* Let minor annoyances go. Remember that not every action can be classified as being sinful. Whenever people simply irritate you, be willing to let it go and move on.

* Be willing to keep on forgiving. Whenever people repent and ask your forgiveness, know that you must choose to forgive them – without limits on the number of times you do so. Be patient if they are genuinely trying to change, but need time for the process. Remember that God expects you to forgive others because He has mercifully forgiven you for your own sins.

* Use your anger in the right ways. Know the difference between righteous anger (which brings about a godly action that facilitates a change) and unrighteous anger (which often hurts people and destroys relationships). Make sure you channel your anger in ways that can lead to reconciliation.

Adapted from Rediscovering the Power of Repentance and Forgiveness: Finding Healing and Justice for Reconcilable and Irreconcilable Wrongs, copyright 2006 by Dr. Leah Coulter.  Published by Ampelon Publishing, Atlanta, Ga., www.ampelonpublising.com. 
Dr. Leah Coulter, who has an M.Div. degree from Oral Roberts University and a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Practical Theology, teaches at The King’s College and Seminary in Van Nuys, Ca., and is senior associate pastor of the Channel Island Vineyard Church alongside her husband, Bill. With more than 25 years of experience in the ministry, she speaks regularly at conferences and seminars across the country on topics such as emotional and spiritual healing, as well as forgiveness and repentance. She and her husband reside in Camarillo, Ca., and have one grown daughter, Kairee, and a son-in-law, Eddie.