My past? Oh, I Don't Live There Anymore

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.



      So you have just given your life to Christ. You are excited and you are walking boldly in your new found journey or you have rededicated your life back to Jesus and you made the decision to start wholeheartedly living for him. Then BAM! You run into an old friend or associate. They see the fruit you are producing and start to test your walk. They are trying to see if you want to hang out and partake in some things that you don't do anymore. You simply reply, "No, thank you, I don't do that anymore." Then they hit you with the "Oh, so you think you're better than me or something? Let's not forget, I remember what you used to do."  



1 Peter 4:4 (NLT) says, "Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead."                                               


                                                                    PAUSE




Ok, so let's dissect 2 Corinthians 5:17. The first part states "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Once you have accepted Jesus into your life as your personal Lord and Savior, your past is forgiven. You are covered under the blood. Your name is written in the lamb's book of life. In fact, your name has been changed. For example, you are no longer known as ________, the thief, the drug dealer, the liar, the whoremonger, the stripper, etc. but __________, the child of God, the son or daughter of the King. You are no longer labeled as a sinner. Sin no longer have dominion over you because you live under grace and not the law. (Now that doesn't mean go and do what you want). You are not sentenced to death because you have the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ.


The second part of the scripture states "...old things are passed away; behold, all things are new. Your past is old news! You're not that person anymore. Don't let anyone condemn you. Put the past behind you and move forward onto your God given purpose. You don't have time to wallow in the past when you're focused on what God wants you to do. Jesus has washed away your sins with his blood and now it is new. You have a new slate and a new beginning ahead of you. Walk into it!

Galatians 5:1 says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Do you think that the devil is happy that you gave your life to Christ or that you decided to make a change towards the better in your life? Of course not! He is not happy that he lost one of his teammates for #teamJesus. So you know what he is trying to do. He is going to try any and everything possible to try to win you back on his team. Just like God can use us, so can the devil. He's going to use your ex-friends, associates, ex boos and boo-ettes, former boyfriends/girlfriends, and even the current ones to try to throw your past in your face. He want you to feel unworthy of yourself and He wants you to feel undeserving of God's love. Because you were set free, the devil wants to put you back into bondage.

Nobody and I mean NOBODY can dangle your past in your face. We as Christians have to stop caring about what others think. We are not here to please people but to serve God. You can't be a true follower of Christ and be overwhelmingly consumed in people bondage, constantly seeking their approval rather than the approval of God. That's why it is very important to get God's word planted deep into our heart. We need to know and understand what God says about us.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."

God love never fails. We think that God is mad at us and we separate ourselves from him when He was there the whole time. Because of you feeling condemned, you feel like God can't use you. You start shying away from your purpose. That is the enemy attacking your mind again. You can look all through the bible and see people that did not have the greatest pasts being used by God to do mighty things.

Roman 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit."
This is the scripture that we should be reminded of daily. People may condemn you but Jesus does not. Isn't that awesome?

The next time someone hits you with the "I know who you USED to be, or what you USED to do, remind them that the word "used" is past tense and "PAST" means gone by in time and no longer existing. So.. my past? Oh, I don't live there anymore.



Remember I John 3:20-21 "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God."

Acknowledge. Fix. Keep it Moving...
Matthew West- Hello, My Name Is