If you’re lacking in any of these areas, it’s not because you need to try harder... it’s because you’ve forgotten that you’re forgiven!
When you truly understand and count on your forgiveness in Christ, these godly characteristics will flow naturally in your life. But when you’re busy trying to achieve forgiveness through your own efforts—self-righteousness—you become hard on yourself and on others.
So don’t negate what the Lord has done for you. Instead, be quick to receive the forgiveness He paid for and has freely given to you… and thank Him for it!
The Laodicean church represents those who are wealthy and proud, saying: "I am rich and have need of nothing." (Revelation 3:17)
In contrast, the Philadelphian church is declared faithful—one that had “kept [His] command to persevere.” (Revelation 3:10)
Being spiritually blind or shortsighted means lacking prophetic vision. But God wants us to have clear, far-reaching spiritual vision, like an eagle (Isaiah 40:31).
Jesus taught about forgiveness in Matthew 18:23–33. A king forgave his servant's enormous debt, yet the forgiven servant refused to forgive someone else's smaller debt.
We, too, must count on and live in the reality of God's forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 tells us: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
Will you be like the Laodicean church, blind to your need for Jesus? Or will you be like the Philadelphia church, seeing clearly through eyes of faith?
Being conscious of God's forgiveness transforms how we treat others and helps us walk in spiritual clarity and godly character.
Count On Your Forgiveness
If you’re lacking in any of these areas, it’s not because you need to try harder... it’s because you’ve forgotten that you’re forgiven!
When you truly understand and count on your forgiveness in Christ, these godly characteristics will flow naturally in your life. But when you’re busy trying to achieve forgiveness through your own efforts... trying to establish your own righteousness—self-righteousness—you become hard on yourself and on others.
So don’t negate what the Lord has done for you. Instead, be quick to receive the forgiveness He paid for and has freely given to you… and thank Him for it!
In the book of Revelation, we see two churches that are prophetic of our times today—Laodicea and Philadelphia.
The Laodicean church represents those who are wealthy and proud, saying:
"I am rich and have need of nothing." (Revelation 3:17)
Notice how Jesus isn’t even mentioned in their confession? They’re self-sufficient... but the Lord’s indictment of them is:
"You don’t know that you are blind."
In contrast, the Lord declared the Philadelphian church a faithful church—one that had “kept [His] command to persevere.” (Revelation 3:10)
Now, being spiritually blind or shortsighted is a serious condition. But why? What does it mean?
When you’re shortsighted, you can only see what’s right in front of you, but you can’t see far ahead. You lack prophetic vision.
This is not what our Father wants for us! Think of the eagle—it has incredible vision, able to see almost 340 degrees with thermal vision capabilities.
God likens His people to eagles (Isaiah 40:31) because He wants us to have clear, far-reaching spiritual vision.
But... when we forget we’re forgiven... we become spiritually “shortsighted, even to blindness.” (2 Peter 1:5–9)
Now, let’s look at the parable Jesus taught about forgiveness in Matthew 18:23–33.
There was a king who forgave his servant an enormous debt when he couldn’t repay it.
But when that forgiven servant left the king’s presence... he found someone who owed him a smaller amount and demanded that that person pay him back.
When he couldn’t... the forgiven servant had him thrown in prison!
You see, it’s possible to be like that servant—forgiven, yet not extending forgiveness to others.
Why?
Because he wasn’t counting on or living in the reality of his king’s forgiveness. He was not conscious that he had been forgiven!
Friend, when you truly know you have the Father’s complete forgiveness, it will transform how you treat others.
As Ephesians 4:32 tells us:
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
When you are counting on your forgiveness in Christ, you will naturally extend that same forgiveness to others.
You become more loving... more gracious... more Christ-like.
Not because you’re trying to earn something... but because you’re living in the reality of what Jesus has already done for you.
Will you be like the Laodicean church, blind to your need for Jesus?
Or will you be like the Philadelphia church, seeing clearly through eyes of faith and keeping His commandment to forgive and love one another—because you’re conscious of how much you yourself have been forgiven?
Remember... the key to developing godly characteristics and walking with clear, spiritual vision comes from being forgiveness-conscious!