MT 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

You see, God has forgiven our many sins, and when we refuse to forgive others, then it puts our forgiveness back in jeopardy and everything gets put on hold. If you want God's blessing on your life then you will have to forgive, there is just no other way. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you whom you still have unforgiveness, bitterness, or resentment toward, and He will be faithful to show you. He has probably already told you before, but maybe you pushed it away because you felt that you had to stay mad at the offender until they apologized to you. We also do not forgive because we are afraid that if we do, then the offender will just come back into our life, take advantage of us again, and hurt us all over again. So we harden our hearts to protect ourselves, and just write that person off until they do what we want them to do to pay for what they did to us.

RO 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

When you forgive, you are placing the judgment and justice for what that person did to you back into the hands of God where it belongs. The offender is not getting away with what they did to you; you are just letting God deal with them, rather than you. God is the only One who has all the facts about what really happened, and He alone knows the true motives of men's hearts. They will face judgment someday just like you will, and if they did not repent for what they did, then they will be punished. Plus, it is ok to keep a boundary between you and them and to not let them back in your life if they have not repented. You are not a spiritual punching bag. When you first meet someone, there is usually a certain level of openness that you allow them in your life and then you walk with them a while. If they abuse that boundary then the boundary gets moved further out, but if they treat you properly with respect, then the boundary gets moved in.

LK 17:3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,' forgive him."

MT 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Usually when you don't forgive and stay bitter and angry, it only hurts you. Plus, many times the offender didn't realize how badly they hurt you, and you can clear up the impasse just by talking to them. No matter what the offender did to you, or to someone you love, God requires us to forgive before He will bless and forgive us, because we have committed and been forgiven by God for many of the same sins that we are not willing to forgive others for. It is hypocritical to expect God to forgive us, when we refuse to forgive others.

MT 18:23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

MT 18:26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. `Be patient with me,' he begged, `and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

MT 18:28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. `Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

MT 18:29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, `Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

MT 18:30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

MT 18:32 "Then the master called the servant in. `You wicked servant,' he said, `I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

MT 18:35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

God isn't playing around with this forgiveness issue my friend, so if you want to get out of the wilderness, then allow the Holy Spirit to show you whom you still carry any unforgiveness toward. It may be your spouse, ex-spouse, parents, children, siblings, a pastor, friend, a church, or someone who abused you as a child. Just remember that as you pray and give that offender’s offense against you over to God that He will deal with it properly at just the right time, and in just the right way. Every time the old bitterness tries to pop into your mind, just tell yourself "I have given their judgment into God's hands, and I no longer carry it"; then pray for the offender that God will bring the blessing of conviction and repentance into their lives. When the books are cleared between you and God, then you will truly be ready to go forward, and all that God has been wanting to give you will be released. This is your day to forgive and to go forward into God’s blessing.

LK 6:41 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

LK 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

MK 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. "