If I gave you the opportunity to give me your life story in 15 minutes, what would you say?
When you think about your past, does it bring back warm and fond memories, of a loving and caring childhood gentle and loving a parents and siblings, or you may have memories of a past that was primarily bad, Would your life story revolve around how you have been mistreated in the past? What has been done to you by someone? What was said/done, or not said/done? Or you may have very few memories of your past, but regardless of what you remember, you have one!
Therefore, I believe it is imperative that we understand what God’s Word has to say about handling our past. God gave us our memory – He gave us the ability to retain and store information in our brains,therefore, He must have a purpose and plan for those memories.
All you need to do is pick up the newspaper or turn on the nightly news to see that the issue of the past is primary in the worlds dealing with interpersonal problems, marriage and family issues, and behavioral matters such as in a legal trial for assault, or murder, or neglect.
Although it is not a popular view, I do not like to excuse poor behavior done as an adult by blaming families, and what happened to us as children.Yes, we may carry scars from our battles; we may have a sore or weak spot where we are especially sensitive, but ultimately, I believe that all of this can be overcome in Christ.
The Bible clearly says that in Christ you are a new creation. You have a new family, the family of God. You have a new father, who is God. You have a new spirit, the Sprit of God, who lives with your very being. You have a new nature, given to you by the Lord Jesus Christ.
I refuse to be in bondage to the philosophy of the world that says we are all a victim of something. I refuse to blame my upbringing for my poor behavior.
Even though I have had some very difficult circumstances in my life, I am not an emotional wreck, I am not a victim, and I am not co-dependant, alcoholic or mal-adjusted, I am a victorious, blood washed, born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am Victorious! And so are you!
How did I get from there to here?
Because I learned and applied what the Word of God has to say about the past. Because the Bible has been talking about a person’s past for thousands of years.
And the message we get from God’s Word is that a person’s past definitely affects her present and her future.
He who covers his sins (in the past) will not prosper, (in the present and the future) Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV)
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)
These are Some pretty clear statements about the past and future.
Have you ever noticed how many stories there are in the Bible? There are so many life stories of those who have gone before us. Stories of their lives from beginning to end. Stories of their families, battles, triumphs, tragedies- why? Why has God given us these historical records to read and review? Is it because He is a good story teller? Does He want to give us something to read beside doctrine?
The answer is that those records are there for us to learn from, so you and I don’t make the same mistakes in our own lives. You all are familiar with the saying hindsight is 20/20, well through the Bible; we have the benefit of seeing how decisions at one end of a persons life have affected them at the other end. Sometimes drastic results, sometimes glorious ones.
Your past can be of great benefit to you because you can look back at your decisions and learn from them all! The great ones, and the ones that turned out not so good in the end.
Your past also helps you to accepts new trials in life.
"Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” Job 2:10 (NKJV)
Job was able to honestly say this to his lovely wife because he remembered the goodness and the kindness of God. He understood God’s faithfulness, and this carried him through the otherwise unbearable trials of the present.