Tuesday 24 July 2012

Open Heavens Devotional: LEAVE YOUR PAST! – Tuesday, July 24, 2012 By Pastor E.A. Adeboye


Memorise: 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. Philippians 3:13
Bible in one year: John 18-21
When God uses one of His servants to bless you, you can appreciate that servant of God but appreciate God much more. Why? God is the Source of blessing while His servant is only a vessel. Never turn a vessel into your source. If you do, both you and the vessel may get into trouble with God. It was in light of this knowledge that Elisha, despite his devotion to Elijah did not forget the God of Elijah. He called for the God of Elijah and not for Elijah or his anointing at the River Jordan (2 Kings 2:13-14). Elisha faced a new reality after the departure of Elijah. It was a new phase for him. You need to walk in the understanding that life is in phases. When one phase ends, another begins. Psalms 37:25 says:
I have been young, and am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
According to this scripture, there is the phase of being a youth and another phase of being old. A new phase had just begun in the life of Elisha. The phase of Elisha the servant, who went everywhere with his master had just ended and another phase of Elisha the national prophet with several attendants has just begun. When the time for his next phase came, he refused to continue in the old phase.
You must be ready to move forward. Stop living in the past. In 1 Samuel 25:1, after mourning the death of Samuel, David continued with his journey. Life continues irrespective of the challenges of each day, and so must you. Paul had to adopt a strategy of forgetting his past so that he could face his future (Philippians 3:12-14). Some people have lost their future to their past because somehow, they were never able to put the past behind them. Have you lost someone you love so much? Move on from that spot! Have you lost someone who promised to help sponsor your education or help set you up in business? Move on from that spot and another helper will surface. You could also receive direct help from above. Never allow past failures hinder your future success. Also, never allow past victories and successes hinder future ones. Stop dwelling in your past! As long as you remain at that bus stop of life, no new thing will come to you. Move forward! Take a step into your future today!
KEY POINT:
If you don’t leave your past, it will continue to hunt you. 

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