1. 12-Steps (or less!) to Forgiveness Matthew 26:36 - 46

2. Forgiveness is a process I chose to begin to stop punishing someone (including myself) for something they have done or said that has hurt me or someone else that I care about.

3. 1.To forgive myself, I must take God at His word rather than trust my feelings. Our feelings are the fruit of what our minds are believing. – 2 Samuel 12:13 – Psalms 51:4 – Psalms 51:1-2

4. 2.Forgiveness is an act of obedience to God, first. I forgive myself because God has forgiven me. I receive the gift of forgiveness by believing what God says He has done in Christ to offer it to me. – 1 Peter 2:24 – Colossians 2:13-14

5. 3.We must accept, admit, and recognize the injuries inflicted upon ourselves and others by our sins. – David Stoop, Forgiving Our Parents, Forgiving Ourselves.

6. We must be honest with ourselves if we are going to face ourselves, squarely. – Feel bad? Yes. Grief has that characteristic. The old self must be crucified with Christ: – Galatians 2:20 – Romans 8:12-14

7. 4.We must take personal responsibility for the sins we have committed.

8. Take responsibility – continued: 1.Let the past be the past. Philippians 3:13-14 2.Stop the personal condemnation. 2 Cor 5:17 3.Replace the messages of condemnation with what God believes about us. – 51:6, 7, 8, 10, 12 – 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Ps 51:13

9. 5.Limit the consequences of my past actions on everyone even if it means that I must sacrifice in the process. – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

10. 6.Respond to the current consequences of our past actions by staying in the will of God rather than falling back into the old self.