How to Keep Your Past From Affecting Your Present

Good morning! I pray that you have spent some time with your Savior already this morning and approach this blog with an open heart and mind. I believe God has a wonderful truth to share with us and then for us to apply to our lives today.

This past Friday I was driving from Rockford to a small city in northwestern Michigan called Wellston. I was asked by their pastor to come to their church and present the ministry of RU and preach the three services on Sunday. During the seven hour drive, I had a lot of time to think and meditate. During this time I found myself in the midst of a spiritual warfare, Satan was constantly bringing to my memory an event that transpired over 25 years ago in my life when I was yet a teenager and had made a bad choice which hurt my testimony and the cause of Christ. When this occurred in my life, I immediately went to my pastor (also my father) and confessed my sin and got things right with God.

For over 25 years I really have never thought that much about it until this trip to northern Michigan where I was going to share the awesome ministry of RU and preach the wonderful Word of God. Satan was buffeting my mind with the thought, “How can you stand in front of those people and represent RU and then preach the Bible to them?” He went on to say to me, “You should just turn around go back home, call the preacher and tell him something came up and you wouldn’t be able to make it.” I realized I was in a fight with the evil one. My immediate thought was that God was going to bless our meeting and much fruit would be gained for the kingdom of God. Obviously the devil did not want this to transpire – thus the attack.

As these thoughts crossed my mind, I would immediately cast them down and meditate on the Word of God. I prayed that God would give me guidance and comfort in this time of extreme spiritual warfare, which was not only going to affect me but the whole congregation at the church in Wellston.

When I arrived at Wellston, I checked into my hotel room and contacted the pastor that I had arrived. Then I immediately went to the Word of God. I had left off my Bible reading that morning with Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Therefore I began reading chapter eleven and, in verse three, God so graciously gave me my answer. It says “…and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” The Holy Spirit told me that my past event was a tree that God and I had cut down together when I acknowledged my sin and confessed it to Him and He so faithfully forgave me. I realized this fallen tree had no life left in it thus it had no power over me anymore.

The Holy Spirit ministered unto me by telling me that, yes, this tree once was alive and powerful but by the grace of God it was cut down over 25 years ago and had no power or influence over my life. He went on to comfort me by telling me to stop looking at this dead tree, step over it by the power of God, get on with my life, present the RU ministry and preach the Word of God like I had never done before. This is exactly what I did and, my friends, God showed up in Wellston, Michigan this past weekend! Many hearts were touched and many decisions for God were made.

What about the fallen trees in your life? You may say, “There are things I can’t change!” OK, it happened…so what? Go on and serve God. So the tree fell. What are you going to do, make a memorial out of it? Are you going to talk about it the rest of your life? We cannot allow the fallen trees in our life keep us from doing what God wants us to do.

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Tagged as: growth, past, spiritual warfare