Breaking the Chains of the Past

Sadly, some people believe that they are prisoners of their past, and that God can’t forgive all they have done. However, NO ONE is beyond God’s forgiveness, and you DO NOT have to live life chained to guilt.

First, understand that God is forward-thinking. In Isaiah 43:18-19, God said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” This was a reference to His rescue of the Israelites, first from Egypt, through Moses, and then from Babylon. When He says that he is “making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland”, He is talking about bringing hope out of hopeless situations. And He wants to do that in YOUR life!

The Apostle Paul also wrote something worthy of note. When speaking of his quest to be more like Christ, he said in Philippians 3:13-14, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal”. You should know that before Paul gave his life to Christ, he was a torturer and murderer of Christians. Having received God’s forgiveness, he was able to keep his past from hindering his spiritual progress. What an amazing advantage in life!

When a person surrenders to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and they ask for forgiveness of their sins, God considers their past wiped clean. 1 John 1:9 says that when we come clean to God about our sin, He will forgive our sins and “purify us from all unrighteousness.” And 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that Christians are “a new creation”, and that “the old has gone”. This is not to say we won’t still suffer the consequences of what we have done in the past, but as far as the guilt “sticking” to us, God wipes it clean, and sees us as pure.

Don’t give up on God. And don’t let the lies of Satan and the world convince you that you are worthless or hopeless. Trust in Jesus, and let HIM clean you up!

Mark Nickles is a husband, father of three, and a pastor in Northeastern Oklahoma. Copyright, Mark A. Nickles.