Letting go of the past so your future can shine like a new penny

  • By Shelly Webb
  • December 31, 2009
  • 760
                        
I have a friend that feels guilty about her divorce and guilty because she wasn’t at her mom’s side when she died. I have another friend that is haunted by the sins of her past even though she’s been attending church and living for Christ three years now. These two are not unique. Unfortunately they are the norm. Millions of people all over the world can’t get past… the past. No matter what great things they do or how many people they help or how often they pray, they are continually chased by the mistakes of the past. Pastor Greg Lonsway of Millersburg Baptist Church sees this situation often and is certain that it’s one of Satan’s greatest ploys. “Second Corinthians 5:17 states, ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new,’” Lonsway said. “The devil doesn’t want anyone to realize this truth and he’ll use anything to make us doubt this scripture. When we lose sight of this simple fact, we are easily pulled down and reminded of who we were, not who we are now in Christ.” Another reason that can cause us to doubt is because despite our salvation, we are still tempted to sin and sometimes we yield to that temptation, which in turn causes us to rethink the entire concept as to whether or not we actually became a new creature. “Sometimes when we’re tempted and fall we feel like we have no victory,” Lonsway said. “We start to think we’re the same as we always were and that we’re no different. We begin to feel like we’re not really a new creature in Christ at all, just the same old creature deceived into thinking we’ve changed. The truth is, once you accept Christ, you are not who you were before. You are indeed a new creature; the slate is wiped clean. You don’t have to continue sinning. You can live a different life than you did in the past because you are now dead to sin.” Accepting the fact that you are dead to sin is an important aspect of salvation. Romans 6 discusses this concept in great length. Lonsway suggests all Christians be familiar with the word of God and allow that word to help build their faith. “When the past comes back to your mind and Satan attempts to use it to condemn you and bring guilt and shame, your only defense is knowing the word of God,” he said. “Scripture is key—learning the word of God and understanding that all scripture is, in fact, God’s very own word, is so relevant to building that belief. These are God’s words, not some psychologist’s words or some analyst’s words. When the scripture states, ‘you are a new creature in Christ,’ it is God almighty stating it, the creator of the universe, the beginning and the end, the one and only infinite God. If we can get that into our being we can resist any doubt the enemy attempts to plant.” Prior to salvation resisting sin is difficult, we have nothing to fight with, but according to Lonsway after we become saved the Holy Spirit dwells in us and gives us the strength we need to bear fruit and live a new and changed life. “Christ is now in you,” he said. “You are changed because of who he is; not because of who you are. Knowing this for real will help you conquer your past regardless of what shame or regrets it holds.” Lonsway recommends learning the scripture and bringing God’s word to mind every single day as a weapon to use against the devil and the past. “Without God’s word we are defenseless against the enemy and the sins of our past,” he added. “Having God’s word in your heart will give you what you need to fight the devil. Regardless of what your past involves, knowing who you are in Christ and that his word trumps any action of the past will give you the victory you need to pursue a hopeful and bright future in his will.” As this year and decade slowly fade, like the last flicker of a long burning candle, rejoice in the fact that a new candle is being lit and its light radiates the hope and promise of a new day and a new year. Make Christ the center of this decade and you’ll find joy and peace like you’ve never thought possible. And one more word of advice I heard a long time ago… “when Satan reminds you of your past…remind him of his future”. That should send him running!


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