What steps can we take to forgive those who "turn against" us?

Setting the Stage: The Lord’s Clear Instruction

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28

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Step 1: Recognize the Call to Love Over Retaliation

• Scripture presents love as an act of obedient will, not a passive emotion (John 13:34).

• Choosing love rejects the cycle of vengeance (Romans 12:19).

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Step 2: Choose Good Actions Toward Those Who Hurt You

• Deliberately look for tangible ways to serve or assist them (Romans 12:20).

• Small, sincere acts—an encouraging note, a helpful favor—undercut bitterness.

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Step 3: Speak Blessing Instead of Bitterness

• “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing” (1 Peter 3:9).

• Blessing with words releases anger lodged in the heart (Proverbs 15:1).

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Step 4: Pray for Their Welfare and Transformation

• Prayer aligns the heart with God’s mercy (Matthew 5:44).

• Name the offender before God, asking Him to work righteousness in both lives.

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Step 5: Remember Christ’s Example

• “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

• Christ forgave amid active hostility, providing the ultimate pattern (1 Peter 2:23).

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Step 6: Rely on the Spirit’s Power, Not Your Own

• Forgiveness is a fruit the Spirit produces (Galatians 5:22-23).

• Confess any inability and invite the Spirit to empower obedience (Philippians 2:13).

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Step 7: Keep Short Accounts and Repeat as Needed

• “Forgive… just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

• Continual offenses may require repeated, conscious forgiveness (Matthew 18:22).

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Step 8: Rest in God’s Justice and Sovereignty

• God alone judges rightly (Romans 12:19).

• Entrusting the matter to Him frees the heart from carrying resentment (Psalm 37:7-9).

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Living It Out This Week

• Identify one concrete good deed for the person who turned against you.

• Speak a blessing over them—aloud or in writing—at least once.

• Set aside focused time daily to pray for them, holding to Luke 6:27-28 as the guide.