DON'T DWELL ON THE PAST

People don't dwell on the past for no reason. Many have sustained pain, some have experienced terrible situations, while others have lost loved ones which have made it difficult for them to embrace and enjoy the present and work towards a better future. Some are still striving to bring healing to years of hurt and depression, which they piled up under pressure and defective coping methods. If you're not used to living in the present and visualising the future, then chances are - you dwell on the past. The best solution or healing process is living in the Word of God.

Reference: Mark 16:6-7 New International Version (NIV) '"Don’t be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."'

Saturday evening, when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus' body. They were the women that watched from a distance as Jesus died on the cross. They had followed Him for years and cared for His physical needs. They loved Him so much that they wept profusely as Jesus went to the cross.

So after the Sabbath, they came back as soon as possible. But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. But someone was in the tomb! A young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side (an angel). Jesus was missing! He body wasn't there anymore. Moreover, the angel explained, "Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." In other words, 'Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead' (Philippians 3:13 CSB).

The women did what anyone else would do in a tomb where a dead body had gotten up and walked away- they ran! Jesus is alive. He's left the tomb, meaning that the women visited the past. The women were still shocked and still mourning. They were still in the state of grieving and weeping, while Jesus had risen and left that situation. In order to stop living in the past, they needed to catch up with the present reality, so they fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were behind time (see Mark 16:8). The need to acknowledge the present and the future was their urgent responsibility.

You may be used to reflecting on the negative events that you've faced in the past and this may have had negative effects on you. But I tell you, doing so does not help you in anyway because you are only hurting yourself in the long run. I'm not saying it's so easy to ignore horrible occurrences or deny them entirely, but I'm saying that dwelling on such past empowers the past experiences to control your present and regulate your existence.

For many who have regrettable past experiences, thinking about the past can cause them to feel angry, hurt, resentful, scared, ashamed, embarrassed, anxious, or any other uncomfortable emotion you can think of. Let go and move forward. This is why I commend you today, to the Word of God's grace, which is able to reprogramme your mind, restore your today's confidence, give you a meaningful, joyous present life and establish your glorious future.

Therefore, refuse to entertain the past. The God we serve is the great I am, not the great I was. Jesus is all-powerful because He possesses supreme and ultimate power. He's also unpredictable because He can't be found where you met Him yesterday. He is a Spirit and His life on earth was that of ever-increasing glory. And that's the life we've been called live. Jesus said, 'The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit' (John 3:8 NIV).

They killed Jesus but they couldn't stop Him from resurrecting. He moved to the next level because the past could not hold Him down. He is risen and lives forever. Hallelujah!

Scripture Reading - Isaiah 43:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Luke 9:62; Philippians 4:8.

Guided Prayer: Thank you Heavenly Father for the grace to live in the present, the capability to move beyond the hurdles to pursue what lies ahead, and the strength and wisdom to stand firm and fulfil the glorious destiny I run toward in Christ, in Jesus' Name, Amen!