Forgive Us Our Debts: Living Free Through the Power of Forgiveness

Text: Matthew 6:12 – “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

The Freedom Found in Forgiveness

Early in 2025, Pastor Bill Curl of First Baptist Orlando faced something unthinkable. His wife of 65 years was murdered in a home invasion.
Standing in the courtroom, looking directly at his wife’s killer, Pastor Curl didn’t speak words of revenge. Instead, he said,

“We have nothing but forgiveness, love, and hope that one day he’ll come to know Jesus.”

That moment captured the power of Kingdom living. Pastor Curl didn’t excuse the crime. He didn’t erase the pain. He simply refused to stay chained to bitterness.

Unforgiveness is like dragging a heavy chain everywhere you go. It rattles when you rest and bruises when you lie down. But forgiveness—true Kingdom forgiveness—is dropping that chain.

Forgiveness: The Law of the Kingdom

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to say, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
This isn’t just a polite phrase—it’s a Kingdom law.

Matthew 6:14–15 (NASB) says:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”

Forgiveness is not optional—it’s survival in the Kingdom.
To forgive is to breathe in Heaven’s air.
To withhold forgiveness is to suffocate spiritually.

In Greek, the word forgive—aphēmi—means “to send away” or “to release.”
To forgive is literally to release the debt.

Charles Spurgeon once said,

“Unforgiveness is burning the bridge over which you yourself must pass.”

We forgive not because others deserve it, but because we’ve been forgiven first.

Forgiveness Is Freedom

When Jesus hung on the cross, He prayed,

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Stephen echoed the same words while being stoned:

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60)

Paul wrote,

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Forgiveness frees us to finish the mission God gave us. Like a soldier laying down excess weight, forgiveness removes what slows us down.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us.”

Medical studies even confirm what Jesus already taught: unforgiveness raises blood pressure, increases stress hormones, and weakens immunity. Forgiveness brings peace not just to your soul—but to your body.

What Forgiveness Is (and Isn’t)

Many people say, “If I forgive, it means I approve of what they did.”
No—it doesn’t.
Forgiveness doesn’t excuse the act; it releases the hold it has on your heart.

Romans 12:19–21 tells us:

“Do not avenge yourselves… for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine,’ says the Lord…
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Forgiveness is an act of trust. It says, “God, You handle justice while I choose peace.”

Forgiveness in Action

Forgiveness isn’t only a posture—it’s a practice.
Colossians 3:12–14 commands us to “put on compassion, kindness, humility, and patience, forgiving each other as the Lord forgave you.”

David modeled this powerfully.
When King Saul tried to kill him, David found Saul asleep in a cave. He could have taken his life, but he said,

“I will not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:10)

That’s forgiveness in motion—choosing obedience over revenge.

Kenneth E. Hagin said,

“Unforgiveness shuts down our faith, for faith works by love.” (Galatians 5:6)

No love, no faith. No faith, no answers.

A Practical Exercise for Healing

Take a sheet of paper.
Write the name of the person who hurt you and what they did.
Pray over it. Then destroy it—tear it, burn it, nail it to a cross.

That’s symbolic release. It’s tangible faith in action.

Mark 11:25–26 says, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive.”
And Psalm 66:18 warns, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

E.M. Bounds put it this way:

“Unforgiveness blocks prayer. Heaven’s line gets jammed.”

When you forgive, Heaven hears again.

Forgiveness and the Cross

Forgiveness always leads us back to Calvary.
Colossians 2:13–15 declares:

“God canceled the record of debt that was against us… He nailed it to the cross… and disarmed principalities and powers.”

The cross is where mercy triumphed over judgment.
Unforgiveness keeps you in bondage, but the blood of Jesus breaks the chain.

God says in Hebrews 10:17,

“Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

If God has released you, why hold others—or yourself—captive?

Choosing Freedom

Forgiveness doesn’t mean amnesia.
It means you refuse to weaponize the memory.
When you let go, you reclaim your peace and your power.

Forgiveness is the very spirit of the Gospel (Spurgeon).
It is the heartbeat of the Kingdom.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:18,

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

When you loose forgiveness on earth, Heaven moves in agreement.

Final Call — Drop the Chain

Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
You can’t move forward while dragging yesterday’s pain.

Jesus is saying today: Drop the chain.
Release it. Forgive. Walk free.

Lift your hands and pray:

“Lord, today I release every offense.
I choose joy. I choose healing.
Thank You for canceling my debts at the cross.
Help me reflect Your love and live free in Your Kingdom.”

Remember: