Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! ~Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
For the most part, all opportunities for spiritual growth come in the form of challenges and with God’s help we are able to face any challenge that comes our way. God is an innovator, and He is always doing something new. He is into changing things up, which tends to go completely against our human nature. Facing challenges that go against what we expect or what we think we want can be unsettling. The Lord tells us to forget the former things and do not dwell on the past. Forgetting the former things can mean forgetting how God handled a situation last time. The same promise from Gods word that helped you get through one situation might not be the promise He wants you to stand on to get through tomorrows obstacles. We need a fresh word from God every day and we need to be ready for Him to bring change, adventure, and new beginnings into our lives. That is what transformation is all about. Could you imagine a caterpillar telling God “Oh no, I am not interested in you changing things up for me. No new thing over here. Being able to fly sounds like it could be nice, and butterflies are beautiful, but I don’t think it’s worth dealing with all the issues involved in the metamorphosis process. It's probably going to be uncomfortable, I'm sure I will have to make some lifestyle changes and it sounds like it's going to be way out of my budget...” We probably sound like that to God regularly.
Some of us need a little nudge when it comes to leaving our comfort zone, but when we know that God loves us and that He is in control, it makes moving forward a lot more palatable. God knows our best days are ahead of us and so should we. They are full of new experiences that are going to develop our potential and abilities to prepare us for even bigger endeavors. The Lord doesn’t want us to stay trapped in the past and He doesn’t want us to let the past stay trapped in us. We cannot run until we have learned to walk. Putting one foot in front of the other and walking through challenges in confidence that God is with us and for us enables us to face anything that comes our way. When we know in our heart that God is turning every situation into something amazing, we will be running through obstacles and conquering giants and at the back end we are going to have a testimony that leads others to the Lord. What a lifestyle! In Ecclesiastes 7:10 we read “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions.” (NIV) It’s not wise to ask those questions because if we do, we are not trusting God with our tomorrows and in His awesome love and promise of blessing towards us today. Look ahead and embrace the new opportunities that come in the form of challenges. We can't let setbacks cause us to look back. When we don’t get it right, we trust the Lord to lift us up and dust us off. He promises to hold us up with His righteous right hand. Start looking at setbacks like they are set-ups for something bigger and better than you could have ever thought to ask for. Maybe you aren’t dreaming big enough! David said in Psalm 16:6 "You make my life pleasant, and my future is bright.” (CEV) Make that your confession today and thank God for the bright future He has in store for you!
But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. ~Genesis 19:26 (NIV)
What are you confessing today about the bright future He has in store for you?
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