Leaving the past behind is sometime difficult.
Are you struggling to be free in Christ, often leaving you feeling defeated?
I want to encourage you today based on my own experience of how to walk in victory and not defeat.
I hear the Lord saying there is a turning point today in your life. A holy handoff is taking place, exchanging the past for your destiny. Even now, a deep hunger for the Kingdom of God is stirring and arising. He is wanting to take our burdens in exchange for His passion, love, and faith. It is time to let go of the burdens and struggles and let Him carry them. His word says in Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message Version)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Do you ever have thoughts of things you used to do in the past or issues in your past, or temptations you want to overcome?
I would like to propose to you that when you have these thoughts, it’s not necessarily that you haven’t overcome these things. Instead, it is the enemy trying to instill unbelief in you that what Jesus did wasn’t enough.
The very enemy of your soul is trying to thwart the goodness of God and get you to believe it’s YOU who is not measuring up. In reality, it’s the enemy causing you to doubt that the blood of Jesus was enough to overcome. It is a belief system that looks upon yourself negatively, leaving you with the belief that you are not good enough and that you don’t have enough or that you are not enough.
The battle is for the perception you have of yourself. But it’s not whether you fail or overcome here that is causing the battle. Your identity in Christ is the battle. When we hold on to things of the past, except for the blood of Jesus Christ, the enemy has entered illegal territory. That territory was purchased and is not his legally. Forgive, let go of failures and regrets, and look at the present and future!
1 Corinthians 3:21-22 (NKJV)
21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours.
The Past Is Not yours And Neither Is The Battle
The past is not yours to hold onto. It was bought and covered by the blood of Jesus.
When we believe Jesus is our salvation, we are a new creature. All things become new. But, our minds tend to hang on to old habits, perceptions, and beliefs. The word tells us to renew the spirit of our minds daily and we will prove what is acceptable and the perfect will of God.
When we renew the spirit of our mind, we will not be thinking of the past, of the hurts and failures, but we will see and know that He has done a new thing in us and through us. We will continually see the favor and glory of God. We will be encouraged and we will be able to prove that goodness. The old stuff fades away and all things become new.
I believe this is key for reigning in life.
Identify With your Destiny, Not Your Past or Present
Many times we identify more with our past than our present and future. Our destiny should be who and what we identify with. If we can look forward and put our full trust in Him and the circumstances we are in presently, we can count it as joy knowing He has the perfect plan.
Pro 23:7 says, “A man is as he thinks he is in his heart.” Identify with your destiny and you will become your destiny.
A lot of times we lose sight of the destiny or vision so we place that vision on hold. It’s like pushing the pause button while watching a movie and you don’t get to the ending. Many times, we are not quite sure what our destiny is, so we feel like we are on the hamster wheel.
If that is you, begin seeking God and seeking in His word for Him to reveal that destiny, to open up to you the secrets He has for you. When you have a vision, you will be filled with life and ready to take on the obstacles before you. Without a vision, the man perishes. Pro 29:18
A Holy Hand Off
This Holy handoff is taking place today that will cause you to recognize the goodness in Him and the goodness He has gifted to you that you could walk in His righteousness and look to the future without the hindrance of the past.
If this has resonated with your spirit, I encourage you to pray this simple prayer:
“Thank you, God for the free gift of righteousness. Today I pick up that gift. I thank you God for favor from this day forth, favor that breaks poverty and lack, favor, and glory that breaks through every circumstance, favor that reveals destiny and the pathway to achieve every good thing you have for me. Thank you, God, for removing old mindsets and perceptions that I could receive your mindset that is full of love and power! In Jesus name! Amen.”
It Is Finished
Jesus said it is finished. There is nothing you can do to make yourself more righteous to God. Your works can not make you any more righteous. The work is finished! Now it’s time to rest in Him by leaning into Him. If we really believe in that free gift and do not accept the unbelief the enemy tries to distract us with, we remain free from sin and death and live through the Spirit!
Your identity in Christ is that you are saved, healed and whole. You are more than an overcomer, blessed going in and going out, God goes with you wherever you go. You are holy and righteous and you are good. Gen 1:31 AMP – And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely.
Below are some scriptures for further study reference.
Hebrews 9:9-14 (NKJV)
9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
The Heavenly Sanctuary
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Romans 5:12-17 (Romans: Grace and Glory – The Passion Translation
Our New Life
1 Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us. 2 Our faith guarantees us access into this marvelous kindness that has given us a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory!
3 But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble, we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. 4 And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. 5 And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!
6 For when the time was right, the Anointed One came and died to demonstrate his love for sinners who were entirely helpless, weak, and powerless to save themselves.
7 Now, who of us would dare to die for the sake of a wicked person? We can all understand if someone was willing to die for a truly noble person. 8 But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!
9 And there is still much more to say of his unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in my sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God.
10 So if while we were still enemies, God fully reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son, then something greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, and because we share in his resurrection life, how much more we will be rescued from sin’s dominion!
11 And even more than that, we overflow with triumphant joy in our new relationship of living in harmony with God—all because of Jesus Christ!
The Gift of Grace Greater than Sin
12 When Adam sinned, the entire world was affected. Sin entered human experience, and death was the result. It was as though the entire human race sinned when Adam did.l And so death followed this sin, casting its shadow over all humanity because all have sinned. 13 Sin was in the world before Moses gave the written law, but it was not charged against them where no law existed. 14 Yet death reigned as king from Adam to Moses even though they hadn’t broken a command the way Adam had. The first man, Adam, was a picture of the Messiah, who was to come.
15 Now, there is no comparison between Adam’s transgression and the gracious gift that we experience. For the magnitude of the gift far outweighs the crime. It’s true that many died because of one man’s transgression, but how much greater will God’s grace and his gracious gift of acceptance overflow to many because of what one Man, Jesus, the Messiah, did for us!
16 And this free-flowing gift imparts to us much more than what was given to us through the one who sinned. For because of one transgression, we are all facing a death sentence with a verdict of “Guilty!” But this gracious gift leaves us free from our many failures and brings us into the perfect righteousness of God—acquitted with the words “Not guilty!”
17 Death once held us in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah.
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
Galatians 5:4-5 (Letters from Heaven: By the Apostle Paul)
4 If you want to be made holy by fulfilling the obligations of the Law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from the Anointed One and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!
5 But the Holy Spirit convinces us that we have received by faith the glorious righteousness of the Anointed One.
Colossians 1:20-23 (Letters from Heaven: By the Apostle Paul)
20 And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is restored brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again!
21-22Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored!
23 Continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in. And this is the glorious news I preach all over the world.
Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV)
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Now is the time for the church to operate in power! It’s time to release the Kingdom of God in the cities, it’s time to push back darkness by releasing the goodness of God! Now is the time to take our places as sons of God and release the land, release healing and miracles, release the goodness!
The sons of God manifest
(Romans 8:14-17: Grace and Glory – The Passion Translation) Sons and Daughters Destined for Glory
8:14 The mature children of God are only those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit. 15 And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of Full Acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!”
16 For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”
17 And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has.
After you have read this article, please leave a comment below and let me know if this encouraged you.
