“Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing
a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a
way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19,
NIV).
Why is it so hard
to get rid of negative feelings? Why do we sometimes have trouble
trusting God? If we are “new creatures in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17),
why at times don’t we feel new? Why do things from the past still have
power to control our feelings? What are some of the things we hear in
our minds? You will never be free. You have tried a hundred times. You
never get anywhere. You are weak. You are a failure. You will never
change. Ever have thoughts like these?
Negative
thoughts are not just put in your mind by the enemy. He exploits those
thoughts that rise from how you were raised–what you have seen and
heard–the sins that once held you captive, and the experiences that have
shaped your life. If you are safe in Christ why do negative experiences
still affect you? If you have accepted Him as Savior, the old is over.
The negative thoughts of who you have been are no longer true. You
believe in Him so why are you not “ made new in the attitude of your
mind” (Ephesians 4:23)?
You cannot just believe in Him.
You must believe Him, and what He says in His Word–that His power can
transform all of your life. You choose to forget what has happened. You
choose to not dwell on your past. You choose to be made “new in the
attitude of your mind “by putting on your new self” (Ephesians 4:23-24).
You “put on your new self”, and He brings His power to redeem all the
past which still plagues your life. You choose to dwell on Him instead
of past experiences or failures or fear of “what might be”. In that
surrender to His will, He captures the thoughts which have always
defined who you have believed yourself to be (2 Corinthians 10:5). He
redefines you.
A great newness of fresh life in Him will
spring up. You will perceive it. Where once you were controlled by the
old in your life, you will now be controlled by His new. He will make a
way in your desert to give His living water so that you might never be
controlled by what you have been or what has been. When you choose Him,
you choose new. That is a daily choice that must continue throughout the
rest of your life. You forget the former things, and don't dwell on the
past. You dwell on Him, over and over, until the past no longer has any
power over your life. You are transformed by the renewing of your mind
(Romans 12:2).
Choose new today. Put on your new self, and believe Him. You are a new creature.
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