Devotional

Some of the strongest battles we fight in the mind come from places of woundedness—a harsh word that was spoken years ago, a betrayal that still stings, a relationship that never mended. Left unresolved, unforgiveness doesn’t just damage our relationships—it becomes a prison in our minds.

Bitterness doesn’t protect you. It poisons you. That’s why Paul writes in Ephesians 4:32 with such urgency and clarity: Be kind. Be tenderhearted. Forgive. Not because the other person deserves it. Not because it’s easy. But because God, in Christ, forgave you.

When we choose to forgive, we’re not excusing sin or pretending it didn’t hurt. We’re making a decision to release the offense to God. We’re saying, “I will not let this wound define my thoughts or steal my peace any longer.”

Forgiveness is not a feeling—it’s a deliberate act of obedience and freedom. When you forgive, you evict bitterness from your thought life. You tear down the strongholds that the enemy builds with resentment, replayed conversations, and unresolved anger.

And when you forgive, you make space—space for healing, space for peace, and space for the love of God to flow freely through you again.

This doesn’t mean you have to forget what happened. But it does mean you’re choosing to trust God with justice and choosing freedom over bondage. Christ’s love didn’t wait for you to be worthy of it. And He calls us to reflect that same love—especially when it’s difficult.

Some of the most powerful victories in the battle of the mind come when we say:

• “I choose love over resentment.”
• “I choose freedom over offense.”
• “I choose to forgive—not because I feel like it, but because Christ forgave me.”