We are not living in a perfect world with perfect people, so many times you may be disappointed in others. They may even offend you or say something that brings up the past. It may even feel like you can’t win this battle that seems to keep climbing up out of your memory. Didn’t the Lord redeem me? Didn’t he say that he cast my sins away? That he had forgotten those things that brought shame to his name? I ask you: whose voice are you listening to?

“He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19).

Satan is the accuser of the brethren and the father of lies. He would like nothing better than for you to be bound by your past, thus keeping you from daring to believe that God could save someone like you. He tries to bring condemnation on us to control our effectiveness in the kingdom of God. He knows that if we ever take a hold of this truth and believe God, he won’t be able to touch us.

We have the Lord’s promise in Romans 8: 1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

We become more aware of our flaws when we lose sight of what God is leading us to. It wasn’t until Peter looked to the left or right that he saw the waves and storm and began to sink. Oh, Peter, where is your faith? Let me remind you that Peter did get out of the boat, and he did walk on the water towards Jesus. Can you say that you have ever stepped out in faith and dared to believe God for those things that may have looked impossible? “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

Isn’t it just like the Lord to know the plans he has for us and not reveal his plan to us right away? You see, we are our worst critic when it comes to our effectiveness. If he laid out the whole plan, step by step, we may talk ourselves out of the victory, because we had a step to take that may require us to feel rejection, or neglect. What if to reach our place of authority, we had to learn how to submit to authority? By learning how to submit, we learn the best way to lead. To be a great leader, you must first be willing to follow.

Your way, your ideas, your plans, your dreams, your ambitions, your goals, will be as rubble if they are not first filtered through the will and purpose of God for your life. They may seem successful for a while, but like the house built on the sand, it will not stand without a solid foundation, and that foundation is built on commitment and prayer. It may seem that you have invested everything with little return, but do not be discouraged, because God isn’t finished yet.

Learn to receive the no’s that you will hear as you map out your next steps to become the man or woman of God that you are destined to become. If those in authority over you are willing to take the time to show you the right path, count yourself blessed. Hebrews 13:17 says to “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

I didn’t say that it was the easiest thing to do, because some wounds are genuinely deep, but with God’s mercy and grace, isn’t it time to surrender it all to him? The bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, ^“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” He cares for me and that is enough for me to move forward. I want my life to be a reflection of his image, and for that to happen, I must learn to trust him enough to let the past go, so I will have a future.

In this week’s Lattereign, we show you how to be forgiven.  You must forgive to be forgiven