreed to meet the woman which I thought was strange in and of itself. As these two people sat across from each other talking at one point in the exchange the mother of the murder victim told the other man she forgave him for killing her son. In that moment I realized that this woman understood that in order for her to live and be free she needed to forgive the man who had taken her son’s life. Immediately I thought about the many scriptures and stories in the bible of people forgiving others under the most difficult of circumstances. Another real life story that comes to mind is when tragedy struck as a white man filled with hatred entered a bible study at the AME church in Charleston, South Carolina. Unfortunately this man who was filled with hate decided to murder nine innocent people. Hearing this made my heart ache for the families of the those that were slain on that tragic day. Then at the trial of the shooter I witnessed some of the family members of the victims stand in court declaring that they had forgiven the man who had caused their loved ones deaths. What incredible strength it took for these grieving men and women to decide to forgive rather than to hold a grudge against this man. I was reminded as I watched this event unfold before me that every person must make a choice to forgive. One never knows what situations that they will face in their life nor the extent to which they must forgive in order to continue to live on. Hopefully, I never have to face what these families in Charleston had to deal with or the mother who confronted her son’s killer. Only God knows how I would handle such a situation like that occurring in my life. How does one forgive when they have faced a tragic situation that has inflicted deep emotion pain? The answer I believe comes from seeking God through prayer asking for Him to take the pain from them. That is the only explanation that makes sense because as human beings we are often guided by our emotions. Our emotions will tell us to never forgive that person and to hold a grudge forever. Nevertheless, God will step in if we let Him guide us to let go which will bring healing. God does not want us to carry these burdens because He seeks to help set us free. Forgiveness is not for the one who hurt us it is solely for the one who has been hurt. If we continue to refuse to forgive someone it is like dragging a hundred pound weight around that is chained to your ankle. When you forgive someone you release the weight of that situation from your life. We should never want our lives to be weighed down by anyone or any situation. I must admit that I spent many years of my life dragging the hurt from my past around with me. It did nothing to make my life better in any way. As I look back at that time in my life the only thing it did was to keep me bound from the bright future that I now enjoy. Not forgiving other people will definitely keep you bound. Now I understand why people who have experienced personal tragedy chose to forgive. They do not forget what has occurred in their lives but they also want to live enjoying