DEALING WITH YOUR PAST

We all have been faced with issues that has left a scar, a big hole in our heart that cut so deep. Unless the past is dealt with, one is not prepared to live in the present nor to go on into the future. Unless the past is dealt with, it becomes a haunting memory that saps the strength of the believer so he is unable to honor Christ in his daily life.
Someone has said, “The present must forget the past by correction, or else the past will become a moral and spiritual liability for the future.”
Consider some items that need to be forgotten: failures–they keep our faith from advancing; successes–they create pride (see Prov. 16:18); losses–they drag us down so we cannot serve the Lord the way we should; grievances–they produce false attitudes (see 1 Cor. 13:6); sorrows–God can heal all heartaches; discouragements–we need to remember Christ, not disappointments, thwarted hopes and plans.
Joseph, son of Jacob, overcame a painful past. He was raised in what we would call a “dysfunctional family.” Sibling rivalry filled Jacob’s household. Favoritism abounded. Hatred was a regular dish served on the family menu. One day, Joseph’s brothers caught him, threw him into a pit, and discussed killing him. One brother intervened and convinced the rest instead to sell Joseph as a slave to traders headed toward Egypt.
In Egypt, Joseph became the property of a man named Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife had eyes for Joseph, though, and made continual sexual advances toward him. Frustrated by Joseph’s refusal, she falsely charged him with attempted rape and he was imprisoned.
While imprisoned, Joseph made friends with a baker and a cupbearer. Each promised to pull their political strings and secure Joseph’s release, if and when they were freed. In time, the baker was hanged. The cupbearer was freed, but suffered a case of amnesia when it came to Joseph. For two more years, Joseph’s mailing address was an Egyptian prison.
Think back to a time when you were in your most pain. Think about things right now that are being disrupted because of your past experience. Many of you right now are going through many different challenges, trials, and frustrations because the past is still in the present. Many of you can’t move on in relationships, jobs, or family because there is something in the past that is holding you hostage in the present. Future relationships will suffer if you do not deal with the issues of the past properly. Many of the fights you have with your spouse right now are probably tied to something in the past that you are allowing to affect the present relationship.
How do we move from a place where tomorrow is not a slave to yesterday? Where today is free, and we can serve, anticipating tomorrow instead of being afraid of it? How do we move from a place where we are not in bondage to the past? I would like to suggest to you four principles that can help you deal with the past.
Principle 1: Seek to Overcome Past Desires in the Present
In order to deal with the past, you must not be consumed with desires from past experiences (Numbers 11: 1-6). For instance, perhaps you were in a situation where you lacked the security, support, or safety you craved. As a result of not having these, perhaps you suffered great harm. Your desire now for these things you treasured in the past shapes your perception, decisions, and actions towards people, places, and things in the present. Consequently, your relationship with others is impacted by these desires—desires you treasure above God and the relationship.
You must begin to adjust your desires to fit your situation. Accept that God may not allow you to have what you want right now at the level you desire it. Seek to enjoy what God is allowing you to have while obeying God in the responsibilities He has given you. Accept His sufficiency above your preoccupation with protecting yourself and providing for yourself.
You must place these desires in their proper place. They must not master you (1Corinthians 6:12).