Do you ever let the things in your past keep you from the future God has planned for you? Perhaps your past is filled with hurt, betrayal, grief and loss. For some, the past is littered with mistakes, wrong turns, and failures. We all have those things that we want to keep secret from everyone else, yet when we feel God calling us to some task, Satan is right there rehashing that past in our minds and telling us that God could never use someone like you…someone like me. As a Christian, Satan has lost us as a soul to spend eternity in Hell with him, but if he can keep us an ineffective Christian, then we will not be about the work God wants us to do for Him and others may not come to faith in Christ. So instead we flounder around, living like we're defeated instead of living the victorious life we have in Christ.
In Psalm 43:18-19, God says, "Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." My friend, you do not have to live with the weight of your past strapped to your back. Whatever is back there is done! Shake off the hurt and betrayal. Forgive those people as Christ forgave you. Take any grief or loss you have to Christ and allow His peace and love to flow over you. Any mistakes or failures you have, have already been forgiven by God.
But not only does God not want us to dwell on those things; He wants us to know that He is about to do something new….even now…right now, in this moment! Maybe that something new is the breakthrough you've been longing for so you can release the grief. Maybe that something new is calling you into a new ministry where He can take the experiences of your life and use them for His glory. What is it He is calling you to do for Him? He wants to do something new in you today. Will you surrender to His will? What might be holding you back?
Whatever God might be doing new in you today, he doesn't just call you and then leave you on your own to figure it all out. God said he would make a way…even when there seems to be no way. Do you have a God-sized dream that seems way more than you could ever do on your own? When God gives a vision, He will certainly provide the way for the vision to become reality. All you have to do is be willing to surrender to what He's asking you to do then prayerfully ask Him to lead you through all the steps to make it happen. In His timing, you will be at the right place, at the right time and you will be amazed at what God does. You see, if the dream God gives us is beyond our own capability, then God gets the glory when He accomplishes it.
The choice is yours. You can continue to live in the past and refuse to let go or you can live in the glorious power of God as you follow his leading in your life. If you find it hard or impossible to let go of the past, seek out some Biblical counseling from your pastor or trained professional. God does not want us to live in defeat. He wants to restore. He wants to make us new and He wants to do something new in you today!