BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

forgiveness—you can't really live in thenow.You can't focus on the good things that our unlimited God has for youtodayif you're tied to the past. I believe this is why the Apostle Paul learned to put his past behind him. He said, "I have not arrived. I don't know it all. I've got a long way to go. But, there's one thing I've learned to do. I take the past, and I give it to God" (see Philippians 3:12–14). Of course, if you know the story of Paul's life, you know he had made some terrible decisions in his past. He stood by and held the coats of those who killed Stephen, the fi rst Christian martyr (Acts 7). And he didn't stop there: He persecuted and arrested many Christians before Jesus got hold of his life and turned him around. Paul knew that he couldn't fully live for God if he didn't repent and move forward, in spite of how he once persecuted the Body of Christ. But Paul also knew that he couldn't live in his past triumphs. Remember, Paul experienced some wonderful miracles! He wrote much of the New Testament through the direct leading of the Holy Spirit. The handkerchiefs and cloths that he touched were used to point many people to God's healing power (Acts 19:11–12). The Bible records that during Paul's ministry, God raised the dead (Acts 20:8–12). But in spite of all his successes, Paul knew it was important to live in the now of his life. I'm sure he thanked God for all those miracles, but he didn't dwell on them. He didn't talk constantly about what he had done in the past. No, he learned to focus on what was happening in thenowof his life. And because he did, he was a blessing to the churches of his time, and his letters are still a blessing to us today! God's Forgiveness Is His Gift to You Who doesn't relate to Paul when he talks about leaving his past behind him? I'm no di erent than you or any other human being. We all make mistakes (Romans 3:23). The good news is that there is nothing in our past that we can't give to God. He's willing to forgive it all, if we truly want to be forgiven and live according to His ways. As 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he (the Lord) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Through the blood of Jesus, shed for you and me on the cross, we have forgiveness of our sins and mistakes. When we honestly admit we've done wrong, repent to God for it, make things right, and change how we act in the future, we are honoring the sacrifi ce that Jesus made for us. What To Do When You Have Messed Up In my life, as soon as I realize I've made a mistake, I go to God to make it right. That's always thefi rst step—to go to God the minute you realize that you have erred. All it takes to give God your past is a simple, sincere prayer. Pray something like this: "God, I want to give You my past. Everything that is hurting and broken in me because of past mistakes, sins, and failures, I give it all to You now. Please forgive me, and set me free from anything that would hold me back. Help me to move forward in You, starting right now, with a clean slate, in Jesus' Name. Amen." When you pray a prayer like that and mean it, God will honor it. He can help you avoid trouble in the future too, when you are willing to listen to Him and allow Him to direct your path. After you make things right with God, you can go to step No. 2, which is to ask forgiveness from those you may have o ended. Sometimes this means going to them personally, but if that's not possible, then God knows your heart. It can sometimes be hard to humble ourselves before the people we've hurt. Sometimes, it can be a powerful step to take if you want to move beyond the past and walk with freedom into the plans God has for you. You can't control how others may respond, but you can make your own heart and your actions right. And that's a very important thing! The third step is to forgive ourselves. Sometimes, this is the hardest thing for us to do. We think we should have done better, and we hold our mistakes against ourselves. But I believe that's calledpride—maybe it's pride in reverse— and it's not the biblical way to look at ourselves. Romans 3:10 says, "There is none righteous, no, not one." None of us are ever going to get it right 100% of the time, because there's only one Person who is perfect and sinless—and that's God. So let God be the Perfect One. And remember, you won't always get things right. But you can repent, and you can be forgiven. And you can forgive yourself and move on! The blood of Jesus can wash your sins and mistakes away. And you can receive His forgiveness and move forward with Him to do His will for your life. 2 0 : B V O V i C H A N N E L C H A N N E L Mon. 1 a.m. | Tue. 3:30 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. Sat. 4:30 a.m ET Watch Richard and Lindsay Roberts on Watch Richard Roberts is the Chairman and CEO of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. He and his wife, Lindsay, host The Place for Miracles—a half-hour daily interactive broadcast that reaches millions worldwide. For more information, go to richardroberts.org.

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