Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God (emphasis added, KJV). One cannot clearly see where one is going, if one continuously looks back from whence one came. The past cannot be left behind if we are constantly reminding ourselves of our past. We cannot move forward if we will not look forward. Those who claim to be of the Kingdom, yet maintain their old lifestyles, are not fit for the Kingdom. We cannot live rich godly lives while trying keep the ways of the old nature. Something has to go!
In Revelation chapter three, Jesus told the church at Laodicea that, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3:16-18, emphasis added). To be lukewarm means to be un-refreshing. For example: on a hot day, people find a cold drink to be refreshing, and on a cold day, they would prefer something hot. Something lukewarm just will not do. Someone who has one foot in the Kingdom and the other foot in the world would be considered lukewarm. He is not completely surrendered unto God. It goes with Matthew 5:8, where Jesus quotes Isaiah, “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me” (emphasis added). Those who merely go through the motions, need to examine their heart. They cannot maintain the status quo, and expect to be well-pleasing to God.
The Laodiceans were unaware of their condition, because they were self-deceived. Those who are self-deceived come to be be so, by refusing to know the truth -they would rather create their own. They prefer to have it their way. When we refuse to see things the way they really are, we open ourselves up to self-deception. To move forward, we have to maintain an honest heart that is willing to see things we may not want to see. We must allow God to expose anything that is contrary to His nature.
For some it is not a matter of wanting to maintain the status quo, it is a matter of releasing the past. In some cases, there are issues of un-forgiveness. Until they forgive those needing to be forgiven, they will be anchored to their past. When there is a difficulty forgiving someone, we “come boldly to throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). There are those times that hurts are so deep that forgiveness becomes an impossible task when done in our own strength. That is when we humble ourselves before the Lord, and admit it. Through His grace we make the decision to forgive, and in His power we extend mercy to those who have hurt us -nothing is impossible for God. This leads us to another important area of forgiveness: forgiving ourselves. For many, this is perhaps the most difficult aspect in releasing their past. Part of this is a pride issue, where a person wants to control his own redemption. He wants to make up for what he has done before he will accept forgiveness. He feels as if he must suffer before he can move on. If you fit in this category, stop and do things on God’s terms. If we have repented for whatever sin we have committed; we ask and receive His forgiveness, learn from the past, and move on. Refusing to forgive yourself is an insult to Jesus Who suffered for us and took our sins upon Himself, so that we can be forgiven! You are telling Him that His sacrifice is not good enough. Furthermore, you are placing yourself in the throne of God. That’s called idolatry. Did not the Lord say, “Thou shalt not have any gods before me?” Furthermore, He said, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images . . . Thou shalt not bow thyself to them, nor serve them.” When a person chooses to hang onto his past for whatever reason, he will bow down to it, and serve it. Everything he does will be based upon the dictates of his past. Remember this: no forgiveness; no healing!
Believe it or not, there those who need to forgive God. They hold God accountable for everything wrong they have ever suffered. They hold the mentality that states: if God is sovereign, He could have stopped it. Worse still, they blame Him outright -“God did this.” This attitude shifts the responsibility for their own decisions and actions. Some believers have a difficult time admitting that they are angry with God. While God is sovereign, He still allows people to make their own decisions -including the ones that bring them or others harm. Ironically, those who tell God to stay out of their life, and refuse His guidance are usually the ones who accuse Him the loudest. Basically, these are the ones who want things their way. After all, He is God, who are we to forgive Him? There are too many issues to address concerning our past in relation to God’s sovereignty at this time. But know this, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, emphasis added). The Father will use everything that has ever happens to us, good or bad, to our good.
Some people have pet sins and/ or pet hurts. They love the feelings attached to them. Those with pet sins love feeling the power of the lust behind the sin. They will succumb to guilt -feeling bad for what they have done, but with no repentance. Many of those who feel guilty after “repenting,” feel that way because they are planning to do it again. The truth is that they feel bad about being caught, or simply feel bad knowing it is bad, but they have no plans on changing their course. Many of them take the Blood of the Lamb for granted, thinking that their un-repentant sin is still covered. Where do we find that in Scripture? We don’t! Those with pet hurts love the attention they get from others when they are bleeding (emotionally). They enjoy the company of those who would bleed with them. They love to be ministered to; therefore, they will go forward for prayer over the same issues time and again -they refuse to be healed, even when they ask others to pray for them. Furthermore, the pet hurts are used to manipulate others around them. We are all called to repentance, and the Father desires us to be made whole in every area of our lives. How can a person claim to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, and still refuse to let go of his pet sins and hurts?
Just because a person may struggle to release their past, it does not mean that they are refusing to leave it behind. It means that there areas that may need healing, or that they have wrong perceptions concerning their past. Some believe that they are stuck, and cannot not move forward. But this is a matter of comparing their belief system with the Word of God. We must hang unto the fact that, “In all things we are made more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). Realizing that the Lord has already given us the victory, means we can leave the past and move forward in Him. Keep in mind that part of our victory is not looking back to see if we do have it. Don’t test it; accept it! Let God reveal to you how He sees you now, and how He sees you in the future -and receive it.
