Don't let the past rob you...

Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, 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."
Are you living a life of regrets, thinking, "If only...?" If only you had that college education..if only you had taken that other job..if only you had not made that silly mistake..if only you hadn't said what you said..
Beloved..if your past is robbing you of the joy of today..then forget your past! I know that some of you might feel like I really don't understand what your past consists of. Maybe you have really had quite a past..but so did Paul. If the devil had anything to bring against anyone, it would have been him. He persecuted the early church, and was in part responsible for the deaths of some..including Stephen. He had done some pretty awful things that were hard for him to forget.
I have had people tell me.."You really don't know what I've done" or "You really don't know what I've been involved in"..or "If you could be inside my head and know what my thoughts were, I'd be so ashamed"..Child of God, I DO understand those things..I may not know completely what you have been a part of, but I know what I have done in my own life. I know the thoughts that I've had and the things that I was a part of...and I know that God does not want those THINGS to hold me.. HE wants to hold me. He says that when we go to Him, and confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive them. He also forgets them. It is we who hold on. I have known people who have tortured themselves over what God had already forgiven. Paul had such a revelation of God's awesome forgiveness that he could say "forgetting those things which are behind...I press TOWARD the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ."
Beloved, God says, "Your sins and lawless deeds, I will remember no more"..If you have been forgiven by Him..why would you still put yourself in the position of being judge and jury in your own life by continuing to hold yourself accountable for things. God is your judge..and His forgiveness is complete.
Like Paul, with God's help, you can forget your past, the wrongs that you have done or been a part of, or the hurt that you may have caused others. God can take the tears of yesterday and transform them into the hope of tomorrow. He can cause all things, even the painful events of your past, to work together for your good.
His word says, "The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard" Isaiah 58:8...His glory will cover your past. It is no longer the same past that you knew..because His glory has descended on it. So don't let your past rob you of today's joy any longer!