Forgetting The Past

Philippians 3:13 NIV, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,”

There are some things about the past that are beneficial to us, such as remembering how far God has brought us from, remembering the times He has delivered us, or remembering the lessons we have learned as we’ve grown in Christ. However we’re told in this verse, we shouldn’t let anything about our past hold us back from moving forward in our relationship with the Lord.

We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be saddled with guilt and shame from our past sins. Once we’ve repented of our sins, we are to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness and walk in freedom. Of course the enemy doesn’t want us to walk in that freedom, so he will constantly try and remind us of our sins and failures. We must meditate on God’s Word, so that we won’t forget what God says about our past sins….

Psalm 103:12 NLT, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Photo by: Sagui Andrea of Italy 🇮🇹

Sometimes forgetting the past can be tough, especially in situations where we are still dealing with the consequences of our sins. But just remember that God’s grace is sufficient. He will provide for you. He will give you strength, hope or whatever it is you need each day. He will never abandon you, so therefore, “keep straining toward what is ahead”, and never forget that God loves you.

Forget The Past Press Toward Your Future

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT, “No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Our past can really beat us up. Constant reminders of past failures often trouble our minds. The consequences we face from wrong choices can make us feel bad.

The good news is that God’s grace is sufficient to carry us through (2 Corinthians 12:9). The race we are running for the cause of Christ, has rewards that are far greater than we can imagine, both now and in eternity. Our eternal home in heaven awaits us at the finish line.

We can of course learn valuable lessons from our past mistakes. But even more importantly, we can see the many times God has been faithful to us. He has rescued us and kept us safe, in spite of our mess ups.

It can be especially difficult to forget the past when we are still dealing with its consequences. However, we must choose to believe that God has a purpose in everything that we are going through. We are becoming stronger, more mature Christians as we overcome obstacles from past failures. God will use our past to accomplish good things in our future (Romans 8:28).

I pray God will help you as you move on from the past and press on into your future with Jesus Christ. Good things are ahead.

Press on in Jesus Christ

%d bloggers like this: