Mat 13:14-15 (NIV) In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s HEART has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have CLOSED their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

THEY have CLOSED their eyes: Jesus, I have had a lot of things hurt my heart. My heart doesn’t like being hurt and has build up defence machanisms to protect itself. Help me understand that each time it gets hurt, it develops a new defence against that TYPE of hurtful procedure. Show me that over the years it has produced hundreds if not thousands of protections that have hardened it against these damaging things. Remove them and give me a new way of protecting my heart.

Mat 6:14-15 (NIV) For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Jesus, teach me that when I expose my heart to events where people hurt me, it puts up a barrier in that area to protect itself. Then when You try to heal that area, my heart won’t let You in. Teach me that forgiving others removes that barrier so You can heal that area of my heart. Make it clear to me that if I refuse to forgive that person, it will keep me from getting God’s forgiveness for all my sins.

Mat 5:23-24 (NIV) Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Jesus, help me understand that I won’t remember all the things people do to hurt me in one period of time. Instead, the Holy Spirit will gradually bring people into my mind that have done hurtful things to me. Show me that at first I won’t understand what to do and what it means when these memories pop up in my mind.

Jesus, when someone hurts me, sometimes I try to hurt them back. Sometimes I spend time thinking about what to say or do to get even with them. Sometimes I immediately retaliate against them and then forgive myself, justify myself, explain why I had to do it, or go to my friends and see if I can get them to tell me it wasn’t my fault. Later when the Holy Spirit reminds me of events like this, help me NOT go through the same process of defending myself. Teach me that He is bringing it to my attention for me to forgive them.

Jesus, help me gradually start to understand that the Holy Spirit is bringing these events into my mind so I can use God’s power-forgiveness to forgive them. Teach me that as I keep coming across memories and use God’s power-forgiveness to forgive each and every one of them, You start healing my heart in these areas.

Depending on the amount of people who have hurt me, help me understand that I may find issues that go all the way back into my childhood. Show me that I may be involved in this process of forgiving people for years after I start. Make it clear to me that the Holy Spirit WON’T flood my life with a bunch of people to forgive. He will just bring them to my attention on a gentle, gradual basis until all have been forgiven. However, help me understand that if I do start experiencing a flood of people to forgive, that is Satan trying to push me into guilt, condemnation, fatigue, and discouragement. Teach me that God is ALWAYS gentle and loving in His procedures.

Luke 17:3-4 (NIV) So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” Jesus, help me understand that after I have started the process of forgiving people in my past, I will find it necessary to bring this forgiveness system into my current life. Make it clear to me that it is vital to pray and ask You to help me forgive them immediately. But, if I don’t, help me forgive them with God’s power-forgiveness as soon as possible. Also teach me that if I have to forgive a person several times, empower me to do it. But, if they are being abusive empower me to GET AWAY FROM THEM!

Jesus, You said in Luke 6:37 (NIV), “Do not JUDGE, and you will not be judged. Do not CONDEMN, and you will not be condemned. FORGIVE, and you will be forgiven. Show me that a lot of the grudges, desires for revenge, and efforts of getting even come from me judging others. Help me see that if I think I know why people do and say things they bring against me, if I CONDEMN them and decide they deserve my feelings, thoughts, words, and deeds against them, it justifies my attitudes and character and they get locking inside me. Empower me to not judge or condemn people; let it open a door for me to get insights into what they are going through; let it help me not judge or condemn them.

John 14:27 (NIV) Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your HEARTS be troubled and do not be afraid. Jesus, make it clear to me that if I am working with a person and they do or say something offensive to me, if I have Your peace in my heart, I will be able to look beyond what the person is saying or doing; keep me from being distracted. Instead of me starting to be distracted by what they did, help me stay on target and bring healing to their heart.

Do not let your HEARTS be troubled and do not be afraid: Jesus, show me that in this verse, You are speaking peace into my heart, which is the seat of my emotions. Teach me how to use this sentence and accept in faith. Let it give me the power to not let my HEART be troubled and not be afraid. Empower me to accept this healing sentence from You; then let me start allowing You to heal every damaged area of my emotions. Let the walls, the defense mechanisms, the judgements against others, my condemnations of others, and my forgiveness all be put in their proper places.

Rom 8:26 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Jesus, teach me that my heart can only communicate with me with feelings. It doesn’t have words; it can’t cry out to God with logic, reasoning, or verbal appeals. So, help me realize that the Holy Spirit, Who is inside me, is coming to its rescue and praying with groans that words cannot express. Show me that since my heavenly Father doesn’t need words, these groanings that words cannot express are completely understood and are addressed as healing in my heart.