No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race…  Philippians 3:13-14a, NLT

      We all have things in our past that we wish were different. Some of us have hurts and betrayals that cause us pain, some of us have wounds that cause us shame, some of us have done things that we struggle to believe are forgiven. Then we make a choice to pursue God. Yet, these memories of failures and a sense of inadequacy spring up, and they have the power to make us feel like we are conning everyone. We will be found out to be a pretender. We aren’t really competent and loved. We are not worthy. (We may not even express these thoughts; we just live under a cloud.)

     Liberty Savard (Shattering Your Strongholds) said that she would remind the Lord again and again that she was a new creation in Christ, but these “old things” didn’t feel like they had passed away; they kept coming up, telling her she would not ever get it right. She writes:

     “Holy amnesia is not the answer. If you were able to destroy your past, how would you ever be able to tell of God’s goodness to heal and restore? How would you be able to express how much He had done for you? Your memories are imprinted in your mind; that’s how your brain works. Satan knows every painful thing that has ever happened to you and is always ready to reactivate that pain. BUT you can expose those memories to God’s truth and healing and close the door on their power to hurt. Your past’s only function is to be the part of your life you have learned from and overcome. God will do for you what you cannot do for yourself: renew your mind as you bring these memories to Him and ask for His truth to pull down strongholds. Begin believing the truth that His blood covers all your sin. Receive His forgiveness and don’t revisit the past except to praise God for His redemption.”

*What is it that keeps you from enjoying the freedom God has given you? Will you, once and for all, choose to let the past be in the past by bringing it to God and receiving His forgiveness?

In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind my will to Your will, Father, and I bind my mind to the mind that is in Christ Jesus. I loose all my wrong attitudes and their strongholds, especially those of shame and guilt. Jesus, thank You for being my high priest in heaven. I hold tight to my faith in You. I choose to receive Your forgiveness. I will let this go. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You, Jesus.


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