Part of being human is making mistakes. We all have a past, but we don’t have to live there; most of us have had our own skeletons in the closet, but they don’t have to bar us from moving forward in life. How we deal with our flaws determines whether we stay frozen or continue along our journey. Believing in God’s forgiveness and favor toward us enables us to move through our issues and keep going. 

We have an enemy who wants to call attention to our past; however, we can ignore him and move on. Paul could have let his past hinder him, but despite what he had done, he chose to focus on his future. He admitted that although he didn’t have all the answers, he was nevertheless willing to forget the things of the past and reach out to the things of the future. Paul pressed forward to what Christ Jesus called him to do.

During His ministry, not everyone Jesus called to follow Him cooperated. Some people made excuses; one person said he had to bury his father, while another said he had to first bid goodbye to those at home. Jesus remarked that no one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Getting caught up in what’s behind us can have dire consequences. When Lot fled Sodom with his family, his wife looked back from the place they left and was turned into a pillar of salt. God offers us salvation and deliverance from our past, but we need to cooperate when He tells us to leave what’s comfortable and go forward.    

Our past doesn’t have to hold us back from our future. Getting born again allows God to make us into new creatures; old things pass away, and everything becomes new. The thoughts He thinks toward us are peaceful, to give us hope and a future. There’s never a downside to trusting in God’s grace.

Prayer:

Lord, our past loses its power over us when we have faith in Your plans for us on our Christian journey. You want what’s best for us; we can receive it when we move forward. Thank You for Your faithfulness to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Philippians 3:13, 14

Luke 9:59-62

Genesis 19:26

2 Corinthians 5:17

Jeremiah 29:11