Do you feel ‘stuck’ in a life that is not working? A life that is still struggling with your past mistakes and failures? Today I’d like to challenge you not to let the past choke out your future. Like a snake gets rid of its old skin, we must do the same with the disappointments of our past.

To often, we try to bury the negatives in our past, struggling not to think about them rather than deal with them correctly and remove them from Satan’s use. Satan will use whatever is not under the blood of Jesus to beat us up and wear us down… causing negative thinking and defeat in our lives. We simply do not have the ability in ourselves to “get over” the failures of the past.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). He never lets up. He accuses us continually. Anything that has not been put under the blood of Jesus is up for grabs. What does it mean to put something under the blood of Jesus? It means that whatever we’ve done that has been a mistake, we have taken it to the Lord and asked Him to forgive us. We have confessed that this mistake, or sin or failure, no longer has power against us in our life and it is buried with Christ. Then when Satan comes to remind us, we can confidently say, “Praise the Lord, I’m forgiven and this sin has no power over my life or my future, in Jesus’ name.”

The Apostle Paul, in his earlier days before he became a believer in Jesus Christ, had a widespread reputation for persecuting and even assisting in the killing of Christians. Still, he was the same man who wrote, “Receive us; we have wronged no man…” (2 Corinthians 7:2).

How could a one-time ruthless persecutor say, “I have wronged no man?” How could Paul say that with a clear conscience?

To begin with, we know that God directed Paul to stop what he was doing and go off into the desert of Arabia. While it’s not known how many years Paul actually stayed out there, we do know he stayed there until he was totally purged of all of his sin—even the persecution against Christians which he had committed in his earlier life.

How did Paul get rid of all those old memories? It’s the same way you and I can today. By taking them to the cross and meditating on the truth of God’s Word. Paul meditated on what Jesus had already done for him—the blood of Jesus and the Name of Jesus—until his spirit was cleansed. We can meditate on these same things and what God says about you until you are able to come into agreement with God. I’ve done this again and again myself. You do this until your whole memory process is purged from your past sins. And your new self-image is the image God has of you.

After all, it was Paul who also wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till He comes.”

Notice Paul’s account of the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples—and us—concerning the covenant bread and cup: “This do …in remembrance of me.”

Remembrance is the key. Jesus was telling us to replace the ungodly junk from our past—whether it was 20 years ago or 20 minutes ago—by remembering Him. He was telling us to remember Him and what He did for us…His body broken for us…His blood shed for us. By accepting Jesus’s sacrifice in your life, you are whole, clean and new.

What we’re doing in a real sense is… we are judging ourselves. The smallest sin can easily set us back from what God desires for us. Something even as simple as gossip can keep us from growing in the love and grace of the Lord. Once we sit in judgment over ourselves, judging the sin in our lives, confessing it and receiving forgiveness and cleansing from it, any image of that sin that comes up from that moment on is only a symptom of that sin. It is not the sin itself. It has no more power in your life. Praise the Lord.

Again, Paul said, “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). Add to that, verse 21, which says, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in [Jesus].” Then it becomes clear how Paul could boldly and publicly declare, “I have wronged no man.”

Saul, who was once a violent sinner, died on the road to Damascus when he cried out to Jesus. That is when he became a new creation—in Christ Jesus. He became the righteousness of God—in Christ Jesus. And when anything rose up contrary to this great revelation Paul had received from God, he set his focus on the spotless, sinless, innocent Lamb of God sacrificed for him—Christ Jesus.

Salvation is an ongoing lifestyle. As sin and failure show up, trying to rob us of peace and joy, we are told to take our worldly failures back to the cross. We choose to walk in our salvation every day of our life… not simply one time. I am not saying that we lose our salvation periodically. I am saying that to live in the joy of our salvation we have to continually remove the things that cause a stumbling block and rob us of the benefits of our salvation.

Today when something from your “past” starts speaking contrary to what the Word of God says about you, run to the communion table. Set the cup and the bread before you…and just remember. Fix your mind and memory on Him and not on yourself. When you eat the bread (representing the body of Jesus) and drink of the cup (representing His spilled blood), force yourself to behold the Lamb of God Who has forgiven you and made all things new in your life. Force yourself to think on Jesus. And give Him your burdens once again.

Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (KJV)

Look unto Jesus…consider Him. When the enemy starts trying to get you to remember the “old you” and weigh you down with sins and failings from your past….go to the communion table and fix your mind on Jesus. Put yourself in remembrance of Him and purge your mind of the past. You are now a NEW creation in Christ Jesus EVERY DAY. Don’t let the past choke out your future. Thank God you can bury the “Old You” because of what Jesus did on that cross on Calvary.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23.

With God nothing is impossible!

Dale & Paula Black

Every person is precious to God and that also means YOU. Let’s join together to reach more. Please prayerfully give today to help us reach more souls for God’s kingdom. Thank you!

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A Testimonial of Radio Interview with Capt. Dale
I just had a chance to listen to the show and I must say…WOW!  I laughed and cried and praised Jesus, sometimes all at the same time! You were a BLESSING with all you shared.  I can’t wait to meet you in heaven and give you the biggest hug ever.
     Nancy, producer with Pastor John Baptist on Tribulation Radio.