Teasing Into The Past

Ever find yourself reminiscing in your past? Or even taking a slight minute to indulge in the past sins that you have already stopped doing? It can be easy taking your mind into the past journey you once walked. It's our human tendency to go back to what we once were, to tease ourselves in our past fleshly desires we once had. This "bad past" could have been a past relationship, sin, mistake, or anything that hindered your relationship with God. But whatever it is, God has called you to destroy your bad past because he has already delivered you into victory. 

You might think, well how can walking through memory lane or entering into my past one last time hurt me? But think of it this way, why would you give satan another opening and chance to enter into your life? You may have heard the saying that your past does not have control over your future. This is true, however, your past does have the power to destroy your bright future if you still bring your past into your future. Satan is out there constantly seeking to find opportunities to steal, kill, and destroy you. The easiest way for satan to do this is to remind you of the past and destroy your future because of it. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober minded; be watchful. You adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone." Dwell in the things of God and do not let satan pull you back again. If you are in a relationship, or have asked god for repentance from a past sin, or have overcame a failure or mistake, do not let your past hurt you more than it already has. Don't dwell in your past relationships, mistakes, and sins because God has already given you a new and beautiful life. Don't let the past destroy the new beautiful path that God has given you. 

A great example from the bible is the story of Lot's wife. God had sent angels to save Lot and his family from the destruction of their city Sodom and Gomorrah. The angel told Lot and his family to run and not look back. However, Genesis 19:26 says, "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."When we look back onto our past, it blocks the future God has for us. It holds us into our past and destroys us just like how it destroyed Lot's wife. God has already saved and brought a victory for Lot's family, but his wife was did not become saved because she could not let go of her past completely. Satan wants you to go back to your past and he does not want you to move on with the victory God has given you. Just because you have a victory does not mean you cannot fall again. 

So how do we prevent our past from ruining our future? Destroy it completely. God blessed the Israelites and allowed them to possess the lands of their enemies who did not love God. However, he commanded them to destroy everything of the enemies land, to not commingle with them, and to not take anything, including money from the land. Deuteronomy 7:2 says,"and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Deuteronomy 7:26 goes on and says, "Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction." Just as God has commanded the Israelites to destroy the things of evil, God also commands us to destroy our past sins completely because it has the power to destroy us. God commanded the Israelites to not mingle with the enemies of God and to not take anything from the city. We should do the same and not take anything from our past into our future. Let go of your past, and destroy it completely from your life. 

Do not take advantage of the victory God has given you, because it can be taken away from you. Protect the victory that God has given you and move forward without looking back. He has chosen you as his loved one and has a great plan for just for you. God has the capability and power to lead you out successfully from your past and into a bright future. God has already came to fix your broken life. Do not let satan break it apart again. So remember, do not tease yourself into the past. 

How has God saved you from your past?

Why Bad Things Happen

Have there been times in your life when you were angry at God because you felt that he had abandoned you? Times when everything that should have been good turned to bad? Times when your life was filled with failures and threats to a point where you had to ask, "Why God would you allow this to happen?" I have experienced many failures in my life and have always wondered why does God allow bad things to happen to us? But as bad as your situation may seem, remember that God loves you. He never intends to hurt you, but he allows bad things to happen to teach you to depend on him and to show his almighty power above all else that exists. God loves you unconditionally, and he wants you to love him unconditionally as well. I have my own picture of perfection, but I need to trust that God's picture is better than mine. 

As much as we want to live a peaceful happy life being a Christian, being a Christian does not always mean your life will be happy all the time. There will be bad times, but with God the ending is always good. A great example is the story of Moses and the Israelites being chased by the Pharaoh of Egypt. God loved Moses and the Israelites and even asked Moses to lead the Israelites our of Pharaoh's land. The Israelites thought that with God, there would be no threats or troubles leaving Pharaoh's land. However, God actually hardened Pharaohs heart so that he would pursue Moses and Israelites. Exodus 14:4 says, "And I will harden the Pharaohs heart and he will pursue them." So why would God actually harden Pharaoh's heart and put the Israelites' life in danger? It's because God already knew the final outcome. He knew that Moses would be able to separate the sea and save the Israelites from Pharaos hand. God is not living at your pace, he is always ahead of you and has already planned a victory for you. 

Just like what God did for the Israelites, he will do the same for your bad situation. When troubles happen in your life, do not worry because God already has a great reward planned for you. He never abandons you, and he will be with you throughout your storm. God does not allow bad things to happen so that you would suffer forever, but to learn to depend on him no matter what circumstance you are faced with. He allowed the Israelites to face tribulation so that they would see God's almighty power against Pharaoh. God's intention of hardening the Pharos heart was not to kill the Israelites, but to show his glory and power to those who are faithful to him.  God wants you to learn to trust him not only during good crcumstances, but also during your bad circumstances. God is never too late, he always knows the perfect timing to give you your victory. 

So what should we be doing when we are going through a tough and desperate situation? The answer is simple: wait on God. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" To be able to see the victorious ending that God has for you, you need to be still and have the courage to keep walking in him. Trust that God will deliver you from your bad situation like how he did with the Israelites and Moses. Another great example is the story of David fleeing from King Saul who desperately wanted to kill David. God loved David so much, but he allowed David to experience this because he wanted David to learn to depend on him and to see God's mighty ability to save him. At the end, with the favor of God on David's life, David was able to win over King Saul. 

Your life may bring many hardships, but remember that God never has bad intentions for you. Your last resort plan is not always God's last resort plan for you; trust in God's plan for you. 

Our life as a Christian will never be perfect, but know if you are facing a bad situation, it means that God has a great reward waiting for you. Wait for your victory because God has it prepared for you. So remember, bad things never happen to those who love God. 

Why Doing Our Best Is Still Not Enough?

Have there been moments in your life where you said, "But I did my best?" Times when you gave it your all and felt that you deserved the best, yet you still were not good enough? As much as we would love life to always go our way, the world does not revolve only around us. Life is never fair and that alone has always been hard for me to understand. I recently participated in a writing competition where the winner would win a prize of money. I was sure my essay was amazing and would be the winning paper. I soon found out that I was not chosen and someone else was chosen as the winner. I was shocked and to admit, I was dismayed with the results. I believed that I did my best and thought I deserved to at least be chosen as the top 3. Out of curiosity, I decided to read one of the winning papers and I felt touched by his story. From there I knew God was telling me, just because I did my best does not mean I deserve it more than others. I do not know what God's plan was, but I am sure that God knew that the other man who wrote that essay needed to win the competition more than I did. 

Your best does not always mean you deserve the best. God knows more than we do, so trust that God knows what he is doing. Isaiah 25:1 says, "Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." God's faithfulness for us is perfect and he never makes mistakes. Even if you did your best and failed, trust God that it is not the end. God has already planned wonderful things for you long ago, even before you experienced the failures in your life. God has already planned something great for you before you were even born. Ask God to help you see past the failures you experience, and to focus on him. I recently read a blog and it is a great reminder for all of us. It said, "We may be left out by others, but we are never forgotten by God." God still remembers you, and most importantly he loves you. And because he loves you, he will never leave you at your failure. He knows your failures and he knows you did your best, but trust in him that he is planning something better for you in his time. 

During your down times, be still and know that God still has something planned for you and he is fighting for you to get there. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."The verse does not says maybe the lord will fight for you, or in this circumstance he will fight for you, it says he will fight for you. And this means that in any circumstance you face,  he will fight for you. The only thing that we are called to do is to be still with courage and trust in him. Trust God that he is in control and keep doing your best. 

Jesus has already died on the cross for you. He has already given you his all, so why would he not follow through by helping you during your troubled times? When God starts something, he always finishes it. No where in the bible has there been a time when God started something and did not finish it. Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."God has already planned great things for you even before you were born, and he plans to carry this great plan throughout your life until the very end when Jesus comes. Be confident of Christ in you! Even if you did your best and failed, do not think that you best was not good enough. You best was what God wanted, but it was just not his perfect timing for you. With God it is never the end, and if it is the end it will always be a great ending. So if things are not going great for you, remember his great plan for you and look onto that. So remember, your best is always enough.

How has God carried you through your failures?