No Longer Held Captive To The Fear of Becoming Whom I Am Called To Be

There are times you are stopped on your path as you look back at the steps you have made to overcome who you were, an addiction you had, or a life you are not proud of. Sometimes the reminders of your past are harsh and come suddenly when you are least expecting it. They come from people you least expect to rub it in your face, places, smells, and thoughts.

You are reminded of weaknesses that you fought to overcome, to be reminded that one person or one trigger can cause everything you have worked so hard to put to rest and leave it in the past to become real again. The enemy knows how to dangle your past in front of you and bring the shame and guilt that you once felt to the surface. What you once thought was dormant has now reared its ugly head. The enemy will speak lies to you, surround you with fear, and will do everything in his power to hinder you from moving further into your calling.

The devil knows that God has a plan for your life and he knows that it is a good and divine plan that will heal you, grow you, and carry you into your purpose and beyond your wildest dreams. Therefore, you are going to face the devil’s tactics and encounter his fiery arrows.

I am reminded of the story of Lot and how his family was rescued by God from their city that was doomed.

As they fled, the angels warned them,

“Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away” (Genesis 19:17).

“But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).

The Hebrew for looked back means “to regard, to consider, to pay attention to.”

As I see the parallels between this story and applying it to our lives, Lot’s wife turned and looked back at her past; even though it was her life that she was mourning, she still looked back at what God brought her out of, away from doom, and gave her the path to safety. She just had to run into her faith toward God and not look back.

Perhaps the same can be said for today? Our pasts are often our cities that are doomed but rescued by God and we are allowed to flee.  We escape our sin, our reputation, who we used to be before we were renewed, washed in Jesus’ blood, and put on our new self.

and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:24

The devil knows our Sodom and Gomorrah and when he reminds us of our past, he is trying to cause you to look back and pay attention to your old self.  If we look back we can find stones around us that prevent us from moving forward because the weight is too heavy. The discouragement is too much to bare.  The pits of depression are too deep with pain.  Just like the pillar of salt, you aren’t going anywhere.

Instead of allowing ourselves to be consumed by the things of the past that God has carried us out of and we look back, place your past mistakes beneath your feet and use them as a stepping stone to grow into a better you.

Be Courageous. Be Brave. Don’t look back. God warns us for a reason because He knows what’s best for you.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

P.S.

If you enjoyed this blog and would like to help spread the word, please share in all of your social media news feeds.