Overcoming the past

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8: 1 – 2

I don’t know about you but there are times when my past failures, mistakes and stupid errors of judgement come flooding back to condemn me. There are so many things that I would not do now especially with the benefit of hindsight that I foolishly did in the past. There are so many things I would do differently. 

However when failure and condemnation seek to come flooding in the first and most important thing to remember is that God is not calling us a failure nor is he condemning us. The devil is. You see if he can get us to focus on our failures and mistakes, we will not be focusing on the possibilities before us now. It is like driving a wedge between God and his plans and purposes and ourselves. 

Condemnation swamps us with failure and a sense of guilt and inadequacy. God showers us with blessings and possibilities. If we trust God with our lives, he will bring good out of every situation – even our monumental mistakes. His word assures us of that. Romans 8: 28 says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. It may be a very familiar verse but it is also the EXIT sign to feelings of shame and failure from mistakes.

My teenage years were not a time in which I take any pride. I was rebellious and foolish because I felt no one like or loved me.  I did a lot of very silly things. Yet God used those experiences to give me such a heart for teenagers so they would not walk in the same rebellion and rejection that I had felt.  

We must resist the devil and all his lies, not invite him in and listen to his nonsense. Jesus’ death on the cross took all our sin, guilt and shame. Our past is not a problem to God and we must not let the devil use it to condemn us. We are free so let’s walk in freedom and let God renew our minds so when the devil reminds us of the past and its failures, we think instead of how much God has done and the good he is bringing from our mistakes.

Do not judge or you too will be judged

‘Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7: 1 -2

These words from Jesus can be very hard for us to correctly assess our attitudes.  When does realistically evaluating or testing a situation turn into the sort of judgement that Jesus is talking about?  It is right that we honestly evaluate and ask God to help us when looking at situation or people’s actions that we may not be comfortable with. Jesus himself judged the Pharisees found in Matthew 23. 

Judgments are called decisions in some verses of the Amplified (Romans 11:33) and this can be a helpful way of looking at our motives behind our judgements.  It is what we do with these decisions.

If having evaluated something we move from there to criticism and condemnation then beware. You too will be judged in the same way and you may be found even more wanting than that which you have been criticising.  It is very easy when looking at other people’s faults and weaknesses to overlook your own and move into hypocrisy and self righteousness.  It is no coincidence that immediately following these verses  Jesus talks about talking the plank from our own eye before trying to remove the speck from someone else’s eye.  It is always easier to see someone else’s faults than our own.

Joyce Meyer tells the story of how much she suffered with sickness in one of her pregnancies having had no problems previously.  God showed her that she had judged, criticised and condemned another woman suffering with sickness in pregnancy for her ‘weakness’.  Having judged another, Joyce herself was being judged. 

If we do find the weaknesses and sins of another very trying, especially if they personally impact us, then we must forgive and bless them.  Take their weaknesses to God and ask him to help you deal with them in grace and not criticism and condemnation.  Ask God to help you deal with your weaknesses and show you the planks in your eye. Trust him that as you keep a right attitude he will deal with the other person.

Judging others can become a source of bondage for us as we hold others in judgement.  Dealing with other people in grace, humility and kindness in their weaknesses releases the same flow into our lives and our weaknesses.  As we seek to walk in ever greater freedom let us treat others in their weaknesses as we too would wish to be treated in our own.

I am free from condemnation

 Paul says in Romans 8:1 ‘Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’.  Why? ‘Because through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.’ 

Before we became Christians we were like prisoners on death row condemned to die.  The wages of sin is death and we are all sinners so we had to die.  Thank God that Jesus came and took our place and died on the cross for us and released us from that condemnation.  In John chapter 3 Jesus told us that God did not send him into the world to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:17).  Jesus himself assures us that if we believe in him, we are not condemned (John 3:18). 

We feel condemned when we focus on our sins, failures and shortcomings.   We feel inadequate and insecure, that others are better than us, that we are not worthy to be loved or receive blessing.  Instead we must focus on Jesus and his unconditional never ending love and acceptance. Jesus will never condemn us. He will never criticize us. He came to give us his abundnat life.

We will make mistakes, we will fall short but these should not bring condemnation.  Instead they are a learning point, an opportunity to grow.  When we fail, do not slide down into despondency and self pity but instead focus on Jesus and ask him to help you next time. He will show us how not to make that mistake again.  Even if it takes many times, God is patient and the Holy Spirit is waiting to help us no matter how long it takes.

If others condemn you by pointing out your failings and shortcomings, do not receive the condemnation but forgive them and release yourself from their condemnation. 

Jesus died so we can walk freely by the Spirit.  Do not let condemnation blight your walk – look to Jesus and he will guide and help you in your weaknesses.