The Lord's Prayer and the condition of forgiveness

The speaker warns that praying the Our Father while holding a grudge may actually ask God not to forgive you, because the prayer links God's forgiveness to our forgiveness of others. Jesus reinforces this directly after teaching the prayer, saying clearly that if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The phrase "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" means we ask God to forgive us in the same way we forgive others. Forgiveness is not pretending harm didn't happen, trusting the person again, or saying what they did was okay. It is a decision to stop carrying the offense and give it to God as judge.

Forgiveness usually starts as a decision, not a feeling. The speaker suggests a practical step: start tonight by saying the person's name in prayer, "Lord, bless them," and repeat it daily until your heart follows. Every time you pray the Our Father, you might be asking God not to forgive you if you hold a grudge, so this practice addresses the condition Jesus sets.