Reprogram Your Memory
Isaiah 65:17
For I will create a new heaven and a new earth; the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.
This verse reveals one of the reasons there will be no tears in heaven. There will be no memory of past pain. What has happened in the past can certainly be a deterrent to our future when the memories of what happened keep re-surfacing. God will create a new heaven and a new earth, and the past will truly be the past.
We all have a past, and there are things we regret. If we learn from our mistakes and move forward, we have grown and gained in the process. If, however, we continue in the same destructive patterns, we will find ourselves going in circles in the wilderness and never reaching our promised destination. We are to let go of the past, but if your past is still operating in your present, it is not your past. It is your pattern. We must deal with our destructive patterns.
The children of Israel remembered how they were fed in slavery when they had to encounter faith in the wilderness. They forgot the injustice and back-breaking labor of slavery when they were hungry and having to depend upon God for their next meal. They remembered the wrong things about slavery and even wanted to return. Don’t let your current pain or lack cause you to forget the fact that God has freed you from bondage! Remember that the devil comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy, and returning to a state of bondage is never the answer. Be willing to exercise some faith and depend upon God to feed you where you can’t feed yourself. Your wilderness is there to strengthen you and to lead you to a better place. Regardless of what the devil may try to tell you, it is not permanent unless you choose for it to be. There really is a promised land on the other side!
We have all heard the advice to learn to forgive and forget. No matter how hard we may try, however, there are just some things we cannot forget. We cannot always turn our memory on or off like a switch. We were created to remember, and remembering what happened in the past is a good thing if it prevents us from making the same mistakes again. There are times when the pain from our past must be healed. Our memories must be programmed to remember the good things that came from the bad and to concentrate on where God is taking us, rather than to focus on all the hurt and loss we have suffered. We cannot change what happened in the past or the pain it caused, but we can choose our focus.
As Philippians 4:8 instructs, “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Allow God to do something new in your life. He can erase the bad memories of pain we can’t forget when He does a new work in our lives. Ask Him to heal your pain and your memory. Remember the good, and learn from your mistakes. What God has planned is worth it!
Have a blessed day!