It’s important to move forward. How do you overcome when you (internally) or others (externally) are stuck in your past? Watch this!
Short Answer: How do you forget & move forward from the past?
After Peter experienced salvation, he still found himself committing sins. One of his actions caused dissension among the saints, something that God explicitly states He detests in Proverbs 6:19. However, despite his shortcomings, Peter repented, and he started to move forward from his past.
To overcome our pasts, we must place our trust in God. 1 John 3:21 tells us, “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” Although God has forgiven us, it can be challenging to believe this. Yet, we must remember that He is greater than our hearts and knows our innermost thoughts and intentions (1 John 3:20). If we struggle to believe in our forgiveness, it reflects a lack of trust in God’s grace and love.
In the Hebrew language, the word translated “past” holds various meanings, including “before,” “east,” “forward,” “old,” “eternal,” and “ancient.” Interestingly, Jews often speak of the past as what lies in front of them, rather than behind them. In Psalm 51:3, David acknowledges that his sins may be behind God, but they remain ever before him. Nonetheless, God guides us and holds our hand, leading us toward Him. It is essential to recognize our past sins, yet not allow them to condemn us. Instead, we should bring them together and place them in the blood of Christ, knowing that His sacrifice cleanses us and gives us the confidence to walk in His forgiveness.
So how do we forget and move forward from our past? We should never forget what God saved us from, but we must never return to our old ways. Our past should be a reminder of our transformation, and it should not paralyze us with guilt and shame. Embracing God’s forgiveness and walking in His grace empowers us to move forward, free from the condemnation of our past sins.
Scripture Outline:
- After Peter was saved, he still committed sin.
- He caused dissimulation among the saints which is what God tells us He hates in Proverbs 6:19
- He was still able to be used after he repented.
- How do we move forward ourselves? Trust in God
- 1 John 3:21 – “if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.”
- God has forgiven us but if we don’t believe that. He is greater than our hearts.
- If you don’t believe you’re forgiven, then you don’t believe God
- Past is translated in Hebrew to
- Before in Psalms 139:5
- East in Numbers 2:3
- Forward in Job 33:8
- Old in Psalm 55:8, 68:33, 74:2
- Eternal in Deuteronomy 33:27
- Ancient in Deuteronomy 33:15, Isaiah 46:10
- Jews, theologically, speak of the past as what’s in front of them not behind
- Past – qedem קֶדֶם – the front of a place, east (that’s the direction jews travel), before
- Isa 38:17 – “ for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back”
- Psa 51:3 – “… and my sin is ever before me”
- Our sin is behind Him but ever before us
- God holds our hand and leads us toward Him
- When we see our sin before us, we can look and see our sin before us
- The Hebrew pictograph for the past is to bring it all together and put it in the blood!
- To move forward, we should never forget what God saved us from but never go back to it!
- If I let my past condemn then you don’t have confidence in the power of your sin
