Lets Read the Whole Passage About Forgiveness

Let's read the rest of that passage;
Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 

All forgiveness must be preceded by repentance.

 
We desire that relationships be reconciled but they can only be so if someone is sorry and someone forgives.

 
Believers have forgiveness in their hearts all the time, in order to pass it to the offender there must be a desire to have changed behavior and the realization that someone was harmed.

 
God tells us to avoid an angry man, this is a command that we cannot walk with those who continually offend without ever thinking they did anything wrong. Those who justify their sin cannot be forgiven.

 
Galatians 5:19-21
"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Proverbs 13:20
"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

When we make foolish people are constant companions we will become like them or at the very least we will enable them to stay as they are without guilt about their behavior or attitude.

Good for You Dad!!!!

https://youtube.com/shorts/LDDTgtC4lNI?si=Qqq72RhRhgNF2wkF

How We Interpret What Happens To Us!

Everyone interprets what they hear according to their own biases and according to their own mindset.

An angry person will see an insult where there is no insult. They suspect others of being insulting because angry people are continually using rudeness to control the feelings of others.

A kind and loving person may miss an insult because they interpret what is said according to what they would be feeling if they said such a thing. Or they might interpret an insult as being from someone who had a problem that day because in their mind no one would do that for no reason at all.

The kind person may even blame themselves for somehow making someone else upset without knowing what they did to cause it. Kind people hate harming anyone, they will quickly evaluate themselves to make sure they were not offensive and even inquire to find out what they may have done or said that was offensive.

A wise person never offends to control others and they can see when someone is manipulating to increase a feeling of guilt in them or others.

Proverbs 1:4-6 "…4 To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young, 5 let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel 6 by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.…"

Proverbs 9:9

"Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning."

Proverbs 14:6

"A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning."

The purpose in knowing the tactics of unruly people is to be able to respond correctly while never allowing ourselves to become like them by replying in kind or in anger. Those who are confident about their ways have no need to defend themselves or become caught in the web of the narcissistic tactics of those who do not love God.

In other words, be the opposite of what the rude person is trying to goad you into becoming.

Ephesians 4:31-32

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

It doesn't matter what anyone else is doing to us, we are responsible for replying in a calm respectful manner or to remain silent. A strong person can do this because they are confident in Christ, they never have the sense that they need to win anything in conversation with a wicked person.

Keep looking up! One day everything will be exposed and Christ in us already knows it all.

Emotional Response or Reasonable Explanation?

Our emotional responses say something about us. Those who respond with reason are operating from rational thought. Those who respond emotionally in rage are not thinking nor are they demonstrating love.

I knew someone who practiced gaslighting to confuse and frustrate others in conversation. When someone was giving a reason for what they did he would call it "an excuse" to diminish them. Everything to this person was seen as an "excuse" unless it was him, then it was a "reason."

This tactic of accusing others of things that are not true often is a confession of the narcissist of what is in their own heart. Dismissing the reasons of others while validating only his own reasons was a tactic to antagonize someone into an angry response and even cause them to doubt themselves.

When we notice a person regularly and even continually dismissing our conversation to antagonize us, this is a person to avoid.

Proverbs 22:24-25

"Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul."

Those who use hostility to cause anger in others are themselves angry people. They know they are angry inside because of their attempts to make others seem worse than themselves by their strategy to cause emotional responses in their target.

God made it clear to avoid these people, they are controlled by the devil to cause God's people to fall into the sin of frustration and self-defensiveness.

If you have to be around someone because they are family then we must learn to ignore their tactics, be comfortable never explaining ourselves to them, and refuse to become emotionally enticed to respond just like them.

If a narcissist can cause anger in us they will count it a win and in their own mind will appear superior to those they aggravate.

Proverbs 22:24-25 "24 Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25 or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.…"

Remaining silent is often the best course of action when we notice someone's attempt to provoke us to elevate themselves.

Proverbs 15:18

"A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute."

Proverbs 21:24 "“Proud,” “Arrogant,” “Scoffer,” are his names, One who acts with insolent pride."

Isaiah 16:6

"We have heard of Moab's pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty."

Never fear those who act in arrogant pride to antagonize those they hate. Our greatest weapon against such people is to remain unaffected and unemotional about their foolishness toward us.

To care what they think of us is what causes us to defend ourselves. When we care only what God thinks we have no need to explain ourselves to those who love to provoke others into annoyance.

Romans 12:19

"19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord."

Trust Christ in all things and we will have no desire to force a response.