"But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. For am I in the place of God? Yes, you yourselves planned evil against me. God planned it for good, in order to bring about what it is this day—to preserve the lives of many people ." -- (Genesis 50:19–20)

One of the beautiful things about Joseph is that Joseph bore no enmity. He had no unforgiveness to his brothers, who mocked him and sold him into slavery. Friends, our hearts can't be perfect or thoroughly whole and complete before the Lord unless we are willing to forgive. Jesus at the last supper broke the bread and said, "This is my body broken for you." He did it as a symbol of the forgiveness of sins we have in Him. And just as He forgave us. We have to forgive others because when we don't, it's like the movie, Weekend at Bernie's. When we don't forgive others, it's like carrying a dead body with us.

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks your past and sets you free. Forgiveness releases you from your past so that you can fully enter into what the Lord has for you. Forgiveness propels you into your future peace and wholeness. Forgiveness brings blessing for you. And did you know that forgiveness is not about the other person -- it's for you! That's why forgiving other people is not an elective. Forgiveness is a requirement. And I know this from my own life experiences.

I was in ministry, and I thought I had my dream job. Unfortunately, I had some brothers in ministry who did some things that hurt me. I wound up losing my ministry position. I felt they didn't handle the whole sequence of events in the right way. One day God comes and says, "Jason, you have to write them a letter and ask for their forgiveness." I'm like, "Lord, I have to write a letter and ask for their forgiveness? They should be writing a letter forgiving me. They're the ones who wronged me."

But God was persistent. The Lord said to me, "Do you want to be right? Or do you want to do the right thing?" At that moment, I knew the Lord was saying to me, "Jason, I made the first move towards you while you were lost, when you were a sinner and now you need to make the first move towards them. You need to forgive them."

I want to encourage you. Forgiveness leads to freedom. Forgiveness leads to blessing. Forgiveness leads to fruitfulness. If you're going to be fruitful, if you want your life to be overflowing, you need to forgive because it will make you whole, and God will bless you. Who do you need to forgive in your life? Maybe it's yourself. Perhaps it's someone who wronged you. Maybe you're even angry at God. It doesn't make a difference. Think about it, forgive, and you'll be blessed.