There is a difference between living in the past and using your past to live better in the present. Living in the past denotes nostalgia and regret. Using the past to solidify our faith in the present implies that we are focusing on the good things from the past as a base for good things in the here and now and in the future. Regret means that we are not enjoying the present. Regret shows that we believe things used to be good and that they might not be good again. Regret robs you of more than you know. The Lord wants us to divorce regret. We need to put an end to it and live without it. Thinking about the good old days with sadness is a trap.
Regret is the enemy of gratitude. It steals your joy. It prevents you from living in the moment. Regret argues with Ephesians 3:20. It says “God can’t do more than you can imagine. God already gave His best shot. It can’t get any better.” I want to encourage you to give no life to regret. Don’t give in to it. When regret pops into your mind, distract it with thanksgiving. Regret truly isn’t your friend. Regret is a big time liar. Regret gives you the illusion that the past was as good as life could get. Regret doesn’t work with faith. As a matter of fact, regret isolates you from the fruit of the Spirit. It deprives you of peace, love, patience, long-suffering, goodness and self-control. There is no peace when you think that your life is not good. Regret is an obstacle to receiving God’s love because we are made to believe that His love is not available anymore. Regret leads to disappointment which leads to doubt which leads to separation from God over time.
People say that our present conditions are inherited from our past. Good and bad come from our past. The Bible says that God dictates our lives. He is the One directing our steps and our past doesn’t have an influence on our present life if we believe in the Lord. You see, with Jesus we have a clean slate. Every day is a new start. If your past was better than your present, don’t worry. Things will get good again. We need to get out of the mentality that our actions have more power on our lives than the Lord does. We need to get away from thinking that our past mistakes are destroying the present blessings that we should be receiving. Let’s try to only remember the good things that the Lord did for us in the past. We could spend days dwelling on past failures but it would add nothing to our spiritual growth. It would actually diminish us and prevent us from moving forward. Do yourself a favor and focus on the goodness of the Lord today. Let the Holy Spirit bring back to mind the blessings of the Lord of yesterday. The enemy will magnify how good things used to be so you start feeling bad about today. Block him. No regrets! God has blessings that are so huge that your past can’t compare. Stay in the present!
Suggested reading: Isaiah 43:18-19; Romans 8:28; Philippians 3:13
Words of hope for today 