Dealing With the Past

**fennywest** Wed 18 Jan 2012, 8:55 pm

"You, My brothers, were called to be free…" Gal 5:13

" 'As regards ...', Life is too short to be an inmate in the prison of previous mistakes. Have you heard of that prison? Its jailers are called guilt and regret. If you let them, they'll hold you captive, torturing you with images of what you could have been or should have been if only you'd done this or that.

"Don't be judge and jury at your own trial! Refuse to accept a life-sentence of misery and regret! There's only one judge and He is forgiving. Listen, "…return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy.. and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa55:7). We used to sing. "His love hath no limit. His grace hath no measure; His power no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

"Decide today to live by the three "Rs" - Repent; Rectify the situation if you can and take Responsibility for your life. Once you've done that, close the book, enjoy the benefits of His forgiveness and move beyond the guilty.

"Know when things are dead. No amount of work will resuscitate a corpse. Sign the death certificate, bury the past and move on. That doesn't mean you're quitting- no, it just means you're conserving your strength for things that count, things you can do something about. Today, God wants to set you free from the past - please let Him!

"Learn from your mistakes, make a quality decision to change in the areas where you have the ability to do so. You may struggle more in some areas than in others. But you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You have been set free for freedom. Do not allow yourself to be held down in bondage by your past. Today you have a chance to begin anew! And be what God has called you to be. "