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Psalm 107: 13-15 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them from the distress. He broke them out of darkness the utter darkness and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of man.
The promises of freedom are pretty clear. But this is a huge struggle for most people. Being able to walk in freedom from our past, and freedom from decisions that we regret. Unfortunately this is exactly why most Christians are at a stand still, they are not leaving the past behind to receive their healing. Instead we are using addictions in multiple avenues to help deaden the pain. This is not the kind of life God wants for you.
Philippians 3:13-14 states: brother and I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Luke 9:62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Who wants that to be their story? I know, I know! Not everyone has the same pain. Not everyone has the same levels of regret in their past they need to let go. But you see, I think Jesus knew this! I think He knew exactly what we would face and have to endure. Because, when He went to the cross as prophesied in Isaiah, He would take all our pain, unrighteousness and carry them on the His back. To the point of sweating blood before his final decision to die for us. Jesus understood the pain of every human on earth and He bore it all! For you! To live free!! When you come to the realization of this you can move on to the next step.
That next step is, we need to learn to let go. Letting go is all about discipleship. Finding someone to be honest with about what is keeping you from moving on. Tell your story to someone that will love you through it. This is helpful if the person you are talking to is a mature Christian that knows how to move past this themselves. Don't lean on someone with the same struggles. This is counter intuitive! It's like going to someone who has been married 5 times for advice on how to have a successful marriage. It just doesn't work that way. You need someone that is walking out their Christian life and no longer needs coping mechanisms to deal. Someone that will not allow you to stay in that place of regret and sadness, but will lift you up with prayer and the Word of God.
Which leads us to the next step. Pour scripture into your spirit man non stop. Many of us have fed our emotions and our flesh so much we can't hear the voice of God speaking to us. So, as soon as we are hurt we hear, "go buy some ice cream" or "man, I need a cigarette/alcohol/porn!" And so we feed our pain instead of hearing the voice of God that says "you are healed, that is your old man talking. You have been forgiven, forgive that person who's hurt you and move on. Don't get trapped in this cycle any more! You are better than this!" When your first response is the word of God, then life immediately goes to that area and heals it. Before you know it, you will see hope where there was none. Here are some Scriptures that I have quoted for myself to help guide me and remind me of my freedom
(1)Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him~Psalm 91:14-15
(2)Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.~Psalm 118:5
(3)I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.~Psalm 119:45
(4)The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners.Isaiah 61:1
(5)And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.~John 8:32
(6) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.~John 8:36
(7) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.~John 10:10
The Enemy knows exactly what Jesus did for you! He knows that if you have even a mustard seed of understanding you will be a force to be reckoned with! His most common weapon is to keep us mentally, physically and emotionally in bondage! And if you are always looking behind you then you won't see what God has placed ahead of you!
Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you (future tense). Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans for a hope and a future! Parentheses added Each and every step we take toward Jesus will come with more and more freedom. You are not alone in this struggle. We all have been there. Being a Christian doesn't mean you walk on clouds until you join Jesus in the clouds. Oh no! It means when you feel like your world is crumbling, when you are wanting to go back to your old life, you have the tools to get over that mountain with help from the One who overcame the mountain first. My prayer for you is that you will reach out to someone in the bod of Christ to help you on your journey! Don't be by yourself! Man/woman wasn't meant to be alone. We are creatures of fellowship. God created us this way, so that we can be around people who will hold us accountable and so we aren't isolated. I hope you feel like you can take that next step. I'm here for you! To pray with you and to help you overcome through the Word of God! Jesus loves you and wants to see you free from the bondage of the past! You can walk in freedom! -Angela