As I have interacted with people and worked at understanding them it has become more clear to me that the past is an important part of the actions of today and how people are preparing for the future. I have heard many people say that you need to forget the past and move on. That is a dangerous way to approach life. Whether you like it or not, your past affects your decisions and actions today, and these, in turn, affect the future. If you do not learn from your past mistakes and hurts, you will most likely repeat them. There are also lies that you have believed and that have shaped you and what you believe. Those lies steal your joy and cause you to be afraid.
The junk from your past causes you to react to conflict or difficulties in a certain way. Everyone has buttons, that when pushed will take them back to those historical moments that feel similar. When stirred up those lies and fears cause you to react or respond in unhealthy ways. This behavior is often learned from your parents and other influential people in your life. Many of the unhealthy responses like withdrawing, defending, attacking, and deflection were ways you could protect yourself when you were little. Now that you have grown up you are still responding in those ways and it leads to death not life.
So what can you do about the junk from the past, the fears that lurk inside you and pop out when touched? Major changes begin on the inside where these fears, hurts and hangups live. Change starts as God works on your attitudes, beliefs, and desires. When your attitudes, beliefs and desires start to change and line up with what is true, your outward behavior changes and the transformation takes shape. Philippians 2:13 says “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” This is telling you that God helps you to want to obey him and then gives you the power to do what he wants. The secret to a changed life is to submit to God and allow him to do the inside work needed to transform the person you are.
So to unload the junk from your past means taking the first step of being reconciled to God. If you have not taken that step, God will not start the transformation process. God is at work on every person alive, drawing you to himself, but he never forces the issue, he just keeps it in front of you. Once you take the step of believing that Jesus Christ was God and man, that he lived a perfect life, that he took all your sin on himself and died for you, that he overcame death and sin by coming back to life in three days and that he is alive today, then you can ask for forgiveness of your sins and be reconciled with God. Doing that brings the gift of living forever with God in heaven. It also begins the process of spiritual maturity.
If you have done that and are continuing to live with fears that are controlling your behavior, then start asking God to change you on the inside. He will continue the process of change on the inside if you ask him. The way in which to do that is to take in God’s word on a regular basis and communicate with God on a regular basis. Remove the distractions around you and listen to God, then ask for courage to follow through on what he is telling you to do. One of the best exercises to help get that started is the Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil Anderson. Going through those steps is like cleaning up your house. It brings your focus on God and shines a light on your past and your inside attitudes, beliefs and desires. Remember that you don’t clean up your house just one time, it is an ongoing discipline. The good news is that God is doing most of the cleaning when you let him inside and ask for help.
Once you have dealt with the past in the right way you can move on and never have to bring it up again. These are the words that Moses used to encourage Joshua “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” That is your message today.