DATE POSTED
Saturday, June 13, 2026, and I was blessed to be at Mariposa Apartment Homes, San Marcos, TX when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read Colossians 3:13 in your Bible or click on it to read it online in the New Living Translation (NLT).

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
I hope you’ve taken a moment to read the verses referenced above, as they’ll help you better grasp the context of this devotional.

The War for Our Peace

We have all heard the horror stories of what happens when human anger goes unchecked. It festers into bitterness, grows into hatred, and leads to destructive actions. Most of us easily agree that this kind of malice belongs to the devil, and that believers should have no part in it.

Yet, we must still address this today because Satan hasn’t changed his tactics. He constantly targets believers, tempting us to react, hold grudges, and operate exactly like the world does. The enemy’s ultimate goal is to keep people—both the unsaved and the body of Christ—in total turmoil and at odds with one another. It is the exact opposite of what God designed for us.

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Before Christ: Standing in Turmoil

Before Christ, our default response to being offended is to withhold grace. We build walls, we nurse our wounds, and we demand that the other person pays for what they did. But Jesus drew a direct line between the forgiveness we extend and the forgiveness we receive.

Look at how clearly this is laid out in the Gospel of Mark:

“Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others]. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.” — Mark 11:25-26 (AMP)

When we feel the slightest hesitation to let something go, we have to stop and use the Word of God as our plumbline. The Savior’s standard will always look radically different from the practices of the world.

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After Christ: Total Forgiveness as a Lifestyle

When you make that 180-degree turn to follow Jesus, you experience the ultimate clean slate. At the moment of salvation, God forgives you totally. He completely wipes your slate clean.

So, why does Jesus continue to talk to believers about forgiveness after we are saved?

Because if we fall back into our old, worldly patterns of harboring an unforgiving spirit, we compromise our daily fellowship with God. We are held accountable. When we approach God’s throne expecting full, unconditional, and complete mercy for our daily mistakes, we cannot simultaneously hold a debt over someone else’s head.

Consider the standard of our Holy God:

He loved us and proved it at Calvary while we were still sinners rejecting Him.

He forgives us completely without us ever earning it.

Our focal verse in Colossians teaches us a vital key: we are to forgive them immediately, not wait around for them to ask for it. When we choose to love unconditionally – loving both those who support us and those who oppose or misunderstand us – forgiveness becomes our natural reflex. Let’s make it a deliberate point to forgive exactly like Jesus teaches, rather than living by the conditional expectations of the world. God is our Judge, not culture. Drop the issue, let it go, and keep your slate clean.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the beautiful, complete, and overwhelming forgiveness You poured out on me at the cross. Thank You for wiping my slate clean when I didn’t deserve it. Forgive me for the times I have taken Your mercy for granted while holding onto grudges and offenses against others.

Holy Spirit, search my heart right now. If there is any hidden resentment, anger, or unwillingness to let go of a past hurt, I ask You to root it out. Give me the strength to obey Colossians 3:13 today. I choose to drop the issue, release the debt, and forgive those who have offended me just as You forgave me. I refuse to give the enemy a foothold of turmoil in my life. Let Your peace rule in my heart today.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I pray that one of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue, your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org, or if you choose, subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, as you will also find that option on this page. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you invite God to work through you to bless them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!