How real it is. The devil loves to dig up our past and use it against us! He loves to remind us of the shameful deeds and the guilt and hurt and pain of our past sins and throw it in our face. I'm even more repulsed at the amount of professing Christians who seem to take up his work. What a great way of stealing our freedom. I've met people who cannot shake off the trauma of their past but live in it and it robs their future! It's quite sad.
Let's take a look at our dear friend Paul, also known as Saul. What a man of God! He was single by the way! A bachelor till the rapture! What an inspiration. Is that a sin? I'll leave that to another blog. Let's get back into Paul. Have you ever taken a look at his past? Wooo Weee! He would call himself the cheif of sinners (1 Tim 1:15)! Hi Cheif! And right fully so. Just look at what he did:
"When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
"At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. (Acts 7:54-8:1)."
Let me put that one in context for you! This is where Stephen starting sharing the message of Jesus and the people were so offended that they stoned him to death. Our friend Saul is standing there and watching the whole thing. Little did he know that he'd be serving the very God Stephen was preaching about and had witnessed the first martyr. He didn't protect Stephen or defend him. He saw the whole thing and didn't wince but approved of it!
"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2)."
Wow, he was a zealous one (Phil 3:6)! He was called a 'Christian Killer' by one preacher. But wait there is more. Here is a testimony from Ananias about Saul:
"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name (Acts 9:13-14)."
Oh, it doesn't stop there because there is more:
"All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests (Acts 9:21)?"
AAAaand one more:
"But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison (Acts 8:3).
Well, I think that you get the picture.
Not to sound insensitive but Saul was one bad dude! Gosh, I'm starting to sound like those merciless and graceless professing Christians who love to bring up the past and use it against people. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of them. You'll undertand what I'm getting to in a moment.
Later Saul would be converted and called Paul. But I have often wondered one thing? Sometimes I wonder if Paul ever struggled with his past? He admits that he was one bad dude.
Just here what he says:
"
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life (1Tim 1:13:16)."
Here is a marvelous manifestation of God's incredible power and love. Isn't this awsome? This is a further proof that God's hand is not to short to save (Isa 59:1). It's proof that God desires none to perish but all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). It also prooves that if we confess our sins, our God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1John 1:9). What marvelous perils of truth. Anyone can be saved!
Our past doesn't have to dictate our future. Shallow, pioused, self-righteous, merciless professing Christians will not determine our eternal destiny! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wilson your forgetting something. Oh, I remember, "
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12)." Wow, my battle isn't against those shallow, pioused, self-righteous, merciless professing Christians! It's the against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms! And I have been given the fullness of Christ who is head over every power and authority (Col 2:10). Yeah! Preach it Preacha!
But I love here Paul's zeal. This is how he deals with his rough past:
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14)."
YEEH! Press on Paul! Press on brother!
Well, I'll end with this: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Phil 4:13).
Thanks Paul. I guess you can identify and relate and offer hope for us little people down here! Only a repentant sinner can ever appreaciate the grace and mercy and the love of Christ!
Dig up the past on me! Hey, I got an idea! What you don't you dig up Jesus' grave! Oh! Guess what! He rose from the dead! You won't find him there. His blood cleanses of all sin, "
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matt 26:29)!" Let's give out a SHOUT OF PRAISE!