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Move On from the Past

Have you ever tried driving a car while staring in the rearview mirror the entire time?

That’s not just unwise, it’s dangerous. The mirror is there to glance at, not to live in. Yet, many of us approach life like that: always replaying past mistakes, heartbreaks, missed opportunities, and wrong choices.

God didn’t design us to live backward. He designed us to move forward, step by step, into the future. He has carefully planned for us.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

In order to perceive the new, you must stop dwelling on the old—e.g., a broken relationship, an unwise decision, or a season of regret. The past only has power when we permit it to define us.

Letting go isn’t amnesia or forgetting completely, but releasing. It’s choosing not to be bound by the emotions, the guilt, or the shame of yesterday. You’re in that state where you say, “That happened, but it’s no longer controls me.”

Paul said it beautifully in Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)

“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on….”

Paul had a past where he persecuted Christians. But he chose to move beyond his failures into the purpose God had for him. You can too.

Why the Future Needs Your Focus

Your future is fertile ground for God’s promises. There are people you’re meant to bless, ideas you’re meant to build, love you’re meant to receive, and healing you’re meant to carry. But none of that will grow if your mind is stuck in yesterday’s soil.

When you focus on what’s ahead:

  • You give hope permission to rise again.
  • You open your heart to love again.
  • You clear space for God to do something fresh.

Every day is a new page. Stop rereading old chapters. Stop quoting what hurt you and start declaring what God said about you. You are not your past. You are not the mistakes you made. You are becoming who God already sees.

So today, take a bold step:  

Look ahead! Trust & again!! Dream again!!!

The best of your story is still unwritten.

Prayer  

Father, help me to let go of the past and fully embrace what You have for me. Give me the courage to move forward and the faith to trust in Your plan. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Shalom!

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