Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so
easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the
joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Sometimes our past can hold us back and make us feel like we
are not capable of achieving all that God has planned for us. This is not His plan. He knows all about your history and if the
Lord of the Universe can forgive us and find value and worth in our life than
we should be able to believe in ourselves.
Dealing with a
"warehouse" full of guilt, anger, frustrations, and hurts from the
past, severs the chains that hold believers back from true freedom in Christ!!
If you want Jesus to drive your life, the warehouse must be emptied, because
dealing with such baggage is the beginning of surrender.
Beginning
your adult life out of resentment or bitterness toward your parents, teachers
or others is a recipe for disaster.
We need to take note of how our parents lived life, and how
their patterns shape our lives. We are
who we are largely because of the influences upon our lives as we grew up.
·
We need to be aware of the influences of our parents, but we do
not have to be mastered by them.
·
Some parental influences are not positive or good to build on.
Sometimes we need to break undesirable and sinful generational patterns.
The Bible does teach that parental influence shapes our
lives significantly.. In the Old Testament, we see sinful generational patterns
of favoritism and dishonesty running through three generations of Abraham to
Isaac to Jacob.
I weary, however, at the irresponsibility of individuals who
blame their parents for the way they turned out. We are clearly aware of the high percentage of
drug users whose parents abused drugs, alcoholics from alcoholic families and abusers
who were abused. But the same holds true
for issues of control, anger, dishonesty, favoritism and selfishness as
patterns that influence several generations until someone succeeds in breaking
the pattern. The good news is that we
can overcome destructive generational patterns and even leave a godly legacy
for our children and grandchildren.
Focus on Your
Future
Every day that you get up without a goal, direction, purpose
and plan for your life, you will live someone else's dream. Get a dream of your own for your life. Those who fail often live lives of avoidance
instead of achievement.
Formula for
Failure
·
Live in Fear of Failing. Fear creates a focus.
Focusing on failure possibilities is a like setting a target to
fail. If you live your life just trying
to keep from failing then that is the best you will ever do. Avoiding the pits keeps your vision on the road
and not the goal. It leads to
over-cautiousness and worry. Those who
fail listen too closely to the "I told you so's" in life.
Fear
is holding a mental picture of what I don't want to happen. Faith
is acting as if it is so when it's not so to make it so.
·
Live Blaming Others for Your
Problems. We blame God, fate, or
circumstances. "It must not have been in the cards...God's will...meant to
be" or "If things hadn't been that way" LOSER TALK! We blame our spouse (or lack of one) or
family members. "If he/she didn't
nag, pressure, demand, spend..."
As long as you blame you will avoid responsibility.
·
Live Without Setting a Goal in
Any Area of Your Life. Most cannot answer this
question, "If you got where you're
going where would you be?" A goal in
your head is a dream for tomorrow. A
goal on paper is a plan for today. Your
life is worthy of a plan.
Scripture to
Claim:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [a]he is a new creature;
the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17s
