D .L. Moody said, “Those who say they will forgive but can’t forget, bury the hatchet, but they leave the handle out for immediate use.”

Have you ever noticed that when we get upset about something, we begin hashing up all these things that have happened in the past? Things we thought were long forgiven and forgotten suddenly flood our minds and stir up feelings of anger and bitterness. Before we know it, our enemy has us ensnared in a web of frustration and unforgiveness!

The same is true when we experience failure in our day-to-day lives. The devil knows how to bring up all the memories of past failures which make it exceedingly difficult for us to forgive ourselves and get free.

Satan would love nothing more than to keep us bound up in unforgiveness, to bring up those bad memories and torment us with them. He knows how successfully these things keep us from moving forward for the Lord. But we need to recognize his tactics and loose ourselves!

When we repent and confess the Lord truly forgives us. Our sins are cast as far as the East is from the West. He removes them from His record loving us with a love undeserved. We need to do the same for ourselves, our loved ones, and even our worst enemies.

The Lord wants us to get free so that we can help others get free. We can’t help anyone else when we’re all bound up ourselves! Let’s cast our painful memories onto the cross and ask Him to help us truly forgive and forget.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

–by George Whitten of Worthy Ministries