“Stepping out of the Past” by Stormie OMartian
For the first thirty years of my life, I struggled with feeling that I would never be anything more than a failure . It was not until I entirely surrendered my past to the Lord, that I was able to see myself as a child of God created for His purposes and not a dysfunctional mistake.
The biggest problem that faced me with regard to moving out of the past was unforgiveness toward my mother for the abuse I suffered at her hands. She was mentally ill and coped with me by locking me in a closet during much of my early childhood. Even though she was verbally and physically abusive as well, the closet is what affected me the most.
When I became an adult, I was still locked in a closet, emotionally. It wasn’t until after I came to know the Lord and went to a Christian counselor for help with my depression that I was aksed to acknowledge and confess the unforgiveness I had for my mother. As each layer of unforgiveness was stripped away, I became more and more liberated from the hurt and scars of the past.
In order to walk out of unforgiveness , we have to let go of everything except God’s hand. This means releasing what needs to be released , and accepting what needs to be accepted. Even an incident that happened yesterday must be given to God so that it doesn’t jeopardize our future.
If there are things in your life about which you have a choice, yet you keep making the wrong choice over and over, you are probably living in the past in some way. But when you make Jesus Lord over your past and are willing to forgive yourself and everyone else associated with it, He can set you free. That means coming to Him every time you are tempted or tormented by the problem, and asking Him to help you move forward step-by-step. When we walk with the Lord, healing, deliverance, and growth are ongoing in our lives.
One of the descriptions of light is revelation. That’s where the old familiar saying “shine a light on the situation” comes from. When you need God to shine a light on your situation, ask Him for revelation. Don’t sit in the darkness of the past when God has laid out a path for you to walk in the present that is illuminated with the light of His forgiveness and revelation.
Prayer Light
Lord, I release my past to You. Everything I have done and all that was done to me I lay at Your feet. I give to You my bad memories and ask that You would heal me to complete wholeness so that they no longer hurt, torment, or control me. I give You my past failures in the area of (name any reoccurring problem). Even though I may be unable to completely resist the pull of certain things on my own, I know You are able to set me free.
I confess any unforgiveness in my heart in my heart for things that have happened in the past, and I release all persons who are associated with it. I specifically forgive (name of persons I need to forgive). Heal all misunderstandings or hurts that have happened between us and make things right. I know that I can never be free and healed if I tie myself to others by unforgiveness. Give me Your revelation and show me all I need to see in order to walk out of the shadow of my past and into the light You have for me today. by Stormie OMartian ” Walking With God in the Quiet Places”
Isaiah 43:18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past See , I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
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