Letting Go

Philippians 3:12-14

Message No. 0723 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca

People who have two hands and ten fingers have no idea how much those who are leprous would give to be like them. Unfortunately, we throw all the freedom away when we decide to close our hands as we hold unto things that we already have. Unknown to people, God has designed our hands in a way that as long as we hold them close, we are not able to receive anything with them. We are disadvantaged in the same way as the lepers are.

One thing that had the potential to derail Abraham’s destiny was the fact that he held unto Lot, his nephew, without asking God. When God asked him to leave his father’s house and move to a new location, He did not ask him to take anyone along, except his immediate household. When quarrel broke out between Abraham’s herdsmen and those of Lot, he must have tried to resolve it in order to keep the peace and continue to journey with Lot. Of course, this was a good thing, to make all efforts to help your nephew, however, God did not include nephews, nieces, uncles, or aunts in the call. He did not even include brothers or sisters. It was to be a complete break with the past. Until Abraham decided to cut loose and let Lot go, there was no peace, and who can succeed without peace. Did you notice how Lot chose the best land, leaving Abraham (the guy who received the call), with the part that did not look good? Yeah, that’s what holding unto the past can do to one’s destiny. It can really rob you of God’s plan for your life.

Letting go has many types. Two common types are, letting go of past hurts and letting go of past successes. When a person is hurt by a friend, family member or other relationships, and refuses to forgive and let go. Such a person has basically put his or her life on hold. The statements of Jesus Christ regarding forgiveness are facts, similar to results of laboratory tests. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus told His disciples:

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

It doesn’t get clearer than this. Hold unto past grudges, and you are done. You cannot move forward, there cannot be progress. You are in a holding pattern, basically in circles. When you think and ruminate daily, you put fuel in the fire of hurt, pain and sadness. There is not enough room to think of the way forward. You are basically praying for God to not forgive you of your own sins. When people make statements like, I can never forgive him or her, they have no idea what pronouncements they are making. If you know of anyone like this, you will be saving a life and a destiny by introducing them to Christ.

The second common type of not letting go is holding unto past successes. Some people are so happy that they succeeded in the past, that they cannot see the fact that the success of the past is only a tip of the iceberg in what God has in store for them. It’s like holding your fists tight and expecting something to land in your palms. You can just ask yourself by looking around you, where is Blackberry today? Where are the personal cameras of those days? Where are the video tapes, the CDs, DVDs and other items of storage of the past? If your business succeeds and you hold your fists tight on the success, and celebrate it, and look at it again, and praise yourself, and do the same things day after day without innovating, you’ll wake up one day and discover you have lost your entire business and possibly your destiny. If Abraham held so tightly unto Isaac when God instructed him to sacrifice him, he would not have become a father of many nations as God promised. There’s a reason why the windshield of a car is far larger than the rearview mirror. Look at what Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, in chapter 3 verses 13 and 14:

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

History is very good, to the extent that it helps us to avoid the mistakes of the past as we move forward. If we get stuck in that history, in the pain or the success, we have just succeeded in ruining the future. Cut yourself loose and get over it. God’s plan is for the glory of the latter house to be greater than that of the former. Don’t let that past rob you of your best days that lie ahead of you. It’s time to let go and move on.

PLEASE ACT NOW:

If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:

Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!

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