The old man always wants to go back to the past and is not able to let go of the past. Many people, including Christians, live with a lot of pain, hurt, sadness, angriness, and hate, that is caused in the past. They have been mistreated, physically and/or mentally abused, falsely accused, they’ve experienced trauma, or …. you name it. Every day of their lives, they live with sorrow and are controlled and tortured by these negative feelings, while holding others accountable. They want apologies, take revenge to get even, and ensure that they will be punished for the evil and injustice that has been done to them. They think, that when they get apologies, take revenge, and punish the person, their pain will go away and they can continue with their lives. But the truth is, that none of these things, will take away the pain, and will redeem them from these feelings and the past. And so many Christians are a slave of the past. What about you? Are you a slave of the past? What does the Bible say about being a slave of the past and what you must do to be freed from the past so that you can live in freedom?
Old things are passed away, all things are become new
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When you believe in Jesus Christ and become born again in the spirit, your past will be gone. You lay down the old man, whereby the past is gone.
The old man with all his sins and iniquities is crucified with Christ and doesn’t exist anymore. The old man is buried in the water.
But you not only died in Christ, but you have been raised in newness of life.
Your sinful flesh has died in Christ, and your spirit, who was dead, has been raised from the dead.
Your spirit, which was dead, has become alive and shall reign in your life together with the Holy Spirit, Whom you have received through the baptism with the Holy Spirit..
You shall no longer be ruled by your flesh; senses, emotions, thoughts, findings, etc.. But you shall be ruled by your spirit and the Holy Spirit, who are connected with Jesus Christ and the Father.
You shall walk after the Spirit according to the Word after His will, instead of walking after the flesh according to your will. You shall seek those things which are above, and not the things, which are on this earth.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-3)
How can you be delivered from the past?
When you have become a new creation, one of the first things the Holy Spirit will do through you is forgive others. You will forgive those, who have hurt or mistreated you (or your family). You shall no longer think about the past. And if you do think about the past, it doesn’t hurt anymore.
Many people, including Christians, still walk around with a lot of pain, anger, and hatred toward others because of what happened in the past. They hold others responsible, for what has been done to them or their family in the past.
But if believers, walk around with so much pain, anger, and feelings of hatred towards others and still require retaliation, prove that they haven’t been delivered and set free in Jesus Christ.
They are still stuck in the past and haven’t become a new creation. But they are still the old creation, who always looks back and are stuck in the past.
Because the new creation, who has become in Jesus Christ, a son of God (both males and females), doesn’t need any apology or retribution and doesn’t want to take revenge to get even, but will only forgive. After all, they have been forgiven by God and cleansed from all their sins and iniquities. God no longer thinks about what they have done (against Him) in the past and no longer holds a grudge against them. Therefore why are they doing that?
The new creation forgives because the love of God entered his heart and reigns in his heart. However, the love of God is another kind of love, than what the world calls love.
The love of God is a love that doesn’t repay evil for evil or retaliate. The love of God doesn’t look back at the past and doesn’t want to take revenge or retribution, but forgives. It is a self-sacrificial love, that doesn’t seek itself, that isn’t hateful towards others etc. This is the love, in which the new creation walks in.
The devil wants Christians to stay a slave of the past
The devil wants Christians to look back and go back to the past. This way he ensures, that people will get stuck in the past and become overwhelmed by all kinds of negative feelings. We see more and more, that people keep digging up past events and making them the topic of the day again. But they often are not aware of the pain, hurt, and anger they are causing in the lives of many people. And that’s exactly, what the devil wants.
The devil wants to keep people in bondage. He wants people to live in the past so that they will get stuck, and be tortured day in and day out.
As long as a person remains bound by the past, (s)he shall remain a slave of the past, and shall not walk in the newness of life in Jesus Christ.
The person shall live in bondage and not in freedom.
But God doesn’t want you to stay a slave of the past. God doesn’t want you to keep living in the past and be controlled by your past.
God doesn’t want you to remember and consider the old things from your past. He says:
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? (Isaiah 43:18-19)
Freedom from the past through forgiveness
Jesus knew, that the only way to deal with the past and to let go of the past, is through forgiveness. Forgiveness is the only way to let go of the past and forget the past.
When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and become a new creation, by water and Spirit, your past will be gone. God doesn’t remember your past anymore, it is erased by the blood of Jesus. He has forgiven you! How great is God’s mercy! If God doesn’t remember your past, you shouldn’t remember your past.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:13-15)
If you can’t forgive others, the Father will not forgive you
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15)
Jesus says, that if you can’t forgive others, then the Father will not forgive you either.
Therefore, let go of the past, so that you may live! Forgive those, who have hurt you. When you forgive those, who have hurt you, Jesus shall take away all your pain, and all these negative feelings, that are connected to your pain. Jesus will remove them from your life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus redeems you from these feelings, you shall be healed, and you shall no longer be a slave of the past. You shall be freed and shall live in the newness of life; in the freedom of Jesus Christ.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
