We all have a past… I’ve lied, cheated, stole, slandered, abused, and lived a selfish life. But, after I gave my life to Jesus, my spirit has been redeemed from the hand of the enemy and it’s been this good ole flesh that needs the most HELP.
Things were going good in my walk with Christ until I started seeing patterns of situations that didn’t help me in any way and for some reason I kept allowing the same kind of people to come into my life to destroy me. Now, just with reading that, you’ll think, &I thought she gave her life to Jesus?& &Where is her God?& Well to answer all your questions, He never left. But I can tell you that I had a problem. I didn’t know who I was in God, which was the reason why I kept allowing people to treat me any kind of way. My mind kept reverting back to how I used to handle situations and how I chose to be the doormat. And after I broke down from one of the worst situations I ever put myself through, God told me that I am not my past.
*bells and light bulbs going off; ding ding ding ding ding!* OMG what did you say Lord? I’m not my past??
I was truly shocked.
I was shocked because I knew I was saved…And I felt like I wasn’t living like the old me anymore so, I didn’t understand why I kept getting into situations that weren’t good for me. But as clear as day, when God told me I wasn’t my past, I understood it as He was saying &you don’t operate as that person anymore. You operate as a child of God now (Eph. 4:22-24). Don’t let all the old pain, people, and decisions that you’ve made define you. Follow Me. All that old stuff doesn’t matter anymore.&
You see, as a Christian you’re going to go through hard times, whether you brought them upon yourself or not. But as you go through them, remember not to bring up the old you. That’s not you anymore. (2 Cor. 5:17) Let God define who you are. Allow Him to show you through His word. Allow Him to cleanse you from your old ways, so you can fully be who He wants you to be. (Psalms 51:7 & 10)
Don’t panic. You’re probably saying to yourself that you’ve been a certain way for so long, and that you don’t know how to change. And I’m here to let you know that if you just confess your ways to God and you express to Him how you truly want to change, He is right there with a plan already laid out to help you (1 John 1:9, Jer. 29:11-13). It is up to you to follow through.
How to confess your &ways&:
I’m saying &ways& instead of &sin& because I do not know what you’re particularly going through. But if you need to confess your sins too, that’s perfectly fine. Confessing humbles us. Which is good because God hates a proud look (Proverbs 6:17). You will not be able to go further if you chose to cover your faults with God (Proverbs 28:13). Your ways just literally means your old ways because our new ways should be Christ like. A confession should be an honest and heartfelt conversation. As you are conversing with the lord, just be open with Him. He already knows what you’re going through, and remember I told you about that plan he has for you? You got to talk to him and spend time with him to get it. This should be a daily conversation. Some of our past situations created huge strongholds that keep us from moving forward today. So, confessing daily is vital. Crying, sobbing, and wailing are normal when you confess. It’s showing God that you’re serious and it shows yourself that you’re connecting to God and it shows the devil that you aren’t playing any games! So don’t ignore the tug on your heart. Don’t ignore that &voice& telling you to pray. That Is God letting you know that He wants to talk to you. That’s when it is prime time to stop what you’re doing and pray.
I also want to encourage you to press past people’s perceptions of you. Your old friends may still want to treat you like how you were before you gave your life to Christ, but show them the new you. Show them that their life can change with God controlling it. Our best testimony is our lifestyle.
Speak life to yourself!
So, please, don’t let your past define who you are. You are more than the pain an ex put you through; you’re more than the abuse a loved one put you through; you are even more than the pain you inflict on yourself. You are not your past! You are a child of God (Gal. 3:26). You’re the apple of Gods eye (His most cherished; loved above all else; Deut 32:10) He created you in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:27). You’re one of a kind. You’re fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14). You have authority and power through the Holy Spirit to change whatever needs to be changed in your life (Acts 1:8). You are royalty (1 Peter 2:9). You are loved (Jer. 31:3; Rom. 5:8). You are the Lord’s.
-Blog by Jasmine Lassiter