Inspirational Article From Joanne Lowe Index of Writings by Joanne Lowe on Gospel Web

FORGET THE PAST

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3: 13, 14 King James Version

There are some people who constantly dwell on the past and I was one of them. I had been forgiven and cleansed through the precious blood of the Christ of Calvary. I invited Jesus into my heart and He became my personal Saviour on August 14, 1980, yet I constantly thought about all the cruel things I had said and done before I was born again into the family of God. I still felt ashamed and embarrassed because I had been so disrespectful to my parents. It took a while for me to realize that when Jesus forgives, He forgets also and never holds it against us again. I was allowing satan to keep me chained to my past. I finally cried out to Jesus and asked Him to please free me from all the thoughts of the past.

This is one of the ways that satan tries to discourage and defeat us, by constantly reminding us of the horror, agony, heartache, loneliness and desperation of our past. I had been told all my life that I was fat, stupid and ugly and that nobody could ever love me so it was very difficult for me to believe that somebody could love me and it was extremely hard for me to believe that the Saviour of the world loved me, or would even want to love me. It took many years for me to be able to trust people and it was only accomplished with the help of Jesus.

No matter what you have done, Jesus loves you. He is waiting for you with His arms open wide and a heart full of compassion, understanding, tenderness and mercy. Run into the precious arms of Jesus. He will forgive you and wash you in the river of blood that He shed for you on the cross. He will release you from the chains of depression, heartache, loneliness and fears that have kept you shackled for many years. You can depend on Jesus. He will never leave you, not even for a minute, and when you hurt Him, He will still love you. All of us hurt Him in some way but He lovingly forgives us time after time.

Let’s forget about the past and stop allowing satan to keep us shackled in the chains of discouragement. Jesus has set us free through His atoning sacrifice of unconditional love on the cross. We have been set free from our past and we are to walk in this freedom that was purchased for us at a terrible price, the life and blood of Jesus. There is no friend like Jesus! No one loves like Jesus Loves! He is the only one who can look into the hidden corners of our hearts and see the pain, hurt and terror. Thank You, Father, for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to die for us and thank You for our salvation, a gift that was free to us, but cost Jesus His life!

Joanne Lowe

April 19, 2007

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