As I added another birthday this month it also equated to another year left behind. As the year rolls by it leaves us with more of a "past" to reflect on or regret. It is so easy to get stuck because we hold onto our past mistakes, regrets and disappointments. God's Word is full of hope and promise. One of my favorites is in Isaiah 43:18-19 it says "Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing, now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."
Here is the irony about our past--if we keep revisiting our past choices, mistakes, etc. we will never move forward. We have to be willing to lay it down at the cross and walk away--never to look at it again. This is a bit gross but true none the less. Our past is like a wound: some wounds have a scab over them and are healing underneath, while others may be oozing and full of pus. A wound with a scab over it is like a sin that has been confessed to God and you've been forgiven and allowed the Holy Spirit to heal that area of your life. An oozing wound is unconfessed sin --sometimes we are so blinded that we don't even see it for what it is--sin. Just like an oozing wonld that goes untreated will infect the body, unconfessed sin is poison to the soul.
Step 1 - if there is any unconfessed sin that the Holy Spirit has brought to mind, confess it and lay it at the cross.
Step 2 - once you've confessed your sin God gives you the promise of a hope and a future according to Jeremiah 29:11
The reality is that once you confess your sin God forgives you and chooses not to remember. So why would you hold onto it?
I've allowed my past marriage/divorce to hold me back. God had forgiven me but I chose not to forgive myself for making the wrong choice. Once I was willing to let go there was great freedom. We were never meant to be in bondage.
May you leave your past in the past and never look back again...I know I'm striving to do it!
I've got some sort of head cold/congestion but managed to make it to the park for a few laps--perseverance pays off.
