Topic: Haunted By Your Past? [Saturday June 27, 2015]
Memorise: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. –1 Corinthians 6:11.
Read: Romans 8:1-3 (KJV)
1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Bible in One Year: 2 Kings 23:36-25:30, Luke 12:49-13:9
MESSAGE:
Some Christians allow their past to haunt them so badly that they have no confidence in their heritage as children of God. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, is an example of someone who did not allow his past to haunt him or prevent him from fulfilling his destiny. He gave the following testimony about himself in Galatians 1:15-17:
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.”
One noticeable reason why the past haunts some children of God is their lack of knowledge and understanding of the word of God. It is necessary for every child of God to possess very sound knowledge of who they are in Christ through God’s word. As revealed in our Bible reading, any individual who is born again is free from every form of condemnation of past sins. The past should therefore not torment you if the reality of this scripture has been received in your spirit. Let us look at this passage very closely and learn one or two truths about our new life in Christ.
Before you can escape the evils of your past life, the first thing you should ascertain is whether or not you are indeed in Christ, because some people are in Church but not in Christ. The evidence of a life in Christ is outlined in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
The new life is not by our power but by the power in the Blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Bible says the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). Part of the cardinal truths distinguishing the Christian faith from all other faiths is the grace which brings salvation to us without imputing our past sins, and the power given to us to live above those past sins. Beloved, if you are still struggling with your past life of sins, you need to check your background. Are you genuinely born again? If yes, are you still living your past life? If not, your past will not haunt you again. Demolish the bridge that links you with the past and be free.
Action Point: Cut away from activities, friends and habits of the past, so that you can be free indeed.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
Click HERE to read more Open Heavens Devotional
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