Letting Your Past be Your Past – Putting it Behind You [podcast]

“I Press Toward the Mark for the Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus”

THE ENEMY and our souls, the adversary of our own flesh relentlessly seeks to stifle, to hinder, to pull us back, backward, in reverse (1 Thessalonians 2:18). But God has called us to forget the past, to put a wall between our now existence and “those things which ARE behind,” and to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

“This one thing I do” – and what was that that Paul did?

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

In this perpetual toil in this fallen dark world where “the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,” let us take the kingdom “by force”, by fighting “the good fight of faith.” (Matthew 11:12; 1 Timothy 6:12) Let us “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Personally, I find that declaring prayerfully the words of our LORD recorded in Philippians 3:13-14 to be so powerful to freshly sever the connection of the past, to quiet, to silence the voice of the flesh and our evil foe, setting me free, propelling my crucified life upward to be who my Maker and Redeemer created and calls me to be, to do the work He has saved and ordained me to walk in. I only share this due to its absolute application to you, to your life in Christ.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

Saved and Fueled by Divine Grace

“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10

Did you catch that? The same grace of our God that saved us is also working in us to bring glory to God!

Jesus’ blood cleanses the consciences of His beloved people when they go to His throne of grace “obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

“Let us therefore come boldly (with full confidence) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14

Let us beware of the imbalance in ourselves and in others.

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 11:1

Let this propel us on in prayer and study of God’s Word for greater understanding of Christ’s kingdom truth, salvation (Matthew 11:25).

Is our imbalanced preaching crippling the progress of Christ’s saints or are we preaching the whole counsel of God which propels His saints into fruit-filled fields of success and victory in Christ?

Some seem to preach and act as if it’s all over for anyone who is saved if they dare sin. Is that biblical? No.

We should include forgiveness, mercy and examples such as how merciful God was to Peter when he stumbled/sinned and the thief on the cross and the woman at the well and the woman taken in adultery. To leave those things out, to leave out God’s mercy when His children return/repent such as is depicted in the parable of the prodigal son, is to preach an impartial gospel…. it seems from his half truth version of the gospel that it’s basically over for anyone who is saved and dares to sin again…. 1 John 1:9   1 Cor 5 > 2 Corinthians 2 to see how God forgave the fornicator and restored him, instructing the body to surround him with love because he is so hurt and regretful of his previous sin.

“God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive! Matthew 6:15. When I said all my family forsook me I should have stressed that I don’t live in that. Jesus is my Rescuer! Psalm 27:10. Praising Jesus that He saw me, saved me, and didn’t throw me away like they did!” Karen Cochran

God does not set or make His people free to squander that peace and liberty in His Holy Spirit. No. He commanded you and sets you free to do His will which is the Great Commission Christ gave us and is holding each of us individually accountable to fulfill.

Being Kept in “Perfect Peace”

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Isaiah 26:3-4

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:16-18

David’s gross sin against God didn’t negate what he did, what God used him to do before and after that season of sin. God offers His mercy and forgiveness for the repentant – and if not, NOT ONE of us could be saved. Let that sink in beloved of God. See David’s psalm of repentance, Psalm 51. Anyone else super elated about this divine truth, about the mercy of this Great God of our salvation – JESUS CHRIST?

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:10-12

YOUR PRAYER: Holy Father I come to You in the name of Jesus Christ my LORD and Savior. I repent afresh of my own sin, of my evil, rebellion, self-idolatry, self-righteousness, and disobedience toward You. Please irradicate all the sinful wickedness from my heart and life. Please circumcise my heart. Cut away all the evil O LORD. Now please fill and prepare me to be used of Thee, to be a vessel of honor to You LORD. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | Parents | Family | Godly Manhood | Women | Christology | Because You Care Page | The Greatest of these is Charity | Be Ready in the Morning [podcast] | The Sure Mercies of David [podcast] | That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast] | At His Feet | Prepared to be Used of God  | The Damning Myth of Unconditional Eternal Security [podcast] | The Essential of Fearing God | The KING is Coming [podcast] |

Can and Will God Use You? [podcast]

Does God Use You Because You Are Special in and of Yourself, Have Never Sinned Since Being Saved (haha), Or Have a Seminary Degree? Can God still use you? If so, why? How? First off, if you are reading these words, you are “desperately wicked” and not wonderful. Jesus is the “Wonderful” One! (Isaiah 9:6-7) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 Memorize Romans 7:18 today! “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Psalms 130:3 In a certain sense, the LORD uses us in spite of, not because of us!!!! “ALL […]

Putting Your Past Behind You

Forgetting the past…. Getting past the past …. Overcoming Your Past. Marching Forward. No one can change their past, yet we can and are instructed to forget it! Concerning our faithfulness to God, one writer penned this: “The secret of being ‘faithful until death’ is to be faithful one day at a time. You can only live one day at a time; you can only be faithful one day at a time. So don’t worry about whether you were faithful yesterday or not, or whether you’re going to be faithful tomorrow. Just do your best to be faithful today. The […]

An Heart Established with Grace [podcast]

“For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace…”  Hebrews 13:9 TODAY – “For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace…” Hebrews 13:9 God’s grace empowers HIS people. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10 His grace – His divine influence upon our hearts – establishes the hearts of His people. There […]

The Peace of God, which Passeth all Understanding [podcast]

“Great podcast. It helped me see how much the Lord has done a mighty work in me. I struggled with insomnia and not sleeping sometimes for days. That can be very hard on your body. As I laid down more of my self and my worries I was able to sleep better. It was lack of faith and trust in God that caused me to not be able to sleep. If you don’t trust God you won’t have peace. Psalm 4 speaks about sleep. Especially verse 8. I will lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only […]

Fresh Start with God

You can Have a … Jesus is the Great Shepherd of His Sheep (Heb. 13:20; Lk. 15) A FRESH START WITH GOD (First, if you are not certain that you are genuinely born again, please go here first) Let’s get something straight…. the disciple, the mere man writing this message is more in need of JESUS than anyone who ever lived! No one needs Jesus more than I do and yet, we must do things HIS way, not our own (Ephesians 3:8). “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs […]