A Second Look: As Far as the East is from the West
My church sends a check every month to a Hells Angel. Well, he used to be a Hells Angel. Now he's a missionary to Okinawa, Japan. Cool, huh? Talk about a radical conversion! This man left his past behind and walked forward into God's plan.
I wonder if the Japanese missionary is ever bothered by bad memories? I've worked out a great way to keep my past mistakes in the past. First, I ask myself some questions. Where is this bad memory coming from? Just because it's in your head, doesn't mean it came from you. It could be from the Father of Lies. Satan likes to keep you defeated.
Have you already prayed for forgiveness of this sin from the past? Then why dredge it up again? Dismiss it out of your mind. God has forgotten it. Jeremiah 31:34 says "...for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Time for you to do the same. The Hubster likes to imagine himself blowing up the bad thoughts. Guys like to blow stuff up.
I'm a little less violent. I like to picture myself packing those bad memories in a big black plastic bag and throwing them in the trash, where they belong. Make sure you get the lid on tight, too. I think that's the neatnik in me. I just can't help tidying up.
Make the second half of your life hopeful and powerful, adventurous and audacious. When you leave your past in the past, you will gain the confidence that God can use to accomplish more than you ever could have imagined. He doesn't want you to be perfect already, that's His job. So just be you. And let Him take care of the rest.
Female in Motion Notes:
1. The reformed Hells Angel has left the mission field of Japan, to return to his homeland of Denmark. He has begun a new mission work in his old stomping grounds. Be sure to pray for him.
2. February is my birthday month, and I want to give you a gift! Be sure to read next week's post and learn how you can win a $25 Cracker Barrel gift card in Female in Motion's Fantastic February.
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