How to forget the past and walk in newness

by Bibi Babatunde-Ikotun

Hello everyone, I trust you're doing well. Thank you so much for clicking my link, I appreciate your support and interest in this post. This post is inspired by a mentoring session I did over the weekend with approximately 200 teenagers. I believe this will bless you, don't forget to leave the comment below and share with your loved ones. 

Before I dive into why you should forget the past and walk in newness, I'll like to tell you that GOD IS NOT ANGRY WITH YOU! I don't care who has told you in the past that God was angry with you because of your actions. They may be angry with you but God isn't angry with you. This is important for you to know because the Word of God says it. 

2 Corinthians 5:19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

What does it mean to reconcile? It means to restore friendly relations with another person. God has extended the olive branch to you, I hope you take it today. When Jesus died, He took the anger and wrath of God on the cross. Do we break God's heart when we do wrong things? Yes, which is why we shouldn't. But thinking God is angry with you is the aim of the devil. If someone is angry with you, it is only human nature to run away from them. Maybe give them time to calm down. But God is not a human being, He is God. If you decide to run away from God because you made a mistake, the devil will only pull you closer and keep making it hard for you to run back to God. God on the other end wants us to run back to Him when we do something wrong. I love this analogy to show us the reality we have as a believer.

Religion: “I messed up. My Dad is going to kill me.” = Gospel: “I messed up. I need to call my Dad.” 

So how does this tie to Forgetting the past and walking in newness? Simple, many things may have happened in the past. Maybe you have been sexually molested or may have engaged in pre-marital sex or maybe tried drugs or cheated. Maybe life is just hard in general and you may have done something you're not proud of. Sometimes the devil comes back to haunt you with memories of these things or make you feel like you can never stop them.

You must understand that his aim is to make you feel unloved by God, and unwanted by people. Maybe your parents/guardians are physically or emotionally abusive and people have said really mean words to and about you or you've heard people spread lies and rumours about you (true and untrue). The truth remains that God is not angry with you. Why are you angry at yourself? Why are you angry at people? If the God who created the universe says, I am not angry with you my beautiful daughter or my handsome son. Why are you angry with Him?

How to shut the devil up

So the first thing about forgetting the past and walking in newness is to be able to shut the devil up when he comes to condemn you.

I'm going to start by addressing the devil coming back to you with receipts of things you have done. How do you deal with the devil? When he comes to remind you of that time you maybe you stole from your mum or friend. And he comes to call you a thief and starts saying you can never stop stealing. He then says "your next phase is to become a fraudster or armed robber" because the devil is crafty like that. He is the master of making you feel worthless. But there's a caveat, he only does these things only if you allow him to do so.

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

What does condemnation mean? 

1. The expression of very strong disapproval; censure.

2. the action of condemning someone to a punishment; sentencing.

Listen when he comes, tell him to shut up! Even shout "mind your business". If there is anything you learn from today, it's this verse. It shuts the devil up. Each time those feelings come from him and he is ministering condemnation to you make sure you recite this verse.

Say to him, "Devil, I am in Christ Jesus you can't condemn me". 

In Christ, no one has the legal authority or audacity to condemn you! God is not condemning you. The devil has no power to condemn you but he tries. He keeps trying is luck to see if you know the truth, that he doesn't have the power to condemn you to see if you will fall and believe his lies. He is the father of lies, there's no truth in him

So it is up to us to respond that "In Christ, no one has the legal authority or audacity to condemn me! Get away from me devil, God is not angry with me. You're a dirty stinking liar"

You must know that God has forgotten your past! Now ask yourself, who am I to remember it? I have given you a tool to rebuke when the devil comes back to you.

In Christ, the old you is dead

The second thing about forgetting the past and walking in newness is to know you're a new creation in Christ Jesus!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

I bet you know this verse, see, you're brand new! Old you has gone, God hits reset on us every day because we believe in Jesus. If God is not counting your errors against you, why do you see your self in the light? If the one that matters the most to you doesn't see you that way, the one who created you. Why do you see yourself in the light of the past?

You're brand new! Old things have gone, whatever person you are before is gone. Of course, sometimes you'll maybe make a mistake. Don't be too hard on yourself! Go to your father in boldness. Don't go to God and be saying self-deprecating things just to have him cleanse you.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

It says to come in confidence not in fear of rejection, but in boldness. This is my father's house and I know sometimes we Nigerian's can't relate because most of our dads are maybe strict or don't show emotions even though they love us. They love us in their own way most times. Go back and say, daddy, I messed up.

It says receive, it didn't say ask. It means grace and mercy are already freely available Not because we ask for it but because He has made provision for it in Christ already!

We go back and receive mercy and grace for when that time comes and we're struggling. So yeah, you're a new creation with full access to the father.

Throw the past in the sea of forgetfulness

The third thing about forgetting the past and walking in newness is to forget the past! Listen, the future is way bigger. God has a plan and purpose for you. You're not just here to go to school, get married and have babies and be happy, that's not your purpose on earth. There's is so much more to you and staying in the past will only prevent you from finding God's purpose over your life.

Philippians 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

TPT version says  13 I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this;[f] however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.

No matter how you think or worry about the past, you can't change anything about it. It is a waste of time and emotion. The place God is taking you to is great! He has a plan and purpose for your life. Don't dwell on your past experiences. Okay, you have failed in some aspects, that doesn't make you a failure!  Your situation does not define you, forget about it and focus on the future. 

Go to God and ask Him to help you do well. If you focus on the past, you won't be able to see ahead. If you can't see ahead, an accident can happen. Let me emphasize, if you're not looking ahead i.e to the future, you may get into an accident. Focus, turn your energy to the future my dear brothers and sisters.

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

This is the word of the Lord. How can there be rivers in the desert? It's geographically impossible but the one who created the deserts knows what He can do with it. So no matter the dessert or wilderness experience you're currently in, God is saying you should put it behind you. Forget it, put it away!

God will do a new thing in due time! And this new thing will be miraculous! It will blow your mind! There's nothing too hard for God to do. You're not too young or too old for newness. 

Listen, nothing you have done can destroy God's plan for you except you think your mistakes are greater than God and we all know that it is impossible. Go back to God, let Him lead you in His will for your life.

So to wrap up, I want you to purpose in your heart to walk in newness because nothing is holding you back. There are no limitations, no setbacks. Everything starts with your mind. Renew your mind with the word of God as often as you can and stay away from statements that form strongholds in our mind like, "it is too hard", nothing is too hard for God. 

With Him on your side, you can do exploits.

With love,

Bibi 

I turned 26 last week, to God be the glory. Check out my latest video as I unbox my birthday presents. Thank you so much for the love and support you have shown me, God Himself will honour you as well in Jesus name, amen!