Looking Back Will Have You Salty

Well,  have these devotionals ministered to you? Have you found yourself dipping back into the annuls and deep recesses of your mind?  Don’t linger long for there is work ahead and not behind.  Enjoy these last two days on the topic “Freedom from Past Failures and Offenses” and purpose to commit this scripture to memory.

Every believer has been guilty of reminiscing. To reminisce means to indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events (Oxford dictionary). And to be honest, reminiscing has its place. There are times in everyone’s life that produce fond memories and there are times in everyone’s life that produce sinful, but pleasurable memories. We all have those, "I remember when" memories. Moreover, the more you look like Christ it seems the more some people want to remind you of the old you. "Oh, you are a deacon now, huh?"  Or, "I remember when we closed the club down now you spend your weekends in church." And let’s not forget the, "She thinks she’s better than us but I remember when she was nothing but a hell raiser." Those statements and others like them are annoying, but aren’t the real problem. The real problem is when you begin to look back and beat yourself up about what you were before Christ saved you or what you were despite of Christ saving you. Both forms of looking back can make you salty. The enemy has a way of reminding us of what we were, of trying to make us feel unworthy of the Lord’s love, grace, and mercy and/or tempting us to backslide.

When we repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness, we must also forgive ourselves. We must remember:
1. that we are new creations; old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2. that we should not dwell on the past. We should forget the former things for Christ is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:18-19)
3. the righteous move forward (Job 17:9) and
4. to forget about those things/situations that are behind us and to reach forward to what the Lord has for us (Philippians 3: 13-14).

Prayer: Lord, please forgive us for looking back/for reminiscing. Forgive us for wallowing and beating ourselves up over and over about things that have been done and can’t be undone and have been forgiven. Help us Lord, to move from reverse to drive so we can better serve and represent You. Help us to remember the importance of forgiving ourselves for past failures and bad decisions. Lord, thank You so much for Your love, Your grace, and Your mercy. Thank you for Your Son, who unselfishly went to the cross to cover our sins, past, present, and future. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
By Sis. Pat Towns