Life to the Full

Jan. 15, 2017 | Getting Past the Past

Get Real

God is bigger than your past, and His grace is enough, but we have to get real with Him.

Soren Kierkegaard, “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to accept what is true”.

1 John 1:8-10, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”

Heal

For most of us, there’s a lot of pain in our past. It can be nearly impossible to separate who you are from what you’ve done or what has been done to you.

Here’s what God says about you when you submit your life to God in faith:

You are blessed (Deut. 33:29). You are loved (1 Jn. 4:10). You are chosen (1 Pet. 2:9). You are created in God’s image (1 Cor. 11:7). You are the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath (Deut. 28:13). You are more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37). You are branches on the vine of Christ (Jn. 15:5). You are sons and daughters of the most-high King (2 Cor. 6:18). You are redeemed (Gal. 3:13). You are healed (Is. 53:4-5). You are forgiven (Eph. 1:7). You are justified (Rom. 3:28). You have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). You are created for good works (Eph. 2:10). You have been set free (Rom. 8:2). You are victorious (1 Cor. 15:7). You are rooted and established in love (Eph. 3:17). You have been made holy (Heb. 10:10). You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil. 4:13).

God can heal you, and give you a restored identity in Him.

Forgive

Forgiveness is the doorway to freedom.

Jesus taught, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Mt. 6:14-15)

Forgiveness has nothing to do with your feelings. It’s a decision that most often occurs without corresponding feelings. There can be no future without forgiveness. You will stay stuck wherever you hold unforgiving feelings.

Learn

We need to learn from our past experiences, lest we make the same mistakes again.

George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Soren Kierkegaard, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

As we look back on past events in our own lives and the lives of others, we are to learn from what worked and what didn’t work. That is how the past can serve us. That is how masterpieces are made from mistakes. God redeems all of it. Nothing is wasted.

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”