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Dealing with the past
The things we go through can either help us grow, or hold us back. If we’re focused on the things that have happened to us in the past, or the mistakes that we’ve made, then we’re not focused on what God’s doing now. Jesus said: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10 NIV). Not every bad thing in our past was caused by the ‘thief’, the enemy. But if we don’t deal with them,he can use those things to keep us trapped and steal our future from us. We won’t be able to live our lives to the full. But when we allow God to help us process, grow from, and move on from our past experiences, we can step into the amazing plans that God has for us. God can lift us even when we feel like we’re at rock bottom from everything we’ve gone through. His strength is revealed and released in our weakness. ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). He specialises in using people who have faced rejection. He used Joseph, a man thrown into a pit by his brothers and written off by his father as dead. He used David, a shepherd boy alienated and overlooked by his family. Jesus was ‘the stone the builders rejected’ (Psalm 118:22 NIV), and He went on to become ‘the chief cornerstone’ (Luke 20:17 NKJV). He can do the same for us. God has a plan for each of our lives and as we spend time dealing with the past, He’ll reveal the new things He has in store for us.
What Now?
Spend some time looking in a mirror. Start by focusing on all the things you can see behind you and ask God to help you deal with your past. Then shift your focus to yourself and ask God to help you focus on what He’s got planned for you.
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