Matthew 6:12

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12

Jesus calls us to pray for forgiveness, this is something we should keep in the front of all our prayers with the Lord. The forgiveness we must ask for first is that of our own sins. Before Jesus in prayer all things are brought into the light. All of your thoughts, feelings, attitudes are magnified under the lens of His Holiness. Its important for us to set ourselves on the right path by first asking for help with our failings. 

The forgiveness that we have is not conditional upon forgiving someone else. We are forgiven because Jesus Christ paid for our debts. Because we are forgiven we should forgive. It works the way everything else does. You respond in kind to the way you have been treated. This goes right along with the mercy we talked about earlier. You give what you have been given, but Christ is not going to keep you from forgiveness. He already offered full pardon from the cross.

We all want to be forgiven when we make mistakes. Even more we should want to forgive because it allows freedom to enter into our own lives. Darkness will creep in and take over a heart that does not forgiven. Sin loves those kinds of hearts. Once we given up the things that the Lord asks of us to give, we will be free. He gives us freedom when we forgive both to the one who sinned against us, and to ourselves.