Transform Not Transfer

Phil.3:¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

You cannot go forward if you keep holding onto the past. The past is what it is – past! So let it go. You cannot start a new business if you are still holding on to the failure of the last business. You cannot take a step forward in marriage holding on to the failure of the last relationship. It will be totally impossible for you to trust anyone again. God says you have to let the past go if you want to go forward. However, the question is, why is it so difficult to let go of the past – past regrets, past pain and past hurts? God is saying you need to let it go.

In Brazil, to catch a monkey, they put a nut in a jar. The hand can go in easily but it cannot come out of the jar clenched. So the monkey puts its hand in the jar, takes hold of the nut and refuses to let go and begins to battle with the bottle and that is how it is caught. The monkey gets caught because it will not let go of the nut. This story is the picture of the position a lot of people have taken. People that are now married but are consistently thinking of their past relationship and who they should have married instead. Let it go!

Learn the lessons from the past but let go of the past. Deal with the pains but let it go. Take responsibility but let it go. In fact, one of the two things that ruin relationships is that people do not deal with the pain of the past. If you do not deal with the pain of the past, -you most likely will transfer it. Whereas when you deal with the pain, you transform it into fuel. So even though you are in a new relationship, you are transferring the pain from the past. It is a new business relationship but you are busy suspecting everyone instead of taking responsibility for your actions. Deal with the pain and take responsibility.

Until you let go of the past, you cannot take hold of the future. Paul captures it adequately in Phil.3:¹³ …but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead [emphasis added]. You do two things: forget the past and take hold of the future. You cannot think of the future if you do not forget the past. You cannot take hold of the future if you do not let the past go. I know it is painful but you have to let it go.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I lay down past regrets, past pain and past hurts at the foot of the Cross and I am trusting You for the days to come, in Jesus Name. Amen!