Getting Over the Past

Ever wonder:” Why did this happen to me”?

Only God searches the heart, so only He knows the real motives behind our choices.
* “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your
hearts…”Luke 16:15

Our heart is the place where all thoughts, emotions and desires originate.
* “Watch over your heart with all diligence; for from it flow the springs of life.” Provers
4:23

A good Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2

That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against
them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19).

This is the message above all else, that the world needs to know.
The problem with people everywhere is they have NO security, NO sense of acceptance,
and NO sense of worth.

Many people have a poor self-image–they feel worthless–even the blustering people
who try to portray that they are self-sufficient.

*Deep inside they know their actions are a cover-up; (I was there-I know)
* they know they do not really feel as confident as they would lead others to believe.
*They are often scared and frustrated. *They have to pretend that they are able to handle
everything, but at the end of the day they know they did not.

I learned after a few years that all I need to do is go to people, taking for granted that they
are hurting inside from their sins, just as I was hurting from my sins, and talk about a
God who understands that, who wants to relieve them from that hurt and has done
something about it. (My/your testimony of what Jesus has done in my life).
Therefore, Jesus was not ready to throw me into hell; He was opening His arms and
inviting me to come to a loving Father and be RESTORED. That is the message.

How can I get over the past?
Here’s the key.
*The first step is to realize what you’re REALLY trying to accomplish.
*What does it REALLY mean to get over the past?
*You can’t change what happened. There’s no time machine that can send you back to
relive the past. What’s done is done.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that your situation is hopeless. What I’m saying
is that you first have to be clear about what you can and cannot change.

You CAN get over your past. But you canNOT change events that already occurred.
**The good news though, is that you
don’t have to change the past in order to get over it.

*** What you have to change is the MEANING of the past.

Think for a moment. Was there ever
a time in your life when something horrible happened and you thought, “Why is this
happening to me?”
But then a few years later you looked
back and you could answer that question.
In retrospect, you understood why it happened. At first, it seemed like the world was
caving in.
*Later, it all made sense.
*In fact, very often, we eventually realize that bad times are part of a process that leads to
something good!
*Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

**It’s the events that FOLLOW bad times that determine the ultimate meaning of
those times.
***In other words, it’s your future
that determines your past; not the other way around.
And since YOU are in charge of your
future, then YOU determine the meaning of your past.

Ecceles. 7:8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better
than the proud in spirit.

God deals you a hand. There’s nothing you can do to change that. But you get to play that
hand.
*You get to respond to the events of your life.
*And it’s your response, your actions in the future, which determine the meaning of the
events in your past.

2 Peter 3: 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.
No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants
everyone to repent.

So how do you get over the past?
*You don’t have to get over the past. The past is over! The past is over!
What’s important is the MEANING the past has for you NOW. And the MEANING of
your past is determined by your actions in the future.

God has given every believer “supernatural willpower” to make choices that go against
what we naturally think, feel or desire. These “contrary choices” are what I call “faith

choices”.
* “…for we walk by faith, not by sight…”
2 Corinthians 5:7

The people I know who have handled their past are people who went through hell in their
struggle. They “got over” their past because they used it as a catalyst to IMPROVE their
situation.

In other words, the painful events
inspired them to change themselves.

* If you make the right moves, you
will come to view certain events as birth pains that led to a new AND IMPROVED LIFE.
THAT’S how you “get over” the past.

Isaiah 43: 18 “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will
make a pathway through the wilderness.

*Life is a balancing act battling through the already & not yet….
*God is not hung up on yesterday but focused on what we can do tomorrow! The BEST
is yet to come!
*Nothing is out of bounds with God! He can still make the crooked places straight!
*We need a fresh start, Thank God for the things to come in our lives!

Phil 3:13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one
thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach
the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is
calling us.

Jesus help me to keep my eyes on YOU, and stay in really close communion with you…
help me to see where you are moving and working… and where you want me involved
and partner with YOU in doing a new thing… in my life and my community for Your
Glory and my Joy. Amen
NEW MOVING FOWARD CLASS! An introduction this Tuesday at 6:30 at Christ
Church. Please come and hear how you can Move Forward.
Much that we do seems open ended, incomplete, not quite the way we had envisioned the
final outcome.
How can we re-do it, fix it, make it better, get it done?
May all that we have done not hold us back, stall us, or stunt the growth that is our
destiny!!!!!!
May we not camp on the incomplete and seek satisfaction there, but entrust it to God and
press on!!!!
*We fix our eyes on Christ, the author and completer of our faith.
* We are faithful to the heavenly vision and reach for the highest of goals: to be eternally
occupied in the glory of Christ’s on-going, ever-expanding Life.

***Come Join us and Move Forward together in finding out more on pursuing your
vision or dream in what our true Identity looks like from a Biblical View!