Christian Living

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I used to be fond of watching horror . There was a certain excitement to being frightened while watching them. Fortunately, some years ago I distanced myself from that fondness due to increasing gore and ic symbolism. I rarely watch a horror movie now. For me, real life can actually be pretty scary enough. Forget the horror and scripted drama, real life can be dramatic and frightening when confronted by things from the past.

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) but some people tend to forget that. When it comes to the past, there are some who are more inclined to remember the bad rather than any good you have done. It is a shame that years of good deeds can be wiped out in an instant with one bad one.

Have you ever had someone throw up the past to you? That’s pretty scary and often a low blow by the other person. If you have some bad things in the past, more than likely another person, or yourself, will use it against you. It is sad but some of the folks that are quick to remind you of your past are the ones closest to you. You can’t choose your family right? Sometimes even the harshest critics are people in the church. Isn’t there something wrong with that? It seems that the Word preached about forgiveness and grace sounds good when it comes from the preacher in the Sunday morning sermon but falls short in practical application in our homes and pews. That’s not right. Isn’t it the same grace? Does it change just because we are related?

We have all made mistakes in our past. There is not one single, perfect individual. Each one of us must come down the same road to repentance. We all have to repent and be forgiven. The thing about past sins is that some misdeeds of people aren’t as public as others. One might seem like they have always been a Christian, but it’s a good thing that we can’t read minds isn’t it? None of us should ever act like we are beyond that. If not for the grace of God, we would still be sinners. If not for God’s goodness we might still be in to sin. We should not only be thankful but also practice that same grace to others.

It is unfortunate that some people will form a permanent opinion of us because of our past. They will say that once you have done something wrong that you will always be labeled. We have to realize that we can’t change the minds of those people who choose to confine us to our past. It can be quite depressing especially if they are a parent, child or was once a close friend. When we’ve tried all we can to restore that relationship, we have to understand that in the end, it isn’t that person’s opinion of us that is important, it is God’s opinion of us that really matters. This can be a hard road to travel and you might have to find yourself constantly reminding yourself of that fact to get through this life. Never give up. There is no hopeless cause. People may be quick to write you off and consider you a “lost cause.” God never sees a hopeless case or a lost cause. All it takes is His love in your life. Just because someone says that you’ll never change or once a (insert the offense here) that you’ll always be that. Nonsense. God has proven time and again that He can change hearts and turn lives around. You don’t need to please people or depend totally on others to give you another chance. God is the one that you truly need to get that opportunity from.

God doesn’t look at us in human perspectives. Our past doesn’t dictate our future; our present does. God forgives completely. We like to quote the fact that God casts it into the sea of forgetfulness; however, God doesn’t really forget what we’ve done in the past; however, when we ask forgiveness and repent of those things, we truly have a clean slate with Him and He will never throw up the past to us. David was guilty of ery and yet he is still considered the man after God’s own heart. Perhaps that’s why he was such a worshipper! He knew about God’s grace first hand. We need to be acquainted with that knowledge.

The past is the past. Nothing can be done about it. We can’t go back and redo things again. God never promised we would have a happy life in this world. In fact, He told us to expect the opposite. (John 16:33) Each day we live is a brand new day that God’s grace is renewed in us. We choose what we will do with it. No, life won’t always be happy, but His joy can strengthen us to make it through each day. This isn’t a fairly tale answer. Sure, people might say some hurtful things and those with knowledge of your past might be in your face often but the Word says that we shouldn’t worry about the person that can kill the body but of the one that can kill the body and soul. (Matthew 10:28) People can use their words of hurt and manipulate our feelings to make us feel worthless but in the end, we need to look past that and see that God is still God. We belong to Him not a slave to someone’s hurting words to us.

Always remember that will strategically place people in our lives to replay our past sins. You can count on the fact that the person you seek to avoid will be the very one you will encounter; especially any time you have a spiritual success. Ghosts of our pasts are human beings influenced by the enemy of our souls. Unfortunately, it’s a part of this life we must learn to cope with it. Instead of continuing to be victims of these ghosts from the past, we have to rely in the knowledge in God and the salvation through His Son. Without Jesus, we might be haunted by the past. With Jesus on your side, He is your Ghostbuster!

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things ARE passed away; behold all things ARE new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Ghostbusting the Past:
What people say:
“Once a criminal, always a criminal.”
What God says:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1)

What people say:
“You will never amount to anything!”
What God says:
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

What people say:
“You are a lost cause!”
What God says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

What people say:
“You’ll never change!”
What God says:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

What people say:
“I can never forgive you for what you did.”
What God says:
“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” (Romans 12:20)

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