In our walk with Christ, we often find ourselves held back by our past mistakes and failures. The devil tries to convince us that our past defines us, rendering us unworthy, unusable, and unvaluable to God. However, the truth is that in Christ, we are made new, and our past does not dictate our future.
I once heard a story of a circus that had a baby elephant they would train by putting a chain around its leg and nailing the other end of the chain into the ground, giving it a limited radius to roam. At the young elephants age, the small chain nailed in the ground kept it confined. However, as the elephant grew, they continued using the same small chain and nail to keep it in place. Despite its immense strength as the elephant grew in age and size, it never realized it could easily pull the nail out of the ground and be free by simply walking away. It had been conditioned to believe that the small nail was its boundary and spent its life confined to a small radius.
Similarly, the devil tries to chain us to our past, making us believe that we are limited and confined by our previous mistakes. But just like the elephant, we have the power in Christ to break free from these chains and live a life of freedom and purpose.
The Bible is filled with verses that remind us of the transformative power of Christ and the new life we have in Him. Here are a few key scriptures:
• 𝟮 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟱:𝟭𝟳: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
• 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟯:𝟭𝟯-𝟭𝟰: "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
• 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝟰𝟯:𝟭𝟴-𝟭𝟵: "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
If you are reading this thinking that there's no chance of forgiveness or redemption for you, well, you might be in for a shock. Not only is God's love unconditional, but we also see that God used some broken people to do some amazing things for Him. Below are just a few examples of ones who had a past of sin and mistakes that were transformed by God's grace and forgiveness and used for His glory:
• 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 (𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝗹): A persecutor of Christians who became one of the greatest apostles and wrote much of the New Testament (Acts 9:1-19).
• 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀: A murderer who became the leader of the Israelites and delivered them from Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15; Exodus 3).
• 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗯: A prostitute who helped the Israelites and became part of the lineage of Jesus (Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5).
These stories remind us that no matter our past, God can use us for His incredible purposes. And the ones listed above are just a few examples; the list goes on:
- Abraham: Was old.
- Elijah: Was suicidal.
- Joseph: Was abused.
- Job: Went bankrupt.
- Moses: Had a speech problem.
- Gideon: Was afraid.
- Samson: Was a womanizer.
- Samaritan Woman: Divorced.
- Noah: Was a drunk.
- Jeremiah: Was young.
- Jacob: Was a cheater.
- David: Was a murderer.
- Jonah: Ran from God.
- Naomi: Was a widow.
- Peter: Denied Christ three times.
- Martha: Worried about everything.
- Zacchaeus: Was small and money-hungry.
I'm pretty sure that as you read that list you might find yourself fitting into one of those areas, saying that thing, those things, your past, hinders you from ever being used by God. But my prayer is that this message inspires you to see that no matter where you're at in life, no matter what you've done, or where you've been, you can break free from the chains and step boldly into the new life that Christ offers. Remember, you are a new creation in Him, and your past does not define you.
In Christ, you are a new creation! Called to live a life of freedom, purpose, and joy, in Christ. That doesn't mean life will be easy or perfect, but He has great plans for your life. Embrace the new life He offers, and trust that He will use you for great things.
Let's finish this study with a prayer:
"𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳. 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴' 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺. 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯."
If you're ready to step out of the past and embrace the forgiveness found in Christ, let us know. We'd love to pray with you and for you, and introduce you to Christ.