Are You Living in Torment?
By Tom Shanklin
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:34-35, KJV).
Are you living in torment because of unforgiveness in your heart? It’s time to get free and let go of the animosity and hatred that is tearing you up inside.
In response to Peter’s question about how often he should forgive his brother, Jesus told him to forgive him not seven times but seven times seventy. He then told the story of a certain king who forgave a man a huge debt.
The man who had been forgiven this great debt then went out and demanded that someone who owed him a much smaller debt pay up immediately. The man fell to his knees and begged for the man to have patience and he would pay the entire amount. But rather than forgive him, the man had his debtor thrown into prison until the debt was paid.
This is a picture of our relationship with our heavenly Father and the great debt He has forgiven us. He has taken all our sins and buried them in the depths of the sea. In fact, a great price (the blood of Jesus) has been paid so we could be forgiven. We have all sinned against God, and yet Jesus paid the price for our total forgiveness.
We often don’t realize it, but when we fail to forgive others, we are committing a great offense. We need to recognize God’s overwhelming mercy in forgiving us. We, who have been forgiven, ought to forgive!
When the king heard about the actions of a man he had forgiven, he was angry and turned him over to the tormentors until he paid his full debt. Since this debt would be impossible to pay, we can assume that this man lived the rest of his life in torment.
The Greek word translated tormentors means “one who elicits truth by use of the rack.” The rack was a torture device in which the victim was laid and his body stretched by ropes until the joints were pulled apart.
This is a picture of the inevitable result of living in unforgiveness. The benefits of our salvation become ineffective. We lose our peace, and we begin to live in torment.
Perhaps the person who hurt you in some way is oblivious to the pain they have caused, but you are the one who is suffering the consequences.
Are you holding a grudge against others? Perhaps even to a group of people who you see as detestable? It’s time to get out of the tormentor’s grip and walk in the forgiveness that was purchased for you on Calvary. Forgive … and get free, in Jesus’ name.
Pray a prayer like this:
Dear Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I believe He died and rose again, and I confess Him as Lord. I know I have done wrong. Thank you for forgiving me. I don’t deserve it, but I receive it thankfully and joyfully. And now I choose to forgive those who have hurt me. I choose to forgive those who are opposing me. I’m done with the tormenter. I’m free, in Jesus’ name. Amen.