Live in the PRESENT, not your PAST.

"The next time satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future" - Matt 25: 41

The primary thief of joy and peace is : Regret over the Past. We've all been there , it can be so difficult to let go of previous mistakes, of choices we have made and things that might have been completely out of our control. There is nothing we can do about the past, we can only accept it and repent. We need to let go of the past in order to grasp the future.

Have you ever longed for time you have lost? Have you been fixated on a person or memory you can't get back? Have you been dwelling on the 'good old days' It's things like these that hold us back to welcome the better things in life.

" If you don't leave your past in the past, it will destroy your future. Live for what today has to offer not for what yesterday has taken away" quotesgram.com

Here are 7 signs that you live in the past:

• Holding grudges.

• Blaming yourself for everything.

• You sometimes lose yourself in Nostalgia.

• You wonder about what could have been.

• Rejecting new opportunities.

• Not looking forward to anything.

• You don't have plans for the future. [Psych2GO]

18. “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. 19. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43: 18-19

God has called us to live in freedom, yet the pain of our past holds us back. Regret STEALS the NOW. I know this because I have had a lot of "PAST" to overcome. I was living in my past for years , this stole much of my joy and peace. If you don't deal with pain, the pain of the past will find a way to deal with you!!!

Facing your Giants like David

When I didn't deal with the pain, it manifested in my life as low-self-esteem and ultimately, dysfunctional relationships. As my life unraveled, I found myself stuck in the past, living with regret everyday. This almost destroyed my life.

I spent years hiding from pain. I didn't deal with things from my past, instead I developed other coping mechanisms. (This led to deeper places of despair.) Attempts to escape pain created unhealthy patterns. This misdirected coping mechanisms looks different for everyone, such as : over eating, alcohol abuse, self-harm, unhealthy relationships or even binging on Netflix to avoid reality. The list goes on and on.

Thanks to prayer in my darkest and lowest hour, God showed up in all His Glory. He sent people on my path to help and guide me. To show me God's grace and His indescribable love towards a sinner, a lost soul. I have learned that we can not overcome what we do not face.

If we are faithful to Him, confess our sins, we will be cleansed and forgiven. Through spiritual growth and prayer we CAN put our past behind us and move towards the great things He has for our FUTURE.

"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward" - Steve Maralaboli

Watch this very inspirational and motivating clip about living in the PRESENT. The speakers are:

- Tyrone Stokes - Oprah Winfrey - Eckhart Tolle - William Hollis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIKFEkO3Qss