Those who love God know the great difference between his unlimited favor and his ultimate favor.”
–Gary Wilkerson

My Mom, the dear lady, spend the last years of her life living in regret. She would think about the things that her family lost during the depression. She would think about the war and mistakes she made through her life. She simply could not let go of the past. One time I was speaking with her and I said, “Mom, surely there must have been some good in the past. Why must you dwell only on the negative?” She didn’t have an answer for me.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a firm believer in the importance of the past. After all I’ve taught history for close to forty years. The past is important for it helps guide our decisions today. The past is important for it can be a cement that binds the family together. The past is important because of memories that move into the present. The past is important for the lessons and experiences that should help us make better decisions in the now. The past points us to the faithfulness of God and therefore gives us hope for today and the future.
However, there are many things in the past that we should let go of. Let the negative go except for the lessons. Let the dirty laundry go, for you are now a new creation. Don’t dwell on the “ifs” and the “what might have beens.” In other words, let it go.
We must remember that God is with us (Immanuel) and He has a plan for us. He is there each step of the way and is preparing a home for us in glory. I want to share something with you that I read this week. It is from Dave Roever. (Want to know a hero of the faith, go to his website. He has an amazing story that shows the faithfulness of God and His grace.)

     “Let It Go!
      It never hurts to be reminded of God’s faithfulness, His provision, and His plan for our lives.

      Healthcare?
      A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

      Tax, tax and more tax? 
      A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. (Psalm 37:16-17)

      Wars raging?
      And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24:6)

      God is on His throne! God is in control! I am free from fear and doubt.

      Whatever is keeping you from living in the peace God has designed for your life, let it go.”

Truly history is what links the past with the present and the present with the future, but all of the junk–let it go. Do not do things today that can make you live your last days in regret. Do not let the present be wasted so that you will twiddle your thumbs and think of the wasted days of yesterday. Let it go and trust in the Lord.

One stone doesn’t make an entire tower any more than obeying one commandment lifts the soul to the required height of perfection.”
–Gregory of Nyssa

“The world’s gifts are temporary, fleeting, and not really gifts at all, but they do carry a price tag.”
–Bob Beasley

What is it that draws your attention? Is it the bright lights, the action and the atmosphere of the world? Perhaps it is a motion picture, a play, or a concert displaying the ideas, philosophies and worldviews that promote the world. That is not to deny that some in the world have talent. The Fall did not negate talent for man was created in the image of God, however, the Fall did degrade what the talent produced.
When this life is over what legacy will you have left behind? It might be paying the price tag of the world’s gifts. It might be the construction of a life that was pleasing to the Lord; not just keeping one commandment, but obeying the Word of the Lord because we love Him. What did the apostles and early church fathers leave behind? Look at the suffering of Paul and others; were they actually miserable? They left the legacy of their suffering and understood the higher calling.
The idea of God is okay, but many do not want to go any further. The idea of Christ always brings a reaction. Jesus will divide people, nations, family. Religion, including Christianity, has become a tool to help organize world peace. What is not understood is that Christianity can never be “at peace” with the world. How many have compromised in their walk?
Remember, devotion to the prince of this world is one of the most ancient of temptations. We make a choice every day whom we will serve. We choose the way we will walk. We can walk according to the Word of God, or we can walk according to the ways of the world. Be careful of compromise–a little yeast leavens the whole.
“A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church].”
               –Galatians 5:9 (AMPC)

Woe is me.  My corns are aching, my bunions are throbbing, my joints are paining me; oh, what to do.  The world is tempting me, the devil is after me, and I’m at my wit’s end.  If you’re a Christian, I’m sure that is not your attitude.  Listen folks, “We’re Marching to Zion.”  We have a joy that the world cannot understand, much less know.  Put your aches and pains aside; leave your worries and fears behind and let your joys be known.

          “Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known,
           Join in a song with sweet accord, Join in a song with sweet accord,
           And thus surround the throne, And thus surround the throne.”
                    –Isaac Watts

People of the world cannot sing the songs of Zion.  They cannot know the joys and pleasures of the Lord unless they come to Him.  The believer, however, can sing for they are children of the King.  It was once said that when a person walked up a street in the United States they could point out the homes of the Methodists.  The reason why was that there was always joyful singing coming from their houses.  Today it is hard to tell “worldly” music from Christian.

          “Let hose refuse to sing Who never knew our God;
           But children of the heav’nly King, But children of the heav’nly King,
           May speak their joys abroad, May speak their joys abroad.”

The promises of the Lord belong to His children.  As we march toward Zion the blessings of the Lord are showered down.  Before we reach that heavenly realm we are given a taste of glory as we continue to march.

          “The hill of Zion yields, A thousand sacred sweets
           Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
           Or walk the golden streets, Or walk the golden streets.”

So instead of crying the blues and singing our woes, let the songs of Zion abound from our lips.  Yeehaw! (That’s cowboy talk for “Hallelujah!”); we’re on the way and nothing will be able to stop us on our way.  Keep the vision of the holy city in your mind as you traipse the hills of earth. 

          “Then let our songs abound, And every tear be dry;
           We’re marching thro’ Immanuel’s ground, We’re marching thro’ Immanuel’s ground.
           To fairer worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high.

                    We’re marching to Zion, Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
                    We’re marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God.”

Don’t despair, the road is not twisting downward.  The travel is ever upward–hear ye, hear ye, we’re marching to Zion, the beautiful city of God.

The root of our spiritual struggles goes much deeper than neglecting devotional practices.”
–David Wilkerson

There is a tendency to think “more, more, more.” We need to do more for the Lord. We need to be with Him more. We need for Him to bless us more. The truth of the matter actually should be, “trust, trust, trust.”
As we walk with Him, day-by-day, we should learn to trust Him.
Hopping up and down at the altar is not the answer. Making self the center of prayer is not the answer. Doing is not the answer. The answer is being. Recognizing who you are in Christ.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, NKJV)
“Tell me, when did you stop being a new creature in God’s sight? Was it when you did something to displease him? How did you go from being born again to being not born again? That simply can’t be IF YOU STILL TRUST IN HIM. Paul states emphatically, ‘God…hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ.’ His work in your life remains!” (David Wilkerson)
——————–
“Thoughts are the decorations inside the sanctuary where we live.”
–A.W. Tozer

There is a constant battle for the mind.  The attack is seemingly continuous and at times violent.  It can ranges from worldviews and philosophies to a simple, lustful thought.  It is therefore vital that we control and protect our thoughts.
How can we hope to have communion with the Holy Spirit when our thoughts are full of vile and evil things?  Yet at the same time we must have thoughts; thoughts are vital to any relationship.  They help make the relationship grow and strengthen, but they can also be the cause of it being broken and torn down.  Thoughts largely determine our moods, climate, and they create an atmosphere in which we operate.  Therefore, we must control our thoughts.
Then how do we control our thoughts?  To a large degree it is based on how much we are in the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit feeds upon the Word–more Word, more of the Holy Spirit.  The Word must be kept in our mind as it helps develop and guard our thoughts.  It is up to us to cultivate fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
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“Worship God by faithfully resting in Him.”
–Bob Beasley

Perhaps one of the hardest things for some people to do is rest.  Work, work, work, and oh, there is so much to do.  How many take a day of rest?  How many honor the Lord’s day?  I think relatively few.
What does it mean to rest in the Lord?  It doesn’t mean to take a nap.  It doesn’t mean to lay back against Him as John is seen in Da Vinci’s “Last Supper.”  It means to trust.  It means to understand that He is faithful.  It means that we can have confidence that whatever happens in life we can rest assured that the Lord is directly involved.