Forget The Past, Move Forward
Many of God’s Children are dwelling on the Past. They are thinking too much about the past life, the sins and the ugly incidents, it is eventually becoming a problem in their life. They are no longer enjoying the Present ( God’s gift ).
” Every moment you spend dwelling on the past is a moment of your present you are missing “.
Our God is always concerned about the Present and future . He has warned in His Holy word not to look back, but go forward.
Even the Great heros of Faith in the Bible were affected by this problem. The Apostle Paul struggled with this Past Issue.
1 Corinthians 15:9 – ‘ For I am the least of the Apostle and do not even deserve to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church ‘
Here Paul uses Greek work ‘Hikanos’ meaning Not sufficient, not Worthy , not adequate, not enough , can’t attain that level. Apostle Paul wrote these words about 20 years after his persecution of the Early Church and he was Forgiven by God for those sins and wicked deeds. But Paul has not Forgotten those memories it still use to bother him.
God can use you mightily, still you can feel discouraged if you dwell on the Past :-
God was using him mightily in Healing the sick, raising the dead and planting churches , preaching the Gospel and giving him divine revelations but still he was again and again thinking about his past life. Again and again he mentions it ( Galatians 1:13 – ‘ How beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God , and wasted it. Philippians 3:6 – ‘ Concerning Zeal, Persecuting the Church ). Few Bible scholars even suggest one of the reason as Paul’s thorn was , ‘ his remembrance of his past ‘. This bloody past haunted him and kept him humble. Yes it can be or cannot be is not my point, but we know the devil is Accuser of the Brethren’. He can’t control your Present because you are in God’s hands and neither he can’t dominate your future because God has planned to give you a hope and a bright future ( Jeremiah 29:11 ).
Don’t look Back :-
Genesis 19:26 – ‘ But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of Salt’. The Hebrew work for looked back means not just a look or glance but , ‘ to regard , to Consider , to Pay Attention to’. She is used here as an example of people who are too attached to their old life. She took her eyes off the path of the Lord. She looked back to the World instead of going forward to God’s plan for her life. Jesus told us remember Lot’s wife let it be an example as a warning.
Why God doesn’t want you to look Back?
Isaiah 43:18-19 – ” Remember not the former things , nor consider the things of old . Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth , do you not perceive it ? God wanted His people to Forget the old and past life. They should look ahead. God is not behind you, He is ahead of you , He is with you and He is inside of you. The devil is after you, behind you. Because he is coward and loser.
What should we Forget ?
A) Our Past sins :- If you have truly repented, Confessed and Forsaken them God has Forgiven and Forgotten it . ( Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9 ) If God has Forgotten our sins of past we must do the same , otherwise the memory of them will hinder us .
B) Forget your Past Failure:- This is sometimes difficult, but constantly dwelling upon our failures and reviving the memory of them will result in restlessness. Don’t cry over anything and everything.
How did Paul Overcome the Past ?
Firstly Paul was known by his Hebrew name Saul which means , ‘ asked of God ‘. He would have taken some type of pride in it. Since his name Saul was of the First king of Israel . But later he uses the name Paul. This name ‘Paulus’ which means ‘ small’ or humble , least ‘. It is the same terminology used in 1 Corinthians 15:9 where he says I am least of Apostles. We know that this name was used by him for his ministry to gentiles and Romans . But what I want to express here is the Past can sometimes affect our Identity . We can look down on ourselves, we might think we are small, insignificant, least, unworthy just because of the Past life.
The Bible doesn’t speak in terms of forgiving ourselves, but it does tells us to free ourselves from past guilt and shame. It’s very easy to forgive and forget others , but it’s very difficult to forgive our own self.
What Is Forgiveness anyways?
1) To Cover , to overspread :- Genesis 6:14 – God told Noah to make ark and Cover it inside out with Pitch . Forgiveness is Covering something so that it will be hidden. When we forgive ourselves , God covers our past and shame .
2) To lift or Carry , taking away of a burden :- When we forgive , Christ lifts up the burden of past memories, bitterness, anger , hatred and takes it away from us.
3) Divine Restoration of an offender into Favor :- After Forgiveness comes Restoration it involves God’s cleansing power, all the mess is taken out , new things are added.
I tell him to Go to East and West :-
The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 31:34 -‘ He remembers our sins no more. Someone asked a Pastor does devil come to you with accusations and past memories ? Pastor said , ‘ Yes , I experience it many times !’. So how do you deal with it ? Pastor said , ‘ When the devil comes with my past memories and guilt , I tell him to go to East !! So what if he comes again ? Pastor smiled , ‘ Simple I tell him to go to west !! I keep devil busy. Because Psalms 103:12 – ‘ As Far as East is from the West that is how far He has removed our sins from us ‘ . It is as far as possible, as far as we can imagine . He has removed from us , so it no longer affect our relationship to Him .
Yes Paul was able to Overcome , So can you :-
Finally Paul received the revelation to Overcome this struggle with past sins and memories. He writes in Philippians 3:13 :- But one thing I do, Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to the things ahead.
Paul says God has already Forgiven and Forgotten my Past sins and shame. Now it’s my turn to take things in my own hand by the authority and power of the name of Jesus . ” I ” it is Paul now acting , not God . I have to forget those past things , those past memories and I choose to go ahead, go forward. This has become his life’s goal to go forward.
Today you are at a right place in your life. God has brought you where you are and He is leading you to a bright future. But still if you are trapped in the prison of old memories , sins . When you forgive yourself you actually set yourself free.
God bless you, let 2017 be a Year of Expansion.
Pastor Jeevan Dhale
