Death Trap of the Past

The past is something that haunts many people. It's an area of people's lives they try to control, even when it's already happened. I encourage you with this: what has happened, what you have gone through, has not been in vain. The majority of people look back and say "I wish I did this or I wish I did that." So then let those things be lessons for today. Don't dwell in the past or you'll miss today and tomorrow. Dwelling in the past is this downward spiral. Once you start dwelling in the past, you're constantly missing the beauty of the next thing and the next.... and the next. Living in constant regret and/or frustration from the past leads to a bitter and negative life. The best thing the past is used for is learning. But, many people don't use the past for that, they use it to sulk, dwell on what people have done to them in the past, and live in regret. Choosing to dwell and live in the past is choosing stress and dissatisfaction. Stress from dwelling in the past comes because we are trying to control or change something that already happened. Have you ever done or said something wrong and you knew it right away? And then right after you're trying "to clean up the mess" you made. We try to make the mistake disappear, but it happened, and it won't disappear. This is how some people live in the past. Their whole lives they try to make what happened just disappear. I believe what happened is now a part of your story that God will use for His story. Even non Christians are used in God's story. They are all in the Bible. A man who persecuted Christians became a Christian. God uses our past for today, but He never intended us to dwell in it. If Peter dwelt on the fact that he denied Jesus three times, he would never have been standing in the Sanhedrin and being persecuted for his faith. But instead of dwelling on that fact, he pursued Christ even more, he continued in his faith. If we believe that God is faithful, we should not fear, dwell on, or become bitter about our past.

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." -Genesis 50:20

This is Joseph's response to his brothers.... who tried to KILL HIM.

Joseph could have dwelt on the fact his entire life that his brother's tried to kill him, but instead he found it a blessing he did not die, and continued to pursue God. Joseph could have chosen bitterness, but he chose to see all of the goodness that God turned his past into. The past is a place the devil constantly tries to make us residents of. Keeping us in the past, keeps us from God today and tomorrow. If we just trust God and His word, there is no reason for us to stay in the past. Saying this is actually crazy for me. When I was little (and still today), guilt was a big thing for me. Mercy and grace were so foreign to me, because I knew I deserved punishment when I did something wrong. Not getting a punishment or not getting as harsh of a punishment didn't make sense to me and it actually stressed me out. I know... weird kid :)

I am NOT saying oh go on and sin and take on these terrible things from these people, but rather, don't sit and stay where you were. Let the lessons be learned. Let it grow you. But don't sit in the past and not move forward. We must move forward so we can learn and grow and continue to be progressively sanctified. Sitting in the past forces us to be stuck. This forces us to miss out on all God has in store for us and before we know it, we'll be at the end of our lives and realize we didn't live. We've been dead this whole time, because we've been living in yesterday, and never made it to today or tomorrow. That's the effect of living in the past. And it creates bitterness, tension, anger, stress, anxiety, and sadness.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly."

-John 10:10

The devil is trying to steal your joy, kill today, and destroy your tomorrow. He is trying to take you. Choose the Way of Life. Choose God's way. See each day as a gift and another opportunity. Don't miss today by living in the past. You never know when there won't be a tomorrow. So don't miss the joys, blessings, and opportunities you have in front of you because you're looking behind you.