God keeps speaking to me about forgiveness, telling me to share this message with you. ‘It is time to forgive and move forward with your life’. Recently I wrote two posts about forgiveness and today my sister sent me a message on forgiveness that seems to tie it altogether. He is speaking to me in the same way He is speaking to you. We have all been hurt, we have all hurt others. We have all been bound by the sin of unforgiveness. 2026 is our year to forgive and move forward.
Please listen to Lysa TerKeurst’s message. She is a renown speaker and many of you have read her books. This may be one of her most profound messages that will free you from unforgiveness if you are still struggling with God’s command to FORGIVE.
I was listening to Gospel/Christian music this morning, and a song titled “I Forgive Me” by Soul Medicine was playing as I jogged. I believe one of the greatest challenges we face is not forgiving others—it is learning to forgive ourselves. We are both our own best friends and our own worst enemies. We are both saved by grace and sinners. God forgives us but in opposition, Satan tirelessly undermines our blessing by introducing doubt.
Biblestudytoold.com
If we doubt and listen to our own negative self-talk we are negating God’s forgiveness. We must learn to master the authority God gave us to silence the voice Satan whispers in our minds. His voice is very convincing, His temptation is seductive to ignore. After we succumb, he accuses us of our wrongdoing and tells us we are shameful. To truly accept God’s grace, we must learn to silence the voices of doubt and shame. We are willing to accept God’s forgiveness but unwilling to forgive ourselves, thus negating God’s forgiveness. As long as we live in this world, we will struggle and fall short, but Christ’s sacrifice has freed us from eternal condemnation. While God’s forgiveness is assured, Satan works relentlessly to sow seeds of doubt. Doubt steals self-acceptance. When we listen to negative self-talk, we risk undermining the grace God has given us. Accepting God’s forgiveness means silencing the voices of shame and regret. If we do not do this, our past mistakes linger, holding us back from moving forward and fully embracing forgiveness.
Biblestudytools.com
God has given us the authority to silence the whispers of the enemy. However, Satan’s voice is persuasive and he continually tries to convince us we are beyond redemption. If we are beyond redemption, forgiving ourselves seems impossible. True acceptance of God’s grace requires us to master these doubts. When we do not forgive ourselves, we keep the memory of our sins alive, nullifying the freedom God offers.
To profoundly move forward, we must forgive ourselves as God forgives us—letting go of shame, silencing doubt, and embracing the new life Christ has made possible.
As true believers, let us embrace the power of forgiveness—not only towards others, but also ourselves. Just as God has graciously forgiven us, we are called to release self-doubt, shame, and regret, and to accept His grace wholeheartedly. This year, I encourage you to make self-forgiveness a priority, allowing God’s love to renew your spirit and guide you toward a future filled with hope and confidence.
I encourage everyone to not only ask for forgiveness from the Lord for our sins but also to forgive others for any harm they may have caused.
Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT:
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, and all kinds of evil behavior. Instead, be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness:
1 John 1:5-9 NIV:
“This is the message we heard from him and declare: God is light; in him there is no darkness. If we claim to have fellowship with him but walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When we consider how God forgives us, we see that forgiveness goes beyond our understanding—it also involves forgetting. God forgives and forgets, and He wants us to do the same. I have been guilty of forgiving and then bringing up the past. I suspect you might have done the same.
True forgiveness means you no longer accusingly mention the past. When you truly forgive, unforgiveness no longer controls you or hampers your spiritual growth. Forgiveness is not only for the one you forgive; it is for your spiritual development.
Let 2026 be a year of intentional forgiveness releasing ourselves from the chains of vindictiveness. In doing so, we move from darkness into light. Our bonds as a family/community are rooted not just in our relationships with each other but also in our relationship with God. Fellowship is not only with God; it is also with family and community.
One of my mother’s famous quotes was, “There’s no time like now.”
Seek God’s forgiveness and forgive others—this process goes hand– in–hand. You cannot expect God’s forgiveness if you have not forgiven others.
Join me, 2026 is our time for restoration and greater spiritual growth. It is ours for the taking, God is waiting.
Many of us, like Paul in the scripture, feel we have a pure heart and do not understand some of the circumstances that exist in our lives because we are assuming a perfect heart cannot result in negative circumstances. The truth is, we have sinned so frequently we no longer consider them, or ever considered them, sins, acts if wrongdoing.
-~ Lisa Blair
None of us are pure at heart. Through the knowledgement of our sinful, or if you prefer – our carnal nature, we possess the ability to justify our wrongs and redress them as right. This is why this scripture is important, because before we can improve, we must learn what is faulty and needs to be eliminated. In asking God to show us what He finds offensive identifies that we can correct what is wrong and be led to an everlasting light life.
In the case of this scripture Paul who has been through a lot, still thinks that he has a pure heart and cannot figure out why so many people were out to destroy him. So, in the scripture he’s appealing to God with an attitude of having a perfect heart, asking God to show him what is in him that has upset so many people because it certainly is not true.
However, the only pure at heart is Jesus who took our sins and died for them. This is why we need to do internal searching on a daily basis and ask for God’s help to identify those things that we seem to be blind to, and operate under every day.
I am certain that Paul was truly shocked and disturbed when the Lord showed him his cardinal experiences in life. We cannot and should not be shocked because we know our carnal experiences, we know those things we do that are wrong and maybe reprehensible, we know the things that we do and don’t tell anyone thus living in the shadows, we know the difference between right and wrong and choose often wrong over right because it provides greater immediate satisfaction.
I encourage everyone to read the scripture and begin asking yourself frequently, or daily, what are the things that should be peeled from our, yes our offensive, personality and behavior to help us become obedient to God.’s Word.
All too often we understand the term mercy and assume that we apply it in our lives. But having mercy and being merciful are two different things, one is a descriptor or a noun, the other an adjective, the way in which we apply mercy.
~ Lisa Blair
Mercy and Merciful Defined
Mercy according to Easton’s Bible Dictionary (free app) defines mercy as: compassion for the miserable. It’s object is misery. By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the son of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness. In Christ mercy and truth met together. Mercy is also a Christian grace.
Merciful is the act of expressing mercy, according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. This is accomplished through the act of compassion, and tenderness. When you are merciful you become predisposed to forgive offenses, and are unwilling to allow the human, get-back nature to thrive. In short, you become unwilling to retaliate and instead forgive. When we are merciful and forgive as Christ forgave, it frees you from the restrictions of hate, anger, and fear.
We can learn from the stories and characters in the Bible.
~ Lisa Blair
Bible stories share the pathway to Christ. Each person in the Bible experiences challenges in life. The stories teach us how we can tether ourselves to God. This year I am studying the Book of Genesis. Throughout this Book we see the trajectory of Abrahams descendants that led to the life of Christ and our salvation. Abraham, Issac, and Jacob’s lives reflect our experiences today. Each experienced a personal relationship with God, yet each stumbled time and time again in their humanness. God’s promises thrived despite their sin. Each persons bond grew stronger as they experienced how much God loved them, and never forsake them; they learned to forgive others as well as themselves.
I am sharing scriptures that will emphasize how we can rely on the Lord despite our weakens. He commands us to forgive. Have you forgiven yourself, what about others? Genesis 45-47 shows how Jacob and Joseph grew to understand how God loves us, leads us, and directs us to forgive and reconcile with others.
Colossians 3:13 NKJV
“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”
Colossians 3:14 NKJV
“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Isaiah 41:10 NJKV
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
Psalm 23 NJKV
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Psalm 27-14 NKJV
“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”
Psalm 42:8 NJKV
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”
1Peter 1:3-5 NLT
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”
ENJOY reading these scriptures. Recommendation – memorize them to help guide your path.
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 