God forgets the past

“He put away the person you used to be”

~ Colossians 2:11

Do you ever look back on your past mistakes and sin and think “What in the world was I thinking?”

I look back on my old self, a stagnant Christian just going through the motions. I was not alive in my faith. I thought I had a solid relationship with God, but it was nowhere near the way I know Him now.

Sometimes I just get plain out frustrated about my past mistakes and how I used to be. It makes me feel pretty icky thinking about how much better I could have been, how I could have given God way more time and effort.

But this verse from Colossians 2:11 relieves me from all this frustration and anger about my past self: He put away the person you used to be.

It’s like God is giving us a clean slate. He allows us to start fresh. God forgets the past and most importantly, he forgives us. In fact, you will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. So if God is able to forgive us, shouldn’t we be able to forgive ourselves?

God already knows when we are going to screw up. But guess what?

Jesus died on the cross to save us from our past, present and future sin.

But just because Jesus has already put our sin on his shoulders, doesn’t mean we should continue to sin because it is off of our hands. Rather, we should try to avoid sin at all costs!

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? – Romans 6:1-2

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. – 1 Peter 2:11

Because of God’s unending love and mercy, I feel alive and renewed. I am no longer held down from my sins of the past, but I am set free. 

Self-Reflection:

What is one sin of your past that you often dwell on?

I encourage you to give your thoughts and feelings to God, and to know that you are forgiven:

I am the one who wipes out your lawless acts. I do it because of who I am. I will not remember your sins anymore. - Isaiah 43:25

Special Prayer:

I would also like to offer this song as a prayer to all of us, but especially to those freshman college students like myself. College is a time to find yourself and become the person you really want to be. Students, remember that God forgets your past, and if you choose, you can be born again in Christ. Don’t lose your faith and relationship with God, instead make it stronger. Make these next four years of your life a song of praise and worship to God.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you start a fire for you in all of us, a motivation and passion to flee from sin and temptation and run to you. Oh Lord, help us to desire you always and to show you in everything that we do. In your Son’s name, Amen.

Start a Fire – Unspoken