Hey Clawson Family!

 Song:

Scripture

Luke 5:8 New International Version

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 New King James Version

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Devotional:

Has your past tried to come back and haunt?

In Luke chapter 5 Jesus was calling the disciples to follow him and he gets in a boat with Peter, and does a miracle. Peter recognized that Jesus was the messiah. All Peter could think about was his past and how horrible of a person he had been. 

Have you ever felt that way? Look at what Jesus told Peter! He didn't care  He said come and follow me! He knew Peter had a past, but Peter did not allow his past to stop him from his future.

If anyone had a bad past it was the Apostle Paul. The apostle Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus where he was headed to imprison and kill some of the followers of Christ. I bet none of us have a past that bad.

And when Jesus proved who he was to Paul, Paul did not allow his past to hold him back. He did not hold in bitterness or unforgiveness for what he had done. He went from killing christians to being probably the most effective Apostle that has ever walked the face of the earth.

If you are going to move into the future that God has for you, you have to forgive yourself, and forget your past.

The Scriptures say that the old things have passed away. All things have become new. We have become new, and when we became new our life started over. When we don’t understand that, when we hold onto a  bad past, it hinders us from our future. When you follow Jesus your slate is wiped clean.

That is the past of the person we used to be, and our life has started over with Jesus. Some of us today need to shatter the mirror of the past, and make all things new.

If God is not holding it against you why are you?

The devil is the one that tries to bring up our past… God is all about moving us into the future.

What does it take to forgive ourselves:

• Repent for the wrong we have done and allow Jesus to make us new

• Release our past to the Lord

Journal: 

In your journal today write down some ways you could start viewing guilt as an opportunity to grow closer to God. 

Training: 

Father,

 Thank You for everything You’ve done for us. Thank You that, because of Christ’s sacrifice, we don’t have to dwell on our past or carry around our guilt. Help us to accept the forgiveness You freely offer each of us and let our guilt go. 

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Don’t carry around the burden of guilt for another week. Pray and ask God to forgive you and remove your guilt. Then embrace the freedom He offers!