Our Beloved Brother Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Philippians chapter 3:
12 Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own.
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us stay true to what we have already attained. AMPL
This passage is critical for us to embrace as Paul did in his life. WE MUST LET OUR PAST GO! It is no longer relevant to those who have been redeemed by the Blood of The Lamb. Many of us have had to forgive those in the past who have negatively impacted our lives. Those deep-seated hurts have been like heavy weights keeping us from ascending higher. As we forgive because of our revelation of unconditional Love, those weights are cut away and we are no longer held down by our past.
Some have been hurt by parents’ words and actions. Those events are often walled up in our hearts so that the pain is encapsulated in order to protect our consciousness. We must bust down those walls and remove those events by means of expressing our forgiveness. When can speak forgiveness to those even though they may have physically passed away. As we vocally express our forgiveness, we release the past and the associated pain. It matters not if the other person changes even though it is our hope that they do. When we forgive, it changes us!
As we remove those weights, we can focus on the “now” and reach forward to what lies ahead, our upward call of our purpose. Paul notes that as who have matured will have this attitude in our pursuit of spiritual perfection. Those who have yet embraced this revelation will receive it as FATHER makes it clear. Let us not keep revisiting the past for it only serves to draw our focus away from the present. Paul also wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 5:
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
We too have done harm in the past but we are no longer that old “man” for we have been reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Let us ask to be forgiven as is applicable and move on. Some will accept our apologies and some will not. If those we have wronged don’t accept our apology, it is now their problem, not ours. Jesus clearly stated in Matthew chapter 6:
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Forgiveness is the cornerstone of moving forward in life. It allows people to forget the past and move on toward maturity. Let’s deal with the past once and for all so that we can fulfill our purpose!