Dealing With The Past (1)

Although, many believers have been delivered from the past, they still put on the chains of the past by calling to mind the things they had been delivered from already. The past in this case could be an old, unpleasant experience like an abuse, a dysfunctional relationship and countless several examples.

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, one of the things He first purposed to do was to delete the memory of their past so they could embrace the new land He was bringing them into.

YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE NEW, IF THE OLD IS STILL IN VIEW.

The consciousness of the new life in Christ must overwhelm and subdue the consciousness of the old life you once had. The consciousness of where you are going must obliterate and bring to naught the consciousness of where you are coming from. The memory of the new must superimpose the old, terrible life God has delivered you from.

There was a quicker route to Canaan the Lord could have delivered the Israelite from the hands of Pharaoh but God decided to take them by the way of the Red Sea.

Exodus 13:17-18, KJV (emphasis added): Then, it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, THAT GOD DID NOT LEAD THEM BY WAY OF THE LAND OF THE PHILISTINES, ALTHOUGH THAT WAS NEAR; for God said, lest perhaps the people CHANGE THEIR MINDS when they see war, and return to Egypt, so God led the people around by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.

In the scripture above, God was mindful of the will power of their minds. He will not be able to change their will power if it went against His plans, so He decided to lead them away so that would influence their minds to be in agreement with His plan.

God does not remove our will power even after we get born again. The leading of the Spirit is never and will never be by force, it will always be by choice. One can choose either to yield or go against the Spirit of God.

In order to delete the memory of Egypt from the minds of the Isrealites, God created an alternative route; He hardened the heart of Pharaoh, so he could pursue them and God used that opportunity to destroy him before the Isrealites. He wanted them to be assured that their greatest enemy was done with, once and for all and he did this also to remove all their attachments from the past.

However, their hearts were hardened, they kept on calling Egypt to mind, so they never had opportunity to reach Canaan. These things were written for our learning (1 Corinthians 10:6). To have a successful journey in life, we must learn to let go of the claws of the past.

HOW TO DELETE THE MEMORY OF THE PAST.

Hebrews 11:13, KJV: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

The elders of faith never received the promise but they had a great attitude towards receiving.

1. They saw them afar off and were assured of them. How can you be assured of what you are yet to receive? This is simply faith. They took the promise of God and kept it in their mouth till it filled their mind. They fixed their gaze on the promise and they never faltered, so much that they had an assurance of receiving. It means the promise of God had filled their consciousness. Meditate on God’s Word especially His promises concerning where you are going till it rules your consciousness. Meditating on the Word is the medication, the antidote to delete the past, to make it non-existent.
2. They embraced it. How can you embrace what you are yet to receive physically? It’s like hugging a ghost. This is deep! It’s simply faith in action. ‘Embrace’ is translated ‘aspazomai’ in Greek, meaning to draw to one self, to receive or welcome joyfully.

You can never separate joy from the faith process. Joy is not dependent on physical happenings. You rejoice in trials, tribulations as the one who is victorious always in Christ (read my post ‘REJOICE’ on my blog, it explains better). Your consciousness shows on your countenance. When you are conscious of the past, fear, depression, guilt will be seen all over you but when you are conscious of the new, joy, peace, strength will be written all over you.

3. They confessed. Faith has a voice. It is the confession of victory in the midst of turmoil. You must acknowledge the good things you have received in Christ Jesus even if they are yet to be seen physically (Philemon 6). When you confess, your faith becomes effectual. Your faith is not active until you begin to speak.

Begin to declare boldly, the new life you have received, the victory you have in Christ and the promises of God concerning what you are looking forward to.

“Every time you think about the past, you create an opportunity to return to it.”