When God asked Adam if he’d eaten from the tree that God had told them not to eat from, Adam told God that it was Eve who made him do it. Eve told God that the devil had made her do it. Both were blaming others. It’s true that without Eve suggesting Adam tried the fruit, he might never have thought to. And without the devil tempting Eve, she may never have eaten it either. But, ultimately, they both had a choice. They weren’t forced to eat the fruit, they could have chosen not to. Instead of taking responsibility for their choices, they decided to blame others. We can end up doing that too. But God wants us to take responsibility for our own lives, decisions and mistakes. And until we do, He can’t bless us like He desires. So we have to make the choice to accept where we’ve gone wrong, take responsibility and then move on. We can’t keep living in our past, focusing on our past mistakes and issues. We have to focus on where we’re going and what we’d like to see happen, rather than having our eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, looking back at what was done and who did it. Looking ahead takes the power away from dwelling on the past, where we don’t have the ability to undo what was done no matter who is to blame. It distracts us from blaming others and focuses us on where we’re going and what’s to come. So let’s keep our eyes fixed straight ahead and remember what God says: ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do’ (Isaiah 43:18-19 NCV).

What Now?

Every time you find yourself dwelling on your past, declare out loud ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.’