BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

B V O V : 1 9 by Richard Roberts The Bible makes it very clear that you and I are to live in thenow. Second Corinthians 6:2 says,"…now is the day of salvation." Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith isnow. God wants to commune with you now, and I believe He wants you to live for Him now. Right now. Today. But there is something that often hinders Christians from living for God right now—in the today of our lives.It's called our past. Some people have pasts that they are not proud of. Many of us have lost expectations, failed dreams or circumstances from past failures. We've all experienced things that we didn't intend to have happen. Problems are a part of being human. The key to a successful life with God is not getting it perfect all the time. If it were, none of us would qualify! No, the secret isn't perfection—it's being quick to repent and quick to forgive ourselves and others. The Power To Move Forward With God Now, let me be clear…repentance is not a free pass to do whatever you want. It's not a license to do something wrong. But repentance is crucial to our spiritual health, because it is the biblical way to handle things when we mess up. And it's important to be quick to repent—because that's how we connect with God's unlimited power to cleanse, forgive and move us forward in life. Your past does not have to hinder you from moving ahead with God. I want to emphasize this, because many people feel they will never be able to move beyond their past. Many Christians use past mistakes as an excuse not to do what God has called them to dotoday…in the now of their lives. If that's you, let me say what the Bible says: "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). The Bible says there is nothing too hard for Him. Whatever is in your past, it's not too big for God to handle. The key is that you give it to Him and be willing to change. It's the Will of Jesus To Forgive and Heal John 8 tells the story of the Lord's encounter with a woman who was literally caught in the act of committing adultery. The religious crowd—the Pharisees and those with a legalistic attitude— threw the woman at the feet of Jesus. They had rocks in their hands, because the Jewish law said that anyone caught in the act of adultery should be stoned to death. Then they tested Jesus, saying, "The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" (verse 5. New Living Translation). They were trying to trap Him. If He said, "Forgive her," they could accuse Him of violating the Law of Moses. But if He said, "Stone her," they could say, "You see, Jesus talks about God's love, but He doesn't live it." When Jesus saw what was happening, He didn't respond the way the crowd expected. Instead, He got down in the dirt and began to write. The Bible doesn't say what He wrote, but when He was fi nished, Jesus looked up at the people who were ready to stone the woman and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him fi rst cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). Do you know what happened? No one threw a single stone! The Lord's words pricked everyone's conscience. They knew they couldn't claim to be without sin, so they walked away. Then Jesus turned to the woman and said, "Where are your accusers?" She said, "There are none, Lord." He said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." In the fl ash of a second, He gave her forgiveness and freedom from her past—and an instruction of how to live her life from that moment on. Where Does the Past Belong? You may say, "Richard, the answer to that question is obvious. The past belongs in the past." And yet, very often we carry our mistakes, missteps, and mess-ups into our present and future, allowing them to dominate our thinking. The problem is this: As long as you are living in the past—or tied to it by a lack of repentance and "Be quick to repent—because that's how we connect with God's unlimited power to cleanse, forgive and move us forward."

• Cover