By: Hanny Lynn
Stearns
Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying God’s Word Around the
Globe”
October 11, 2016
Forget The Past!
Philippians 3:12-14
12 Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold
of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count
myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
What does it mean when the Bible tells us about forgetting those things
that are behind us? For the person who is battling with any form of addiction,
this is a powerful verse that can really help bring us the victory. It took me
a long time to be able to see that when I had messed up, I could go to the Lord
and ask for forgiveness and receive it right there on the spot! In that very
moment I was righteous again in His sight.
Just today I had to ask Him to forgive me for something I had done and I
cried about it. The Lord spoke to my heart right away, as in times past and He
said, “That’s it. You are forgiven. Now move on.” When we have a “slip” and eat
or drink something we should not, too often it has been used by the enemy to be
brought back to our remembrance again and again like a broken record that keeps
skipping. Does anyone remember those days? LOL!
In addition to the enemy using our mistakes to remind us, trying to
convince us that we are failures and will never make it, our own hearts condemn
us. When we are stuck in all that nonsense it is impossible to move forward. Dwelling
on past mistakes only places a giant road block on the road that lies ahead of
us. We must remember that God is never the one bringing the condemnation. It is
our own hearts…
1 John 3:18-22
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in
tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we
know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For
if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved,
if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And
whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
In days past, I used to think it was Holy Spirit bringing that terrible
feeling as I would go all day beating myself up for what I had eaten. It was a
terrible “spin cycle” that never seemed to end. Round and around and around I
would go. I would eat because I thought I needed it. I used it for comfort in
the moment. But the thrill was soon gone and I was left wallowing in my own
condemnation. Then the enemy would come around and just press it in deeper and
deeper until I felt so bad that I had to eat more to try to combat those bad
feelings.
Any person who has been addicted to something knows this process all too
well. But here is the good news. With God, one minute ago is the past. If we
repent and ask His forgiveness in the name of Jesus – that’s it. He forgives us
just that quick. Now we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and we can go
forward into the new life that He has provided for us. We do not have to stay
stuck in the “mud” of our former sins any more. If we sinned, we repent - turn
around and start doing something different. We show God we mean business and
are not just crying because we feel bad that we messed up again.
The only thing that will show the Lord that we really have repented is
to stop doing what we just asked Him to forgive us for and start doing the
right thing. We know in our hearts if our “Please forgive me Lord” requests are
sincere or just a way of trying to make ourselves feel better while we do not
intend to give up the behavior. And more importantly – the Lord knows our
hearts. The best place to start is right now. If I could count how many “right
now’s” I had before I finally got the breakthrough, they would be too numerous
to count.
Friends, I am here to tell you that working God’s word will break you
free from the bondage and spin cycle of addiction. If you will place your faith
in His word and speak it out loud over your life every day – you will get the
victory. And whenever the thoughts of what you did wrong come to your mind,
throw them down immediately…
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds,5 casting down arguments and
every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when
your obedience is fulfilled.
When the negative thoughts come, throw them down as
fast as they came in! That was then. This is now. If we would do this, and
claim the word of God in our mouths out loud when those thoughts come, by
faith, the enemy, or our own heart cannot prevail. What is past is past. We
need to stop opening the wounds of our past and the negative thoughts about
what we have done wrong before the moment we are in.
Remember – working the word works! It is a
powerful two-edged sword that will slice through any enemy that tries to come
against us. It will send the devil running because he will quickly discover
that he is getting nowhere with you because you have refused to accept his
lies. He is not always around – but the flesh is. And we can apply this process
to our flesh – our worst enemy. Friends, let’s do what the Lord showed us to do
in His word. Let’s forget about the mistakes of the past and really start to
walk into the glorious future that our amazing and loving God and Savior has
for us – amen! Stay focused on the Lord and His word and you will not crash
while trying to go forward – hallelujah!
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