Your Past Does Not Define Your Future!

Thank you so much for joining us today. We were all born with a sin nature, and we all have a past. Some have had a difficult time letting go of the past and have allowed it to seriously affect what is happening currently in their lives. Today’s post will be encouraging to those who need some help in getting ‘past the past’. Listen for the Spirit to speak. Eric

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, that act of disobedience brought about the fall of man and introduced sin and death into the world. As a result of their sin, each one of us is born with an inherent sinfulness. This is referred to as our ‘sin nature.’

Since we all were born with this sin nature, we all have a ‘past.’ Each one of us has made mistakes. Possibly, our actions, attitudes (pride, acting arrogantly or superior, being judgmental), our words (speaking hateful or disparaging words), or our lifestyle has displeased the Father.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) proclaims quite clearly that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”

Paul used the phrase ‘in Christ’ to express what it means to be a Christian or believer. Our existence as a ‘new creation’ is only available to us because of Christ’s death and resurrection. We are only identified as a ‘new creation’ when we come to Christ in faith. It is salvation that gives a person the status of being a new creation. The phrase ‘pass away’ means: to pass away or perish. The old part of our life that occurred before we came to have a relationship with Christ is dead or passed from existence.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) reveals, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” “This righteousness is not earned by human effort but is a gift of God. We receive this righteousness through our faith in Jesus. Because of our union with Christ, His righteousness is credited to believers and allows us to stand justified before God.” (Bible Hub, Study Bible).

Thus, from the Scriptural truths presented in these two verses, when we accept the blood sacrifice of Jesus and confess our sins, God gives us a fresh start. The past life of sin is forgiven and gone and we begin a new life of righteousness! Praise God!

Yet, I know that there are those who have not been able to move beyond their past. Perhaps there has been egregious blatant sins in your past, in relationships, decisions you have made, sins the devil continually reminds you of, trauma, mistakes, places you’ve lived, unforgiveness, resentment, or anger and hatred you have held on to that has kept you from moving forward to what God has planned for your life.

If this describes where you, or a friend of yours lives, or if you have a unique set of hinderances affecting you, I pray that today, you will be encouraged and ‘set’ into a new place of freedom by the Truth of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have a dynamic example of one who lived his life as an enemy of God, before his encounter with Christ. The apostle Paul (Saul, before his encounter with Christ) shared some of his past. Paul’s personal conviction and mindset before His personal encounter with Jesus (Acts 9:1-19) was that he should do all he could to oppose the name of Jesus Christ. He believed the Jewish faith was being threatened by the teachings of Jesus. He actively persecuted believers. He not only put the early Christians in prison, he had a part in them being “condemned to death.” He had “raging fury” against them and even went to foreign cities to persecute them! (Acts 26:9-11).

After his personal encounter with Christ though, his life was totally transformed. How did Saul, a blasphemer, persecutor and violent man get beyond his past to become the Apostle Paul, who penned a large part of the New Testament? In 1 Timothy 1:13b Paul penned, “I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.” He had a personal encounter with the mercy of God!

Then we read in Philippians what Paul did to move beyond his former life to a life serving God wholeheartedly. Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV), “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

When we see that God poured out His mercy and compassion on Saul, (who did not deserve it), it reveals to us that no one is beyond redemption. “God’s mercy and compassion is a testament of God’s unwavering love and commitment to His creation. It is a divine attribute of God.” (Bible Hub, Topical Bible).

Realize this, there is no partiality in God and what He does for one, He will do for another. His nature, through His love, pours out His mercy and compassion on us, even when we do not deserve it. Thank You Lord!

Then, looking back to Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) we read what Paul did to move beyond his former life to a life of serving God wholeheartedly. In verse 12, the phrase, ‘I press on’ means: to pursue, to seize or take eagerly to possess. What did Jesus take hold of Saul for?

God’s desire for Saul is the same as His desire is for all of us. He took hold of Saul so that he would come to know Christ fully, to be conformed to the image of Christ and to live a sanctified life dedicated to the Lord’s will and purpose.

So, Saul pursued those things, recognizing he was not perfect. He humbly acknowledged and recognized that he was on a spiritual journey.

Then, in verse 13 we see that Paul was singularly focused when he penned, ‘one thing’ I do. His goal was to avoid all distractions. What was that ‘one’ thing? “Forgetting what is behind!” Forgetting the past! “He made a deliberate choice to let go of his past achievements, failures, and experiences. The art of forgetting is not about erasing memories but rather not allowing them to dictate his present and future actions.” (Bible Hub Study Bible). That should also be our goal, to not allow the past to dictate our present or future actions.

Paul then included that he also was “straining toward what is ahead.” He was exerting maximum effort to reach the finish line. The goal he was focused on was finishing well. He would not allow anything from His past cause him to take his eyes off the finish line! (Hebrews 12: 1 and 2 instructs us to fix our eyes on Jesus!) In verse 14 of Philippians 3 Paul revealed that he pressed on to ‘win the prize of God’s heavenly calling.” The prize is the reward for completing the race. What is the ‘prize’ and ‘heavenly calling’? God’s heavenly calling and reward is a divine invitation to eternal life and eternal fellowship with Himself. Once again, Paul’s reward and heavenly calling is the same as it is for all of us.

Paul made a strong determination to forget the past. Three times, he shared that he “pressed on!” He actively pursued the goal with perseverance and persistence despite facing unimaginable trials and troubles (which became his past or memories) that easily could have detracted or hindered him.)

Another Biblical figure who faced similar situations, who had a past that he needed to overcome, was Joseph. He was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual misbehavior, jailed even though innocent and left in prison for years! Joseph refused to be affected or swayed by the past wrongs in his life. He held on to what he believed God had planned for him.

How did he do it? Genesis 41:51 (NIV) reveals the answer to this question. “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” Manasseh means: to forget or causing to forget (Brown-Driver-Briggs). Joseph made a concerted intentional effort to leave the hurts, pain, rejection, false accusations and abuse behind and turned them over to the Lord.

The Lord spoke to Israel through the prophet Isaiah after He delivered them from a life of bondage and slavery (which they were in because of their disobedience to God). Isaiah 43:18 and 19 (BSB) reads, “Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to things of old. 19 Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see (perceive, recognize) it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” ‘Desert’ means wasteland and in this verse was made in reference to the Israelites returning from their place of bondage and exile. The God who loves you will bring you out of the hard bad places you were or are in, no matter what it takes! If necessary, He will make a road in the dry, desolate places and put streams in the wastelands of your life.

If we stay focused on the ‘bad’ situations (which is our self-preservation mode to protect us from future harm), we will not be looking towards God and we will miss the new things He is doing.

Through His sacrifice, our sins are forgiven and our past has been put behind us. Romans 8:1 (NIV) teaches us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That means that even “after due process in which we have been established guilty, when we come into relationship with Christ, there is no damnatory sentence.” (Thayer’s Greek and Helps Word Studies).

Even though through His sacrifice, our sins are forgiven, our past is put behind us and we’ve become a ‘new creation,’ if we do sin, He makes the way for our forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 reveals, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The word ‘confess’ means: confess, to acknowledge, to not deny or if we admit and declare ourselves guilty. He will ‘forgive’ which means: give up a debt; to let go of the debt by not demanding it. Never forget though, you must confess the sin in your life in order to not have your fellowship with Him hindered.

Hebrews 10:17b (NIV) reveals, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." ‘Lawless acts’ is disobedience and iniquity. Once we confess and repent or turn away from that sin, He will not ‘remember,’ which means call to mind, mention or remind.

If God forgets our past life of sin, should we allow the devil to continually remind us of what God has forgotten?

Revelation 12:10 and 11 (ESV) reveals, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Years ago, I was told, “When the devil reminds us of our past, we remind him of his future. (Matthew 25:41 (NIV), “Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

“We triumph over satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony and he will be ‘violently displaced.’” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

It does us no good to live in the past. Whether it be past sins or experiences which torment, plague of hinder us, we need to focus intentionally and intensely on what God has for us next. Do not allow the past to control your future!

Do not let your past define your future!

NKJV New King James Version

NIV New International Version

BSB Berean Standard Bible

ESV English Standard Bible