Letting go of the past is not that easy because sometimes things will just pop up in your memory that may have occurred years ago. However, with God’s help I believe you can get on the path of healing.
There are a few things to understand to get in the path of healing:
Nothing Just Happens (Job 1:1-22)
Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes it is impossible to stop an experience from occurring. Remember God knows the beginning and the end so he may allow certain things to occur in your life for a reason, yes even if it is something painful. Ask God to reveal to you why certain things happened to you, either as a child, a teenager, or an adult. He is the only one that truly knows and can reveal it to you. You can also look into it if it could be a generational curse, it could be words your parents spoken into the universe, it could be something you have spoken in the universe or thought about, a choice made by you or someone in your generation, it could even be God testing you, or giving you a lesson. It could be a number of things, but there is a sure thing on why it was allowed to happen in your life. So, your best way to have peace about the situation is to communicate with God, pray that he reveals to you the reason and what are your next steps.
You Are Not Alone (1 Peter 5:6-11)
You are not alone, you have God, and believe it or not, you can actually find someone who dealt either with the same situation or a similar situation, so it’s not happening only to you. Everyone is going through something, or went through something. What matters now is how you are handling it. Some people can move past certain hurts while others are traumatized by it for life. If you start to understand that you are not alone in certain things that occur in your life you can actually use that to encourage another. Moreover, this should make you rely more on God for strength and wisdom in handling the situation.
Your Past is Not Your Future (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
Whatever happened in your past, you should not let that determine your future. You truly can get past anything that occurred in the past if you make your mind up to not allowing the past to control your future. God is in the business of restoring and we see this with many people in the bible. We see this with Job from losing everything to gaining seven-fold returned, Job 42:10-12. The Apostle Paul was a persecutor of believers (before he was born-again) yet he became one of God’s great Apostles, 1 Timothy 1:12-16, 1 Corinthians 15:9-10. God can and will restore you if you allow him. You cannot want restoration and holding to your past at the same time. You have to give up something so God can bring you something better. If you did something in the past that you are not proud of and you have made the 180-degree change, there is no longer any condemnation for you. Moreover, you should not allow people to take jabs at you for your past because everyone has a past; everyone did something or went through something they are not proud of. If you made the decision to walk in the Spirit and not in the Flesh, then you are on the right track and in God’s will, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 3:23.
Similarly, if someone has hurt you in the past and you feel it’s affecting your day-to-day life you have to understand you are giving them power over your life. The only one that should be in control in your life is God, are you going to give a person more power over you than God? You have to make a decision, will your past continue to control your future, or will you allow God to control your future?
Forgiveness Works (Colossians 3:13)
Many people hold off in forgiving people who have hurt them because they think it is hurting the other person but in reality, you are hurting yourself. It is always wise to just forgive the person that is where your real power resides. For instance, sometimes the person who hurt you don’t even care that they hurt you so the fact that you are still mad with them may empower them. Evil people love to know they have affected you in some way, don’t give them that power! Forgive and if it’s possible let them know you forgave them but be even wiser in whether you allow this person back in (or in) your life. I believe in forgiveness but I am wise to know whom I let in my life. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you have to go around skipping hand in hand with the person who hurt you. Often time the person who hurt you behavior may have not change and so you have to exercise wisdom in how you choose to continue with that relationship or situation. Most importantly, we are required to forgive by God, we ourselves, as believers cannot get forgiveness if we don’t forgive others, Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:15, Matthew 18:21-22, Luke 6:27. Let it go, forgive and let God judge this person. You may think they have gotten away with something they did on earth but they won’t get away with it come judgment day. Know God will handle it, get your peace back and let your heart be at rest.
Pray for Healing (Philippians 4:6-7)
Never neglect the power of prayer, even if you don’t feel like it, say a prayer, even if you have to whisper it. God hears every single word that comes out of our mouth, every single word. When you are constantly being troubled by your past, you have to pray. Prayer is a time to spend with God and communicate to him. Take some time and pray about this particular issue that is how healing will begin to manifest but if you close your mouth and hold things in nothing is going to change. Holding on to these pains, and hurt can even cause you to be bitter and resentful. You have to communicate with God and yes, he already knows what you are going through but he wants to hear from you. He wants to communicate with you. “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” 3 John 1:2.
Make a Wholeheartly Decision to Just Let Go (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
I know, it’s easy to tell someone to “let it go” but I say it in this way, you may never forget what happened in the past, and yes, time-to-time things will pop up in your head but each time you have to cast it out of your head and memory. If you don’t learn to control your thoughts, your thoughts will control you, and Satan will control you as well. You can’t give him that power; he is always looking for an entryway. Let it go by not rehashing the situation whether in conversations or in your mind. When you keep rehashing something that already happen, nothing happens and nothing changes. The situation doesn’t change, it can’t be reverse, so now you are just harassing your own mind with things you can’t change. That is why some people remain depressed, angry, bitter, and resentful because they refuse to let things go. Your peace of mind should be more important to you. Make a decision to be healthy in your mind, spirit and body, Isaiah 43:18-19, Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 3:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Proverbs 4:23, James 1:8, Ephesians 4:22-24. “Philippians 4:8 (AMP) “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].”
Additional Scripture Meditation
- Joel 2:25-26
- Isaiah 61:7
- 1 Peter 5:10-11
- Mark 11:24
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Hosea 6:1
- Psalm 23
May you be free from past hurts and pain. May God strengthen you in every area of your life. Be free, let go, be at peace.
~Blessings from Milly J
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