Part 1
How to be released from your past.
We would like to honour you for your courage to start this series
“How to be RELEASED from your past, STAND in your present & PREPARE for your future”.
Today we begin with the truth You can be released from your past. The question becomes how and what are the keys to this. Thought does your past own you, or do you own your past? What I mean is when you think of your past do you feel shame, embarrassment or guilt? Or do you feel nothing but gratefulness and thankful because together with God you have dealt with it and it has no power over you anymore? If you’re like me you want the second option to be your reality and thats’s what God wants and desires for everyone in the world – that we all would want to be released or set free from our past, but before that can happen you have to first take ownership and authority over it.
Let’s get honest and agree that all of us have a past. A past that contains mistakes, failures, heart aches, hurts, disappointments and so much more. None of us are exempt from having a past it’s only the level or colour of the pain or heart ache that differs for each of us. Ok we’ve established we have a past. Did you know the only way you can be released from your past is to go there and deal with it. Did you hear that? You’ve got to deal with your past to be set free and remain free of your past! That doesn’t mean you live from it, out of it, or in it, but rather that you release it and are released of it.
Great you say, but what’s the first step? ADMIT you have a past. First key, ADMIT YOUR PAST. Sounds so simple, but is it? I’m sure you can relate to this option that many choose to bury their past as deep as they can, and then once it’s buried cover over it with justifications, excuses, lies, blame or even addictions. Oh my I can so relate and say done that, what about you?
Here’s the problem when we bury our past or cover over it with excuses or blame, then by default we choose not to admit or deal with it, the result is it will never go away, it lingers. Usually at the most inconvenient of times it will rise up again and again to cause you heart ache. I have experienced this in my own life, from past situations and circumstances I have buried or thought I had dealt with, only to see them rise their ugly head again and disturb my future.
But now it’s time, it’s time for us all to deal with our past and be released from our past once and for all. Do you want that? Because God wants that for you, your His child, His son or daughter.
Let’s go to the Word for wisdom and read Acts 22:1-5 (New Life Version) where Paul is sharing of his past life
“Paul said, “Brothers and fathers, listen to what I have to say to you.” When they heard him speak to them in their own language, they stopped making noise. Then he said,
“I am a Jew. I was born in the city of Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. When I was a young man, I lived here in Jerusalem. I went to Gamaliel’s school and learned all about the Law of our early fathers. I worked hard for God as you all do today.
“I worked hard and killed men and women who believed as I believe today. I put them in chains and sent them to prison. The head religious leader and the leaders of the people can tell you this is true. I got letters from them to take to our Jewish brothers in the city of Damascus. I was going there to put the Christians in chains and bring them to Jerusalem where they would be beaten”.
As you read it, did you see it? Paul confessing and acknowledging his past, telling us who he is, how he used to behave and what he did. He offers and gives no excuses or blame for his past he just admits it as it was. He admitted it as it was, since he started there that’s where we start. We admit we have failures, mistakes, hurts, heartache and disappointments so like Paul we can partner with God to deal with them.
So here is your 1st challenge, start with this effective and simple prayer that will guard and protect your heart and mind as you journey back to deal with your past.
Father, I ask for Your BLOOD and PROTECTION as You lead me back to deal with issues from my past. Father I believe and declare that through this experience I will be set free of them once and forever. Thank you Jesus. In Your Powerful name. Amen.
As you sit down, write down all the things from your past that you are ashamed of. This requires you to be 100% honest, vulnerable and transparent, and to keep asking the Lord is there anything else to add to your list. Please know this is not going to be an easy or pain free time, as there often will be emotions and feelings brought up in you, but this is essential for the end result which is you totally releasing your past and your past releasing you.
Now you have your list let’s continue reading Acts 22:6-16 about The Change in Paul’s Life, which happened on the Damascus Road, which was his defining moment.
“I was near Damascus. All at once, about noon, I saw a bright light from heaven shining around me. I fell to the ground. A voice said to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you work so hard against Me?’ I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the One you are working against.’Those who were with me saw the light. But they did not hear Him speaking to me. I asked, ‘Lord, what should I do?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up! Go to Damascus. You will be told what to do there.’
“I could not see because of the bright light. Those who were with me had to lead me by the hand until we came to Damascus. Ananias lived there. He obeyed the Law and was respected by all the Jews. He came and stood near me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ At once I was able to see him. Then Ananias said, ‘The God of our fathers chose you to know what He wants done. He chose you to see Jesus Christ, the One Right with God, and to hear His voice. 15 You are to tell all men what you have seen and
heard. What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on His name.”
Did you get it, the 2nd key that Paul shares? It’s an ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS. An ENCOUNTER with Jesus Christ the Living God, Messiah, Son of God, Truth was what enabled Paul not to bury his past but to deal with it and let it go. Like the song from Frozen goes “let it go, let it go, let it go”
An ENCOUNTER with Jesus gave Paul TWO NEW things, sight and direction. Guess what an encounter with Jesus gives you the same things – you get NEW SIGHT and NEW DIRECTION.
The blinding of Paul was more than just his eyes, it was at blinding at a physical, emotional and spiritual level. And what’s more if Jesus did not address all three of these in Paul, then his past would have restricted, blinded, and would have ntimately prevented him from stepping into the amazing future the Lord had for him. This is the same for us and why we need Jesus to deal with all three levels in us, so we can be released from our past.
Second Challenge
Taking your list we need to address each issue at a time covering the three levels of physical, emotional and spiritual. I find the best way of doing this is to ask the father for an exchange. I’ll explain after we’ve read Matthew 12:43-45 (English Standard Version)
Return of an Unclean Spirit
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Ok so how does that passage relate? When we are doing deliverance we know if we kick a demon out and don’t replace it with new truth, then it will be worse than it was, as Jesus said. Well the same is true when we deal with our past, we always need an exchange, the lie for new truth. We need to ask God what He wants to replace it with.
For our amazing Lord provides a forever replacement called the HOLY SPIRIT or TRUTH who leads us to more and more deliverance and freedom when we deal with our past. Back to Paul for a moment, what was his exchange? It was his life went from being law led to being spirit led. So what’s the exchange in your life God wants to give you?
Take your time and with your list ask this question for each one, and write His response.
Father God I give you …………..(read out the point) what are You going to give me in return?
Ok now you should have two lists: a list of past regrets, failures, disappointments heartaches etc and a list of what the Father wants to give you in return.
It’s up to you what you do next, what are you going to do? And what do you want to do?
Back in Acts 22:16 Paul challenges the listeners, which by the way is us. He simply says!
What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on His name
Do you want this? If so take each point and say the following prayer.
Father God I chose to lay down …………….(read out the hurt, failure, disappointments, guilt etc) at Your feet and in exchange I choose to pick up what You have give me in return (read what He has offered you as an exchange for this area of your past). I now plead the Blood of Jesus in this area on my past, and choose to walk in the Truth you have shown me. Thank you Jesus Amen.
At this place it is great to
Give thanks
Offer Praise and Worship to Him. Rest in His Presence for a while
This is your DEFINING point, this is your point of transformation as it was with Paul.
I like this “when your past calls, don’t answer. It has nothing new to say” That’s the truth your past is dead, dealt with and gone, you’ve got the keys, so let it be just that, don’t nurse it, remain free, in words of Jesus “It is FINISHED”
Last challenge for you that Paul had, v21 “The Lord said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the people who are not Jews.”
Wow! Ask the Lord who is He sending you too? In other words who is He asking you to share your TESTIMONY of TRANSFORMATION with.
For as the Lord calls, equips and releases His people, He asks them to be witness of Him.
Father thank You for all who heard and entered into this message. Would You help them as you helped Paul to be fully released from their past, so they can be ready to stand firm in their present. Thank you for Your words, leading and insight and Jesus thank You for complete Freedom and Truth. We honour You, in Jesus name Amen.
Craig and Winnie Patten
Itinerate Pastors / Apostolic Leaders
Encounter Ministries
