Dear Heavenly Father,
In the Old Testament, You told Your people in Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV), “18 Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” We know You to be a loving and powerful God who does not change, but sometimes we misunderstand Your faithfulness and think we have to live without excitement and bliss. Your faithfulness doesn’t change, but You are always up to something new. When we look at the life of Jesus Christ, we can see this very clearly. Our Master Jesus is always where the action is. He is as exciting as it comes, and You want us to have lives that look like his life during the time he walked upon the earth.
You tell us in John 10:10 that You sent Your Son to make available a more than abundant life. This isn’t a life of greed or selfishness. It is an existence where we honor our highest Christ-self. It’s an existence of recognizing continually that we should and can live according to his example. It is living with expectancy, anticipating the wealth of Your goodness on every turn. Believers should live a life like this, but many of us don’t. One of the things that keeps us from having a life full of expectancy is having too many regrets. These regrets cause us to continue looking backward, when we should be looking forward.
In Philippians 3:13(NLT), the Apostle said, “13 Brethren, 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, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul wasn’t being arrogant. He tells us that he’s under no pretense that he’s all that! But the one thing he knows for sure is that he can leave the past behind and press on. Paul knew this was the way to reach out and grab all the things You had in store for him.
To ‘press on’ involves diligence and effort. It means that we’re not deterred by situations, conditions, or circumstances. Yes, they may cause discomfort, but we know what You’ve promised. We know You’re faithful to bring Your Word to pass in our lives, so we must press our way through. We’re in the race of life, and in any race, it takes entirely too much energy to look back. It will cause us to lose momentum and stamina, and we don’t have time for that. We can’t focus on the mistakes of the past. They are gone forever. We can’t relive a thing that has already been lived. No matter how much we try, we can’t resurrect something that ended long ago. We can no longer allow regrets to hold us back. We must let go of the mistakes and sorrows of our past.
Please help us, Dear Father, to fully accept the newness You offer us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to release any feelings of sadness and self-doubt about mistakes, missteps, and mishaps that once tripped us up. Through Your unyielding love and compassion, You forgive us when we ask earnestly. Because of Your eternal grace, and because of Your Spirit within, we are better today than we were. You don’t want us to continue beating up ourselves over our past. You tell us to rejoice for what You’re doing now and what You’ll do in our futures.
Thank You for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Please let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Let Go of Mistakes and Sorrows of the Past”, written by K. Lizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.