Hanging on to the past

Hi how are you all today? I am well and doing good. This week has been very busy with lots happening in my family. Have you ever had a week like that?

In this blog I want to look at what happens when we become a Christian and then try to do things the same way we did in the past. I want to look at part of the story of Simon in Acts chapter 8. Simon had been a sorcerer in Samaria before he became a Christian. The people in Samaria were amazed what he could do and called him ” the great one- the power of god”. This is how he made his living through magic.

After he got saved, he followed Phillip around and saw him do many signs and wonders. When Peter and John came to town, Simon saw them lay hands on the Christians to receive the Holy Spirit. Because of his past, Simon wanted the same power and offered them money so he could get it too. Peter called him on his behaviour and Simon repented.

But why did Simon want to pay for the power. Because that’s what the people used to do for him – pay him for his magic. Simon was trying to hang on to past behaviours and reverting back to them once He became a Christian. How often do we do that?

God says tithe and blessing will overflow your life. But we try and hang onto our money tightly or get a loan to pay for small things, instead of trusting God. We revert to past behaviours. We are bored so instead of talking to God and ask Him how He wants us to spend our time, we do something that used to make us happy. We revert to wrong behaviours. I am guilty of this.

If I am feeling stressed or tired, often I will revert to what is comfortable or convenient and not what’s necessarily Gods way or is good for me.

We need to remember that Gods ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. That’s why we need to renew our minds daily by hearing the Word of God. We need to know Gods ways and then we won’t revert to past thinking or past behaviours.

God wants us to live an abundant life and He has given us the relationship book that enables us to succeed. That book is the Bible. We need to be reading it daily so we know what it says. So when situations arise, we know what to do and if we don’t, we go to God.

That is successful living right there. It is how God intended us to live – in abundance and in the Word of God and not in the past. This week take a stocktake of your week and see how you did. If you failed in any area or two, repent, receive Gods forgiveness, get back up and keep walking.

You can do it and I know that you will keep living the life God intended for you.

Bless you heaps

Karen