I’ve never been a particularly fast writer, but when it came to texting, my speed was somewhere in the range of “turtlelike.” While receiving a second or third text, I was still responding to the first. So when it came time for a new cell phone, I chose one with a QWERTY keyboard in hopes of gaining speed. As much as I love my keyboard, though, one feature came as a pleasant surprise. I can erase my inbox in a nanosecond. It’s nice to hit that “ok” button and see my screen become a clean slate.
As believers, our spirit takes on new life at the point of salvation. Our minds, however, require continued renewal (2 Corinthians 10:5). Romans 12:2 teaches that we are not to conform to the “behaviors and customs of this world” but to allow the Lord to change us as our minds are renewed in Him. While this Scripture applies to our putting aside the world’s values, we can take on worldly thinking in more ways than one.
Left to our flesh, our minds will replay the past, especially in regard to our regrets. What “was” becomes “our here-and-now” when we allow our desire for a do-over to dominate. Wanting to keep us from moving forward, the enemy lies by telling us the past is not only unforgettable, it’s unforgivable.
Thankfully, God’s Word speaks differently. He has forgiven and does not remember our blood-covered sins (Isaiah 43:25). We cannot be defined by what does not exist. Paul had it right—to go forward we must let go of the past (Philippians 3:13). After all, it’s hard to run a race looking back. Though it requires more than hitting the “ok” button on a cell phone, forgetting the past begins by believing it’s possible. Moving forward depends on it.
More:
Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory (Romans 5:2).
Next:
Are there regretful events or things in your past that keep coming to mind? What has God said about these things? How can focusing on the past keep you from reaching for what God has set before you today?
Rob on March 26, 2010 at 8:02 am
Letting go is so important but I have to ask for help here. I continually pray that I am not the man in Matthew 22: 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
If we are forgiven, how did he get into the banquet only to be thrown out by our Father?
This scares me terribly.
Sometimes my walk feels like three steps forward and two steps back.
roseofGod on March 26, 2010 at 9:07 am
I wouldn’t fear. I have trouble letting go of stuff, even when it makes me weary and miserable. The key is to give it to God. Just saying “Ok, Jesus. I leave this at the foot of your cross and I want you to take this burden off me.” It makes a tremendous difference. It also changes things immensely to ask God to help you to change. He never fails to answer prayers remember? (John 14:13, Psalm 3:4, Psalm 34:4) Sometimes it may not happen over night, but He always answers at the right time. As for the wedding guest. I think the word is implying that we need to be clothed properly or in Christ (Galatians 3:27). I may well be wrong but it’s what I get. I would suggest meditating on it before you accept what I say, and asking God to open your understanding. :3
tom felten on March 26, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Rob, keep in mind the context for Jesus’ parable in Matthew 22:1-14. He was addressing a crowd that contained religious leaders whose hearts were far from Him . . . far from God. Consider these words that Jesus spoke of you, if you are a true believer in Jesus and have received salvation: “Those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them” (John 6:37). And how can you know that you’re a true believer in Christ? “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). And what is you salvation based on? “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (Ephesians 2:8). Keep walking by faith in Jesus!
jfranz on March 29, 2010 at 10:39 am
if you are afraid of Hell then your focus still is not Jesus. If it’s just about escaping God’s wrath then ask God to change your heart and turn it to him and long for him.
He wants YOU. not a sacrifice from you, his MERCY and GRACE are an endless ocean that we have access to through Jesus Christ.
focus on Jesus. who He is, and who He is for you (savior, brother, lover, mother)
someone once told me something that changed the way i think about who Jesus is and what I need to be they said “insecurity is a form of pride”
i do believe pride encompasses and spawns all kinds of sinful attitudes… insecurity being one.
regina franklin on April 7, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Dear Rob,
Your question reminds me of a poignant scene in C.S. Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In the novel, Lewis introduces Eustace, the self-centered cousin of the Pevensie children. As he and Edmund and Lucy end up back in Narnia, they find themselves on an adventure with Caspian. Landing on an island, Eustace goes off on his own, angry at the others and caught in a grand pity party. When he finds himself transformed into a pitiful dragon (because of his greed), Eustace learns that he cannot undo his the choices that led him to his present state. Try as he might, while he ends up scraping off a few layers, he cannot remove them on his own. When Aslan arrives on the scene, however, Eustace experiences true transformation as Aslan gently (but still with some pain involved) scrapes off the scales. While Eustace takes on his former appearance as a boy, he is changed on the inside.
God doesn’t tell us to take up the process of transformation as revealed in Romans 12:2 and then leave it up to us to accomplish the task. Romans 12:1 holds much of the key to the transformation talked about in verse 2. My life must be a sacrifice. I can no more change myself (or clothe myself) than Eustace could remove his scales. With the taking up of the wedding clothes comes the willingness to lay down what we have previously used to cover ourselves. Adam and Eve knew the insufficiency of their own efforts (leaves) and had to lay down their means of self-protection to take up the covering God provided (animal skins through sacrifice).
Today, we do not have to bring our sacrifice to the priest because Christ was and is our eternal, perfect sacrifice (His death was sufficient for all sin). The gift has already been given, It is, however, up to me to receive the gift so that its provision can cover me–this is the role of repentance in our lives. My choice to see my sin for what it is–and my choice to lay it down–enable me to accept what Christ has done on my behalf and thus enable me to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus.
bingkee on March 26, 2010 at 10:39 am
Thanks for the reminder…..I know these but I forget that our sins had been forgiven and forgotten. So now our responsibility is to aim for moving forward to attain the promises of God.
Hallelujah, I praise you O Lord Jesus Christ.
As for the wedding guest, if I remember it right, our pastor explained this; Jesus calls himself as the bridegroom in a wedding. (referred in the Old Testament prophesying the Messiah;s coming—like a bridegroom).
If we are to attend his wedding, we must be fully and properly clothed –meaning, we are clothed in His righteousness, compassion, humility , patience, and kindness. “Clothe yourselves in Jesus Christ”
I find this ..it may help you understand the parable ;
http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/pbl18.html
hello on March 26, 2010 at 10:56 am
DEar christian brother and sister here,
really thank you for the sharing and your opinions here. i gained lots of knowledge and kow what God wants us to do. But, sometimes i just feel that my old self will bounce back. what should I do?does it call sinful nature?
little light on March 26, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Dear Hello,
Just want to share what has blessed my heart in this context. when we are born,as children of Adam we all have this sinful nature which the Bible calls the old man. When we are born again, God kills this old man (Romans 6;6)like as Pharoah and his soldiers were killed in the Red sea by God, Israelites did nothing, just enjoyed the deliverance. But we still have the flesh through which we are tempted .(James1:14,15)This can be compared to the giants in Canaan which the Israelites had to conqueor under Joshua,(type of Jesus our Captain) one by one. God did not kill them, they with the help of God did it and became overcomers.We also after becoming born again are given a new man and we resist the desires of the flesh and get victory over the giants one by one. The new man is strengthened by His word, the Holy Spirit, fellowship(breaking of bread) and prayer.
Soldier4Christ on March 26, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Dear Hello, don’t let the devil lie to you about your old self anymore. When we accept Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior and ask Him to forgive our sins we are made new creatures in Christ. That is not to say that you may never be tempted to fall into old habits, because the devil will try to lure you into his traps. But He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. Lean on the Lord in your times of weakness, read the bible daily and pray each and every day. Friend God will see you through. If you know Jesus as your personal Savior then your old sins are under the blood and forgotten by God and you are born anew. When the devil tries to attack your mind go immediately to God in prayer and let the devil know that you are serving God and that you are following Jesus. Love the Lord with all your heart and soul.
May the love, peace and joy of the Lord be with you always.
bethanyF on March 26, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Sometimes the past distracts us, but we must remember the line of prayer as a path to God. Thank you God.
hello on March 28, 2010 at 7:56 am
Dear all,
i have a question to clarify. I know we born with sin and we need to accept Christ to take away our sin. what if we sin after accepted christ, either a small or big sin, will God still cleanse away my new sin and accepted me?
tom felten on March 29, 2010 at 8:51 am
hello, the Apostle John addressed this issue and the answer is “Yes.” Check out 1 John 1:9. By God’s grace, new believers in Jesus may sin less as they surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. But, due to our sin nature, we will all continue to wrestle with sin while we remain on earth. That’s why it’s amazing to know that God has graciously allowed us to repent of the sins we commit and to be purified by Him—day after day!
Janetta on March 30, 2010 at 4:01 am
thanks Regina for this post
I am constantly amazed at how our relationships with others can give us greater insights into Jesus’ love for us.
I have experienced the pain of being betrayed by a loved one multiple times and being guilty of betraying the same loved one as well. I know understand what the Bible says about immorality hurting our own bodies as well
Even today i am still struggling the with the after-effects of feeling inadequate, bitterness and resentment. I resolved to hand over all these feelings to Jesus, to learn to let go and to forgive myself for my past. I am happy to say that Jesus is truly working a change in me.
Sometimes i find myself sliding back into my negative thoughts but i always remind myself to let it go and let Jesus work
hello on March 30, 2010 at 9:15 am
Thanks to tom felten,
Thank you for your explaination here. You really know what is the question hidden in my heart, and i know how it is works. I feel God really amazing and He bring all of us here.
regina franklin on April 7, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Dear Hello,
I apologize for weighing in so late, but I wanted to share a few thoughs with you. As so many have aptly answered, we will wrestle with our flesh until the day we lay down our lives here on earth. Paul refers to this great struggle between flesh and spirit in Romans 7-8 and throughout Galatians, and as Paul reminds us in Romans, God’s grace is not a license to sin. Rather it is a reminder of the strength we have through the working of the Holy Spirit to overcome the strongholds of sin. The same power that raised Christ from the grave is alive in us through Christ.
The enemy, knowing the power of Christ in us, wants nothing more than to bring us into condemnation (the very condemnation Paul speaks against in Romans 8:1) because the enemy knows when we focus on our efforts, we cut ourselves off from the One who became sin on our behalf that we might be set free from self. I love the words of Micah 7:7-8, though, which reminds us: “But as for me I will wait expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.”
Repentance is not a one-time occurrence, but a lifestyle to be lived before the Lord, not in self-deprecation but in realizing that in my brokenness, my best efforts will never be enough. His blood, however, has made a way so that my life can be a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, a pleasing aroma to the One who is Most Holy. He wants us to live not in fear of failure but in awe of His presence. The battle against sin then becomes not a law to be lived but a letter of love to the One who gave His all for us.
msdab46 on June 2, 2010 at 4:25 pm
So many comments on forgiveness is that I have learn to forgive but I had the problem of forgetting. I come to mind of all the disappointments that have came into my life and like so many others yes I am one that find my self letting the devil play a big roll in my life when I feel things are not going right yes u know the devil steps in…So many times I try to put aside everything that I am going threw but sometimes I find it getting harder and harder. I need God and my spirtual mind to step in and show out!Please some body anybody step in and give me a word of incouragement.
regina franklin on June 2, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Dear msdab46,
I am praying for you. I cannot imagine the hurt you are going through. There are some places we walk in life that go far beyond any easy answers. May you find that as you walk through this valley of shadow of death that He is the One who will lead you beside quiet waters and restore your heart! May you know–deep in your spirit–that He is worthy of your trust.
Blessings.