Letting Go of the Past

“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 NIV
 
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
 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.
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
 
Have you ever stopped yourself from taking a chance on a new opportunity because of your past? Maybe your family tradition dictated your career path, or you felt pressured to conform to a track because that’s what everyone else was doing. Perhaps you felt like you had no other choice because of the mistakes you made in the past... if only you had chosen differently then.
 
If you can relate to that, the passage above is for you: Forget things that happened before and stop considering how they’ve always been done. God wants to do a new work with you and those chains holding you back were broken the moment you asked Jesus to be Lord of your life!
 
I can’t think of a better example of this in the life of a believer than that of Saul/Paul. Saul was born into the ideal Jewish lineage and went to all the best schools. He was zealous about his religion, even to the point of radical pursuit of the new Christians. He actively participated in the persecution and killing of Stephen. And yet when Jesus came into his life, more than his name changed. (Acts 9, Philippians 3)
 
Paul came to understand that everything he had valued and sought out was garbage, but he could start anew.  He had been called by name and redeemed by God. Anything was now possible.
 
Has God redeemed you? Have you sought Him in prayer to understand better what new things He wants to do in you and through you?

By: Anna Williams