Realities: The Past Is The Past

There had to have been a point where Moses made the decision to say, "the past is not going to rule me anymore."  I don't know when it came, if it happened when the bush was burning, when he was standing in front of Pharaoh or whenever.  There must have been a point where he no longer let his past decide his future.  For forty years, he stayed back, had a decent life and because of his past as second in command to Pharaoh, killing an Egyptian guard and then running for the hills, I am sure he thought he was going to die on the backside of the desert. 

Paul, once known as Saul, had to make a choice at some point.  He had killed and viciously pursued Christians for their faith and going against the Jewish law.  I wonder how long during his three years of training that he allowed his identity to shift from what he had been to what God was now making him. 

The past is an incredible bondage to people.  Whole people groups become enslaved to it.  As a person, it can rule our identity.  Everytime you think you can start fresh, the past is sitting next to you saying you can't.  It is meant to defeat you and keep you from fulfilling your legacy. 

Reality: The past will always be there, you can't forget it, you can't change it; it is simply there.  However, you can certainly learn from it and change your future.  

I have done things in my past that would change people's opinions of me instantly for the worse.  If people knew some of the things I still think, it would certainly change their perspective of me.  While those things still cling to me and attempt to wiggle up in my ear to keep me from thinking into the future, I have tried to make the choice to say, "this isn't going to rule me."

Recently, I was telling a friend of mine that we simply have to say, "the past is not the portion that God has laid out for me; He has a good portion for my life and I need to accept it."  It is hard to think that way because our past choices love to come on the television screen and roll like credits.  We ponder what would happen if people knew about this thing or that. 

Reality: If people's opinions change about you because of something you did in the past, no matter how big or small, that's a THEM problem, not a YOU problem.  

We need to stop letting our destiny and our legacy be shortened by other people's opinions and agendas.  We need to step into the new day, the new choices we are making for the Lord and let Him take care of whatever else needs to be done. 

Obviously, this doesn't excuse you from needing to repent or sometimes seeking forgiveness from people that you have harmed but it certainly shouldn't deny you from going after the call of God on your life. 

So as you begin this week, will you lay the past on the altar?  Will you not let past situations or people alter the calling of God on your life?  Will you go back and repent, ask for forgiveness that you need to ask from and then move on from that part of your life so it doesn't rule you continually?  Will you stop being a victim of your own doing?

Start the week with a new step of freedom in Christ.

Comments

[liz]

Good points! Thanks for the nice reminder.

[Jamie]

Great perspective, Ben. Thanks for sharing.

[JK]

Good stuff, Ben. Really speaks to me on a personal level. Thanks.