Let us continue to follow Gideon's path to see how God changed him from a wimp to a warrior.

"Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD" (Judges 6:1-6).

"Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, 'Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down'" (Judges 6:25,26).

Gideon was a victim of his forefather's idol worship. His people were in bondage and in poverty due to the past 200 - 400 years of idol worship and the generational curse passed down to them.

One of the ways we can pull down idol altars from our past is to exercise forgiveness. The first thing we need to do is to forgive those that put us into these prisons. Without this forgiveness as an act of our will we will remain Prisoners in the Promise Land. If you cannot find forgiveness, then confess that as sin to the Lord and His forgiveness will work through you. You also need to ask to be forgiven for any generational curses that you have perpetuated. Sin is like a seed. The fruit is always greater than the seed. Your forefather's sins become fruit in your life, and so on with your children. You can cut that off with forgiveness, repentance and confession. You can intentionally put the fruit of your sin and that of your ancestors on the Cross, as Jesus has become a curse for you.

Perhaps you have been the victim of sin.

Perhaps you have been abused, physically, emotionally, or even sexually. You may think that no one knows how you feel. Well be sure that at least one person knows how it feels to be abused, and that person is Jesus. He was horribly abused, even sexually abused when He hung naked on the Cross. He bore the entirety of your abuse. There is no reason for you to bear it again.

When we feel like we are not vindicated in some matter, when the truth is not revealed, or when someone who treated you so unjustly looks like the innocent party, it is not easy to let that go. Consider not only your own health and well being by forgiving, but also remember, that eventually everything, every word and deed will come into the light of God's judgment. Rest in the fact that the boss, the only one that matters, God Himself knows the truth, and you will be vindicated one day. "Its not over 'till its over."

You may find it impossible to forgive the person (s) who abused you. Think of this. God is very angry at what happened to you. His wrath is kindled. He is not passive about your abuse. However, God's entire wrath was put on Jesus instead of you. Also, God's entire wrath was put on Jesus instead of the person who hurt you. That is forgiveness, to put God's entire wrath on Jesus instead of your abuser. Do it and you will be set free!

Forgiveness is love and it is God's nature. You are not walking in love if you are not forgiving. You are not expressing God's nature if you don't forgive. You are violating the very nature of the Holy Spirit who resides in your body.

"Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47).

One of the greatest sins is that of harboring unforgiveness. So what is the answer?

Jesus' love and grace and your experience of that love is the answer

Jesus is waiting for you, not to condemn you, but happy to have you come to the Cross to give Him your sin and the sin of those who hurt you. So many Christians run from God in shame and guilt when they discover sin. God's grace is amazing!

When I cannot find forgiveness in my heart, I immediately confess it as sin before God. I do not allow it to find a welcome home in my heart. I know that "death" will result! What is the promise?

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"(I John. 1:9). Forgive means to remove. God will remove your sin like a surgeon removes a cancer, and He will put it on Jesus at the Cross.

Just this week as I was writing this lesson I received a fresh experience from the Lord on this subject. I did indeed confess my sin of unforgiveness towards a person. It was not something that I wanted to hang on to, but rather it was something that was hanging on to me. Within minutes, God's grace and His arm went into action! An honest confrontation occurred and forgiveness flowed from all parties to one another. It was an amazing example, and the Lord was sure on time for the writing of this lesson.

Too often believers hear about forgiveness and come under guilt and condemnation because they do not believe that have attained it, or they feel that it is impossible or too difficult to even strive for. They might feel like they know forgiveness is a command of God, but they do not realize that it is their privilege. They see it as a burden. Actually believers in Jesus are the only ones who can truly forgive due to the fact that without the work of Jesus on the Cross forgiveness is impossible.

Forgiveness resides in you. It is an accomplished work. It is not something that you must work at or strive for. It is part of the finished work of Jesus inside of you through the Holy Spirit. The only thing standing in your way of realizing the benefits is your confession of your inability to do it and confessing that as sin. When you ask for that mercy, not only will you receive mercy but also you will be overtaken, as I was this week, with justification and the actual manifestation of the benefits. The following Scripture in Luke says it well.

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:13,14).

In order to forgive you must be know that you have been forgiven. In order for you to be forgiven, you must have sin in your life. In order to have that sin forgiven by God you must be honest with yourself and Him about your sin. So the first step is transparency and honesty about yourself. Transparency with yourself, with God and with those closest to you is the only road to health and forgiveness.

God's remedy for sin is to come to the Cross, and then come to the Holy of Holies into His presence and let His character flood your character. His holiness will replace your sin and your unforgiveness. This is the only remedy. You cannot do it yourself. It is the displacement method. You cannot just empty out your sin, rather God floods you with His holiness and love and the sin must leave.

Do not be discouraged if you have to do this time and time again. God is not the one who condemns, Satan is. God will take you back as many times as you come. When you stop coming is when He is grieved. Walk out into the light of reality. Drop your self-deceit and face this sin for what it really is. Take sides with God against it. Purpose in your heart never to go back into that sin again.

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103:8-12).

Remember the word for forgive in Greek means to cut away, to remove.

Forgive means to separate. It is the same word used in the New Testament for death. To die is to be separated. To forgive requires cutting the sin away from one and putting on another.

Forgiveness defined: (Greek) APHIEMI- means to remove - to send away, the remission for the punishment due to sinful conduct, the deliverance of the sinner from the penalty.

To forgive is to love. God so loved the world that He gave His son to take away our sins.

To forgive is not an emotional thing nor does it require one to make light of the offense. Forgiveness is surgery. Simply look at the sin of those that have hurt you and agree with Jesus, that He bore that sin and the consequence of that sin for that person, whether they know it or not. If you put their sin on the Cross and allow Jesus to bear it rather than you or that person, you will tie the hands of Satan from tormenting you.

Forgiveness does not mean that you must be back in fellowship with the one you have forgiven. That is not necessarily a sign of forgiveness. You may indeed be called to forgive someone whom God wants you in fellowship with. On the other hand, often I find that those who I need to forgive are not the ones that God wants me close to. We can "love at a distance" which often is the wise thing to do.

Forgiveness turns us from the power of Satan and sets us free to receive all that God has for us, our inheritance. "to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 26:18).

We have the power to release other people, which at the same time will release us.

Matthew 18:18 speaks about forgiveness. "Whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whoever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." You receive what you don't forgive, memories, thoughts, deeds. You will experience those things. This is a law.

Matthew 18:21-22 says "Peter asked Jesus, if my brother sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Seven? Jesus said, no seventy times seven." In other words, no limit.

Jesus warns about forgiveness.

Matthew 18:21-35 :: Amplified Bible (AMP)

21 Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and [1] let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?

22 Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!(1)

23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a human king who wished to settle accounts with his attendants.

24 When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents [probably about $10,000,000],

25 And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made.

26 So the attendant fell on his knees, begging him, Have patience with me and I will pay you everything.

27 And his master's heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [canceling] the debt.

28 But that same attendant, as he went out, found one of his fellow attendants who owed him a hundred denarii [about twenty dollars]; and he caught him by the throat and said, Pay what you owe!

29 So his fellow attendant fell down and begged him earnestly, Give me time, and I will pay you all !

30 But he was unwilling, and he went out and had him put in prison till he should pay the debt.

31 When his fellow attendants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and told everything that had taken place to their master.

32 Then his master called him and said to him, You contemptible and wicked attendant! I forgave and cancelled all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me to.

33 And should you not have had pity and mercy on your fellow attendant, as I had pity and mercy on you?

34 And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (the jailers- see definition (1)), till he should pay all that he owed.

35 So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses.

(1) The definition of torturers (the jailers) according to Strongs Concordance is:

"one who elicits the truth by the use of the rack 1a) an inquisitor, torturer also used of a jailer doubtless because the business of torturing was also assigned to him to test (metals) by the touchstone, which is a black siliceous stone used to test the purity of gold or silver by the colour of the streak produced on it by rubbing it with either metal 2) to question by applying torture 3) to torture 4) to vex with grievous pains (of body or mind), to torment 5) to be harassed, distressed."

Who is your tormentor?

It is our experience that satanic beings torment those people who withhold forgiveness. This is the easiest mode of entry for satanic forces to invade humans. Forgiveness is also the easiest way for humans to cut off their influence! We have seen it work in an amazing "cause and effect" manner. It can be like turning on a light switch and the darkness is gone! Some sicknesses can been healed when forgiveness is exercised.

We always pay the penalty for the sin we do not forgive in others.

My opinion is that the unforgiving attendant paid the penalty for the debt that he would not forgive, the $20. I base that on the fact that he did not receive the penalty due for his original $10,000,000 debt, which was being sold into slavery, but for the $20 debt, which was going to prison and being tormented.

If my assumption is correct, then we should know that we always pay for the sin in others that we will not forgive. We will be tormented with the torment due to them.

You receive what you don't forgive; memories, thoughts, deeds, these you will experience here and/or in eternity. This is a law.

Who do you think you are to not forgive?

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

If, as the Scripture verifies, you have indeed been crucified with Christ, and He now lives in you; then who are you to keep Him from forgiving? Are you restraining Christ in you from displaying His very nature?

His very essence is forgiving. That is who He is! If you do not forgive you are denying Him. It is a very serious matter.

If you find yourself in the position of the "contemptible and wicked attendant," you can get rid of it with I John 1:9 which says "If we confess (agree with God's judgment) our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (take them away from us and put them on Jesus) and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."