Don't Let Your Past Rob You

Philippians 3:13–14

13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are you living a life of regrets thinking “if only…”? If only I had that college education… if only I had married the right girl… if only I had taken up the other job… if only I had not made that stupid mistake… Is your past robbing you of the joy of today? Then you need to forget your past.
You might say, “But Pastor Prince, you do not know what I did in the past!”
Consider Paul. If the devil had anything to bring against Paul, it would be reminders of how he had persecuted the early church, and caused the deaths of many, including Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Paul had done horrendous things that were hard for him to forget. But he had such a revelation of God’s awesome forgiveness that he could say, “… forgetting those things which are behind… I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Beloved of the Lord, God has forgiven not only your past sins, but also your present and future sins. God has completely forgiven you and declared, “Your sins and lawless deeds, I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17)
Like Paul, you can forget your past, the wrongs you have done, and the hurts you have caused others. God can take the tears of yesterday and transform them into the miracles of tomorrow. God can restore in all abundance to you what you have lost. God can cause all things, even the painful things of your past, to work together for your good.
His Word says, “The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 58:8) It will cover your past. Wherever you go, God’s glory covers your past. It is no longer the same past that you know of because God’s glory has descended on it. Your past is past! It has been wiped out. It is gone. So don’t let your past rob you of the joy of today any longer!