Past Haunts

Read:

Proverbs 4:18 “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Think:

If only.

The pain of regret is unavoidable. Everyone experiences it at times over something they said, did, or didn’t do. If we nurture regret, it can bubble under the soil of our souls. But research shows that properly processed regret can lead to valuable insight and increased growth.  Instead of nursing, cursing, or rehearsing our regrets, let's give them to God.

When we allow God to use these as lessons, they become springboards to propel us forward. He can heal our hearts. Before Paul was converted, he was basically a terrorist. He murdered people because they believed in Jesus – until the day he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. One encounter with Christ flipped the switch, and Paul devoted his life to building the Church. But because of his past, he knew the harsh pain of regret. Knowing this makes his words in Philippians 3:13-14 even more encouraging to us today: “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things that are ahead, I press toward the goal…” Regardless of our past, we can put aside our regrets and focus on Jesus.

Application:

Memorize Philippians 3:13-14. Focus your attention on Christ today and ask Him how He wants to use your past to witness to others.

Pray:

God, I give You my past. Help me to walk free into my future. Thank You for using it to reach others.