“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
This powerful scripture encourages us not to live in the past, but to live in the past tense. What am I talking about? We are to live our lives in the light of who we are: washed, sanctified, and justified; rather than who we used to be…’and such were some of you…’ Don’t allow the enemy to overwhelm you with thoughts of what you were, and what you used to be. That’s not who you are anymore. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. The blood of Jesus has taken away all the guilt, all the fear, and all the shame, and replaced it with His forgiveness, His peace, and His joy.
Satan will do all he can to to bring your past against you. He will seek to plant thoughts in you that cause you to be insecure about your present standing with the Lord. With this type of thinking, he can render you ineffective for the Kingdom. It is possible to be a Christian, but at the same time be a miserable one, an unstable one, and a frustrated one. Here’s what needs to be remembered: your status, i.e., your position never changes once you are in Christ. Your condition however, will tend to fluctuate based on your understanding of this truth; and this truth is based on the victory that Christ accomplished on the Cross on your behalf. Because of His victory on the Cross, you can say with confidence, ‘I am not what I used to be.’ This is living your present life in the past tense. Living in this way causes us to look forward with confidence to the future.
The apostle Paul speaks boldly: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13. “But by the grace of God I am what I am…” 1 Corinthians 15:10a. Lord, I thank you that I’m not what I used to be—by your grace; thank you for who I am in you.
That’s the Word! Take it with you. God bless you.