Mind Games | Voices From the Past | Recognize

Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:62 

You were so glad to leave it all behind. Heartaches. Suffering. Brokenness. Jesus rescued you from all that, cleaned you up, and is now transforming you into His own image. But still… Old friends call. Addictions remind you that you’ll always want them. Loneliness echoes in your soul and you remember with longing the ways you used to silence it. You’ve left it all to follow Jesus, or so you thought, but now you’re having second thoughts. What do you do when the past keeps calling to you?

Learning to recognize a lie is a vital part of becoming a mature Christian. Satan is the father of lies, so every lie whispered into your soul originated in the pit of hell. A lying thought is one that contradicts God’s truth revealed in His word. For example, a lie says: “After the life you’ve lived, you’ll never really accomplish anything for God.” Truth says, “I am a new creation in Christ. Old things are gone. God is making everything new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Lying thoughts say, “Once an addict, always an addict. You might as well give in to those desires.” Truth says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). Past temptations will get a makeover and come knocking again. Wisdom will recognize them anyway and slam the door.

Final Thought:  We overcome negative thoughts from the past by slamming the door before they get started.

Prayer: Father, thank you for rescuing me from myself. I’m a new creation in Christ. There is no more looking back. I renounce my old ways, old thought patterns, and old desires. Because of Jesus, they have no hold on me. In His name, amen.