I ran into an old friend the other day.  After talking to this person for a while and before we parted ways this person told me, “you sure have changed,” and as I left I began to think about how much I had changed since then.  At first old feelings of guilt began to surface, but then I became amazed at where God had brought me and where He had taken me from.  I was overcome with gratitude.  I could see His glory in my life.  His grace is overwhelming!  It is only through Jesus that I am where I am today.

There will always be times when the enemy will try to remind you of your past.  There are times when I cringe and think ugh I wish I had never done or said that!  The enemy is always looking for a way to turn your vision away from God.  Satan wants to remind you of your faults and of all the times you failed.  He wants you to feel like nothing will ever change; that you will never change.  THAT IS A LIE.  “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”  (2 Cor 5:17)  This verse tells us that our old life is no longer and that when we give our lives to God through His son, Jesus, we are given a new life!  You become a new creation!  You began anew!  A BRAND NEW START!

Now I’m not saying this is easy or that you won’t miss the mark every once in a while.  What I am saying is once you come to understand and accept Jesus into your heart you now know how much God loved you by giving up His only son.  Take a minute to think about it.  He GAVE his ONLY SON so that YOU may have eternal life.  HE LOVES YOU THAT MUCH!  He knows you are not perfect and here is the thing He doesn’t expect you to be!  He knows that you won’t always get it right.  That’s not the point.  What He wants you to know is when that does happen He has already forgiven you for it.  Get up, dust yourself off, and then keep going.

The enemy wants you to believe that your past defines you.  IT DOES NOT.   You are who you are NOW, not who you WERE yesterday.  Every day is a new day.  Every hour is a new hour.  Every minute is a new minute.  Every decision is a new opportunity to be who He has called you to be.

So the next time you start to feel the past bubbling up to the present don’t begin to doubt yourself.  Remember what God has done for your sins.  Then began to praise Him and give Him glory for bringing you out of your past and into His present and future.