“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25 NLT)

Every so often in the news cycle, we get stories of huge problems that can be traced back to small, seemingly minor causes. For example, a computer glitch that delays flights at a single airport can lead to a national travel emergency.

In Mark 11:25, Jesus traces a significant spiritual issue—unanswered prayer—back to a seemingly unrelated problem. “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too” (NLT). If you sense that your prayers are not being answered, it may be due to a spirit of unforgiveness in your heart.

The Bible makes it clear that unresolved conflict with others can get in the way of our relationship with God. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God” (Matthew 5:23–24 NLT).

Unresolved conflict gets in the way of prayer—and the blessings that come from it— because it reveals a heart that isn’t aligned with God’s.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31–32 NLT).

God has forgiven Christians an incredible debt. He has wiped all our sins away. For us to harbor unforgiveness toward someone else is an offense against Him. Because we understand just how much forgiveness we’ve received, we should be the most forgiving people on the face of the earth.

Instead, many of us actively look for things to be offended by. Things to hold grudges for. We need an “other.” Someone to blame. Someone to look down on. Someone to judge. Someone to hold responsible for our unhappiness.

Is there someone you hate right now? Is there someone you’re bitter toward? Is there someone who causes you to seethe every time you see them? Is there someone you can’t stand to be around? Is there someone you’ve been plotting revenge against? Is there someone you gossip about?

If so, now is the time to deal with your spirit of unforgiveness. Depending on the circumstances, that might involve apologizing to someone you wronged—or someone who thinks you wronged them. It might mean reaching out to someone you’ve drifted apart from. It might mean starting a difficult but healing conversation with a friend or loved one.

The more sincerely you reconcile with the estranged, angry, and hurting people in your life, the more effective your prayers will become.

Reflection question: What would an attitude of forgiveness and reconciliation look like in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these.’” (Mark 12:29–31 NLT)

In this month’s devotions, we’re going to look at the Gospel of Mark. And we’re going to start with one of the key passages of the New Testament. According to Mark 12:28, “One of the teachers of religious law” asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (NLT).

He was testing Jesus. At that time, Jewish religious leaders recognized over 600 different laws. And they spent a lot of time ranking them according to importance. The questioner wanted Jesus to say something controversial so that Jesus’ enemies could use it against Him.

Instead, Jesus gave him the wisdom of the ages. “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these” (Mark 12:29–31 NLT).

With those words, Jesus highlighted the connection between loving God and living in a way that pleases Him. He established the template of the Christian life.

If you really love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, then you will not want to break the other commandments. If you really love God as you ought to, then you will not take His name in vain, have other gods before Him, or make images that you bow down before. And if you really love your neighbor as yourself, you will not steal from him. You will not covet what belongs to him. And certainly, you will not kill him. So, if we master the basics of loving God and loving others as we ought to, then obeying other commandments will come naturally.

In daily life, this looks like resisting temptation instead of choosing what feels good in the moment. In fact, it looks like making daily choices that keep you away from tempting situations. It looks like studying God’s Word purposefully to become acquainted with what pleases Him. It looks like keeping open a line of communication with Him—a daily prayer routine through which you receive guidance, direction, and encouragement.

Augustine said, “Love, and do what you will.” It’s a provocative statement, but it makes sense. If you really love God as you ought to—with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—then you will naturally do what He wants you to do.

Reflection question: How do you know when you’re loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14 NLT)

New Year’s resolutions are funny things. We dream up grand lifestyle changes and tell ourselves “Ok, everything will be different on January 1st!” But the truth is, many of us adjust our New Year’s resolutions as time passes because we’re unable to keep them. Year after year, we get frustrated and discouraged by our lack of willpower, discipline, and commitment. But there’s a lesson in there that we must not miss. We don’t need a New Year’s resolution. We need a spiritual solution.

The spiritual solution we need is found in Philippians 3:14: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (NLT). In this passage, the apostle Paul helps us understand what our priorities should be.

On more than one occasion, Paul used athletic metaphors to describe the Christian life. In this passage, he compares it to running a race. But we need to understand that the race is not a one-hundred-meter sprint. It’s a long-distance run. That’s why we must pace ourselves.

In a long-distance race, there’s little significance in leading the field for, say, nine out of ten laps. What matters is the tenth lap. Whoever crosses the finish line first is the winner.

Spiritually speaking, finishing strong involves being consistent. There are times in our relationship with Christ when everything seems to click—when our prayer life, Bible study, evangelism, and personal discipline are firing on all cylinders. With the wind at our back, we start to feel unbeatable. So, we alter our pace. We let pride dictate our strategy.

And then we hit the wall, metaphorically speaking. We struggle to maintain any kind of pace. On top of that, we have a spiritual enemy who delights in turning our race into a hurdles event by throwing obstacles in our way.

The good news is that the headwind, like the wind at our back, is temporary. We don’t have to face it long. The obstacles our enemy throws in our path need not affect us because we’re powered by the Holy Spirit. He gives us the stamina we need to stay the course. Our job is to stay focused on the race—to keep our eyes on the prize. We need to strive for spiritual consistency. If we want to win in the race of life, then we need to learn to pace ourselves.

Reflection question: How can you pace yourself in your walk with Christ? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

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Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.