Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Working The Word (Walking Away From Addiction Into The Sweet Arms of Jesus) Forget The Past!

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

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,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, 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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