SUNDAY SERVICE

SUNDAY SERVICE

If you want to receive email devotions or news of things happening at Hope On the Inside, please click here and just fill in your email address.

SONG SERVICE

REACH OUT TO THE FUTURE---LET GO OF THE PAST

Philip 3:13b-14 (AMP)"...but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward."

In order to embrace the future---the plans and purpose that God has prepared for us---we need to let go of the past. That’s not easy because, even if we determine to let go, as long as we “remember” it---have it inside of us to the extent that certain circumstances can bring back the feelings---the hurts, the grief, the fear, the anger, the rejection---we are not really free to reach out to the future.

IN ORDER TO LET GO OF THE PAST, WE HAVE TO “FORGET”! NORMALLY, REMEMBERING IS THE PROBLEM AND FORGETTING JUST COMES NATURALLY…AT LEAST IT DOES TO ME.

My husband and I often joke that, as we get older, we’re living more and more in the “hereafter”. That means we find ourselves in the kitchen or the home office wondering “What am I here after?”

But, seriously, the biggest problem with our memory is not what we don’t remember—it’s what we won’t forget. We keep looking backward and so, when good things are standing there right before us, we don’t see them because we’re not looking AHEAD. We’re too busy dealing with the past, living with the past, fearing the future because of the past.

"Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing." (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Not one of us has lived a life devoid of rejection, trauma, painful experiences, and the memory of hurtful words.

WORDS DO HURT! When I was a child and a teenager, some things were said to me that affected my life. One thing was said by a teacher who was angry. Another thing was said by my father in anger. Still another by someone who did not know me. And, yet another was said by my grandmother before she died. She was delirious and I know it, but it didn’t change the impact of what she said.

IN EVERY CASE, THE THINGS SAID WERE FOOLISH, SPOKEN IN EMOTION OF THE MOMENT, AND PROBABLY REGRETTED OR FORGOTTEN BY THE PERSON WHO SPOKE THEM---BUT NOT FORGOTTEN BY ME. THEY DID THEIR DAMAGE. How unnecessary it is to let words spoken in the past (words not even remembered by those who spoke them) affect my happiness in the present and my opportunities for success in the future.

All of us have had those kinds of experiences and all of us have been affected by them---but NOT all of us have let these things go.

EVENTS CAN TRAUMATIZE US. I’VE EXPERIENCED EVENTS THAT HAVE. Abuse and a life threatening experience when I was 15, another at 16. Later in life, I was paralyzed from the neck down after a surgery. I was healed but there was still the experience and all that went with it to remember. And then, just a few years ago, there was a fire that destroyed my home and possessions, killed my mother and my kitten, and left me with severe smoke inhalation damage and burns. In each situation, God did something miraculous. HE HEALED MY PARALYSIS AND MY BURNS. I praise Him for it, but there was trauma that remained. Sometimes it comes back to me and the flashbacks cause fear. I HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT--NOT GIVE IN TO IT.

DO I HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE HURTFUL MEMORIES—THE TRAUMA OF THESE THINGS? DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH YOUR TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES? SHOULD WE? NO!!!

WE MUST PRESS FORWARD BUT WE CAN’T IF WE ARE ANCHORED TO THE PAST OR LOADED DOWN WITH BAGGAGE.

Are you hampered by the baggage from your past? The truth is, for many people, who you are, what you do, and how you feel is determined by your past. Whether they are relationships from your childhood or pressures from recent years, the events of the past can have a significant impact on your current behavior.

BUT THAT’S NOT THE OPTIMUM EXPERIENCE FOR A BELIEVER.

*1 Corinthians 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!***

We cannot reach out to the future until we let go of the past. For some of us (maybe for most of us) that’s very difficult because the past holds issues we have not resolved.

You can’t go forward if you keep looking backward. You have to LET GO OF THE PAST in order to get to the future. And we have to want to get to the future.

Hebrews 12: 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

BY THE WAY, FORGIVING IS ESSENTIAL TO FORGETTING. AND, SOMETIMES, THE HARDEST ONE TO FORGIVE IS YOURSELF! Not forgiving yourself is actually a by-product of PRIDE! It says that your sin is greater than the power of the Blood of Jesus is to cleanse. If we think of it that way, it puts things in perspective. We need to forgive others and we need to forgive ourselves.

WHATEVER OUR PAST MISTAKES, GOD FORGIVES US:

Psalms 103:8-14 (AMP) The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving-kindness. 9He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge. 10He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him. 12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe]. 14For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.

IF GOD IS WILLING TO FORGIVE—SHOULDN’T WE BE ALSO? ESPECIALLY SINCE HE COMMANDS US TO FORGIVE AND TELLS US THAT IS THE ONLY WAY HE WILL FORGIVE US.

Matthew 18:21-22 (AMP) 21Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? 22Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!

Matthew 6:14-15 (AMP) 14For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.

AND THEN, WE NEED TO PUT IT BEHIND US AND LET IT GO! We have to make peace with the fact that we may never know “WHY” on this side of eternity and trust God to make “all things work together to our good”…and then, just LET GO. It may sound simple but it is not. And yet, God can MAKE it simple…if we will trust him and obey his word.

There are several things needed to handle this:

1. FACE THEM—Before we can deal with anything, we have to acknowledge that it exists. The scripture “You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free” applies to knowing Jesus, His Word, and His Way…but it also applies to know the true facts. Also, part of our armour is the Girdle of truth. But, it’s just plain old good sense that you cannot fix something that you refuse to acknowledge the existence of.

2. FORGIVE---Whether it is yourself or others. Without forgiving, we cannot be forgiven. Without being forgiven, we are walking in darkness and God will not listen to us or to our prayers.

3. RESOLVE---- and use the memories as a springboard to help and minister to others If we do not resolve the issue in the best way possible, the problem will come back one way or the other and we will grow bitter. When that happens, we defile ourselves and others too---usually the ones we love the most.

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (12:15).

HOW DO WE RESOLVE? Usually it takes confrontation and that’s scary for most of us. We certainly need to confront the TRUTH of the past if we are still haunted by it.

4. LAY THEM ASIDE EVEN THOUGH WE REMEMBER Hebrews 12: 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

5. FORGET Philip 3:13b-14 (AMP)"...but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

HOW DO WE FORGET? ONLY WITH GOD’S HELP. We will have to forgive and let go or we’ll never succeed in forgetting. Forgetting is not a one-time act. It won’t be instantaneous and we cannot “will it” to happen, although it will not happen unless we will it to happen. But will power is not enough—we need God power—faith—obedience and submitting to God’s Word and His Spirit.

6. DON’T LOOK BACK OR TRY TO TAKE IT BACK!!! GO ON TO THE FUTURE!

There is an article by Angie Lewis at….

http://sacredmint.com/community/christian-article-letting-go-past-live-for-today.htm

Let Go of the Past and Start Living For Today

By Angie Lewis

Some Christians still have battle scars from the past that have never gone away. When we keep the hurt within our attitude we keep chipping away at it every single day and it never heals. We can’t seem to let the past go – we want to keep bringing up the hurt and it keeps us from truly acknowledging Christ for our life. We shouldn’t allow our past to determine our future.

The truth is if we want a happy and fulfilled life we need to give up the past and allow God to bring in today. But today will never come if we keep wallowing in what was. What was is something that hurt us deeply but is now dead and buried. If you are alive in Christ you can’t bring what is dead with you –you must leave it behind where it belongs or either stay buried with it.

Sometimes it can be difficult to let go of the emotional pangs of the past, but without moving away from those past pangs, we remain stunted spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. How can we move on if mentally were still hurting? How can we move on if emotionally we don’t know what we want or need? How can we move on if spiritually we are lost?

Let the past go! Say, “Bye, bye past life, hello new life!” Let your mind be renewed with Christ’s Spirit and be transformed. God wants you to be created a new person in Him. Let go of the old self so the new self can be ushered in. God heals our wounds when we truly let Him into our hearts and minds and allow Him to take over in our life.

To be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:23

Let’s start living for today! Did you know when we are harboring hurt we let our past decide what we will do with today? We really do! Do you think God is happy with how we are living our life? God does not want us to be unhappy, always guarding ourselves from being hurt again. If we are afraid to love others, and to give of ourselves, then we will never be happy in this life. Only when we decide to let go of the past will we be able to live to our potential in the Lord. Put your trust in God.

THERE ARE A LOT OF TEACHINGS ON INNER HEALING, DELIVERANCE, ETC. Some ARE GOOD, SOME ARE WEIRD. SOME ARE WEIRD BUT GOOD.

Sometimes there are formulas and/or rituals involved and they might have a lot of good in them but we can get so caught up in these formulas, rituals, procedures that it blinds us to what is going on inside of us and to the things we actually need to resolve. I.E. We can go through a list of people we need to forgive and say the words “I forgive” and do it as a ritual that actually prevents us from dealing with the memory, the person, and actual forgiving.

God has a new thing for us:

Isaiah 43:18-19 18Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. 19Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

But you have to leave the old to get to the new. And, believe me—it’s worth it!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11

If you want to receive email devotions or news of things happening at Hope On the Inside, please click here and just fill in your email address.

www.aplacecalledhope.org www.hopeontheinside.org e-mail HOPE ON THE INSIDE	copyright 2006 hopeontheinside.org LINKS