God is not holding onto your past

 All they knew of me, in fact, was the saying: “The man who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they thanked God for what had happened to me. – Galatians 1:23-24 (Phillips)

Apostle Paul, before his conversion, was tireless in his resolve to destroy the early church. He relentlessly persecuted the followers of Jesus, and decried the Lord Himself. Paul had been passionate and determined in his severe cruelty and violence against the church – he was committed to the task, yet God called him into His service.

Can you imagine that God would forgive someone like Paul, a man who consented and approved of the killing and imprisonment of so many followers of His beloved Son Jesus Christ?

The truth is, God not only forgave Paul but raised him up from spiritual death and gave him his ministry and authority. He was appointed, commissioned, and sent out by God to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ

Paul, whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings or by human means, but from Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from death. – Galatians 1:1(GNT)

Just as Paul had once been tireless in his pursuit of the destruction of the church, so he became tireless in his pursuit to build up the church. After all almost all of the New Testament is penned by Paul.

God used Paul in a mighty way, and He will use you too, no matter your past. God will employ the elements of your character in a positive way, for His glory, just as He did with Paul. Paul displayed that same passion, determination, and commitment in his new task.

Today, release your past to God, who is able and willing to forgive you through His beloved Son Jesus Christ. He does not recount your sins, as a matter of fact, God blots out your past mistakes and forgets about them.

Isaiah 43:25 tells us,

I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you. (GNT)

And Hebrews 8:12 says,

I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (ESV)

Beloved, it’s really up to you to believe that God is not holding onto your past, to realize that you need to let go of it too and determine to go in the opposite direction (repent). In the words of William Cowper,

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:

 Forgive yourself, and receive His forgiveness.

Amen†

 

Shelley Johnson “God is not holding onto your past” © 2016 revisited June 18, 2025