Don't let your mistakes define you. This is exactly what the devil wants, he clogs our minds and thoughts with our past mistakes and failures trying to curb our present and future accomplishments through Christ. Everyone has made mistakes and will make mistakes in their lifetime, there is a famous saying "to err is human" even though we err and make mistakes those should not define who we are and what God has planned for our future. Throughout time God has used unlikely candidates, people who have rocky pasts to say the least.
Elijah – Was suicidal.
Samson – Was a womanizer.
Rahab – Was a prostitute.
Samaritan Woman – Divorced.
Noah – Was a Drunk.
Jacob – Was a cheater.
David – Was a murderer.
Jonah – Ran from God
Zacchaeus – Was small and money hungry.
The Disciples – Fell asleep while praying.
Paul – A Pharisee who persecuted Christians before becoming one.
Just to name a few
Even though they had evils in their past God did not let it define their future. Not only did he do it for them, he will do it for us! How great is it knowing that our Heavenly Father is able to use truly broken people for the Glory of the kingdom! If God is able to put our sins of the past behind Him, we should and are able to as well. We can’t listen to the devil when he tries to tell us otherwise. The closer we get to doing great works for the kingdom the harder the devil works trying to prevent it, bringing up our past sins and mistakes trying to tear us back down into his spiral of shame, regret and brokenness. The devil wants to use our past against us to try and keep us broken. Even though God knows what we will do past, present and future he does not look at us based on our past sins and mistakes, he looks at us and sees our potential through him and how he can use us to further the Kingdom of God.
“I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.””
Isaiah 44:22 NLT
Jesus paid the ultimate price for sin. He came to rub out our sins and mistakes, not to rub them in. He suffered more pain and anguish on the cross than we will ever have to suffer in our lifetime. He did all this to give us a clean slate to live by, all we have to do is confess our sins to God and ask forgiveness.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-26 NLT
We can’t let our past mistakes impact our future with God. Our past doesn’t define us, it teaches us and because of the grace God has given, even when we didn’t deserve it, it gives us the ability to glorify the kingdom even greater.
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