Your Past Does Not Define You Because In Christ, You Are Forgiven

By

Ok let’s talk about regrets.

We all have them. Things we wish we hadn’t done. Things we’d be ashamed for other people to know about. Moments that make us cringe when we relive them in our heads. Mistakes that haunt our thoughts months or even years after they occur.

Regret is a terrible feeling. You know you did something wrong, but it’s too late to undo it and impossible to change the past.

I have made a number of mistakes in my 20 years. I’ve sought attention and approval in all the wrong places. I’ve looked for contentment in worldly pleasures instead of building up my heavenly treasures.

Alcohol did not fulfill me. Popularity did not fulfill me. Every time I searched for fulfillment from any source other than Jesus, I left feeling empty and far from satisfied.

But can I let you in on a secret? One that changed my life? When we ask God to forgive us for those mistakes, He does. He really does! There is no sin too bad or shameful.

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

— 1 John 1:9

Your past does not define you.

You are not defined by how much you drank at the party last weekend or how far you went with your boyfriend/girlfriend. You are not defined by the lies you’ve told, the unkind words you’ve uttered, or the habitual sin you’ve wrestled with.

You are defined by the Lord Jesus Christ who gives you the power to overcome these sins in His mighty name because of the sacrifice He made for you on the cross.

You are not worth less in the moments when you feel worthless. At your very lowest point, God still loves you. It’s hard to fathom, but it’s true.

“Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

— Psalm 34:5

You don’t have to live in the shame and guilt that once held you captive. You can throw off the weight of your sin because you have been forgiven.

Purity and a change of heart starts now.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

— Psalm 51:10

When doubt comes creeping in, remember that you are more than the sum of your past mistakes. You are redeemed. Live in that freedom.