December 2, 2021

                                                         Week One / Thursday

Overcoming the Fear of…

Repeating the Past

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  – 1 Peter 5:6-7

 

I was a teenager in the late 60s and early 70s.  There was no social media then and for that I am grateful.  I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have every dumb, stupid, and clumsy thing I said, or did, broadcast to hundreds of friends and strangers for them to see almost instantly.  Not a good thing.    

And to make matters worse, those images never disappear.  They never go away.  Just think about some of today’s celebrities and politicians that have had one small quote, or one small part of their life, brought back after years or decades; and then, it is pasted, front and center, on the front page for all to see.  No amount of apology can erase it.  Careers are ruined by a mistake made years ago.

We are blessed to worship a God that not only forgives, but also forgets, our past sins.   Psalm 103:12 states, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  We do not have to worry about the past.  The past is gone.   

Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”  Praise God for forgiving and forgetting our past.   He wants us not to be trapped in the past, but to follow him now and in the future.   

When we follow him, our future is secure.   We know, and can be assured, that he cares for us and wants the best for us.   Rejoice!

In what ways do you fear repeating the past?                   

 

Read 1 Peter 5:6-7 one more time.

• What does this scripture tell you about God?  

• What does this scripture tell you about your fear?

 

Prayer for Today:  Thank you, Lord, for forgetting our past and giving us the best for our future. Amen

 

Written by: Mike Steinle

Facilities Team, First Impressions Team