Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
Doing “good works for God’s glory” is not just obedience, it’s also spiritual warfare and all forms of warfare require weapons. So for any who may be experiencing the pains of the past because of the actions of your flesh, remember;
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
For some of us the past is part of present warfare and it cannot be battled with emotions and questions and longings for things to be as they once were, it must be considered spiritual combat and requires weapons that are not carnal. I know more than one mother who has had drugs cost them parental rights, I know more than one father who has allowed lust to destroy his marriage and family. I know of those who did things before they were saved that they still experience the consequences of and I also know this, every one of them who are Christians would do anything to change the past. I also know that those same people can be divided into two groups, those who the past controls and those who have control in spite of their past. Some of you may need to switch groups, some reading may be living in the shadows of a sinful past when God has a glorious, even though at times painful, present. I know people who have done terrible things and paid for it and still do, who are effective and powerful servants of the Lord. Does the past still hurt, yes, are they often reminded of it, yes. While their pasts may be different from one another they all employed the same weapon to combat becoming a POW, and that is, they serve God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, and so can you.
God receives glory when good things are done for those in need in the name of His Son. Satan glories in hindering these good works by stifling them before they ever get started by reminding forgiven sinners of their past. Remember, we cannot be hindered from serving God by our forgiven past, only by sins in the present. I am not talking about keeping your salvation for every Christian sins after they get saved, though every temptation to sin has a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13) the issue concerning current sins is usability. I bring this up because many times the despair that comes from being a P.O.W. can lead to present sins that many not be a repeat of the past but are hindering sins nonetheless. Self pity that leads to apathy, anger that stems from inactivity, doubts, fears that can lead to self medicating through drugs or alcohol.
The point is if you have sinned greatly like the prodigal son and have come to end of yourself and come back to the Father’s house with the heart of a servant, God does not say I’ll take you back but there will be a grace period, He welcomes you back by His grace… period. The fatted calf is yours, the ring, the robe are yours, and all these things were symbols of a father publicly adopting his son in Roman culture. When battling life as a P.O.W. remember that what you can easily see is true for other people is equally as true for you! Or as the saying goes; The next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!
Excerpt from “Dancing With the Scars” now available on Amazon.
