In Philippians 3:13 Paul states “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” Paul must have had the ability to pretty much forget what his past was and focus on the future. Most of the time we tend to remember our past to our detriment. I am not saying we shouldn’t learn from our mistakes. Many things still hurt…betrayals, severe criticism, shame, abuse, social media statements, judgements we have made where we end up doing the same thing that we judged others for, just to name a few.
I wonder how Paul says he forgets them. Can we really live in freedom without regrets. What do we need to do to not have regrets or the shoulds? Paul still remembers his Damascus Road experience, but in Philippians 3:13, he is talking about how to have fewer regrets by forgetting what lies behind. Maybe the goal is not to get rid of all of them but have fewer of them. They do serve a great purpose. They remind us of what is no longer true of us. We can voluntarily forget them. We choose not to remember. What Paul does is to put it out of his mind.
I love the way God chooses not to remember in Micah 7:19, “He (God) will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Hebrews 10:17, And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” This is what commentators call the sea of forgetfulness! That’s the kind of forgetting that God does. I need to do a little more of that as I forget what lies behind!
In 1991 Becky and I were given a similar prophetic word from Dick Mills - Isaiah 43:18-19, “Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” The enemy seems to enjoy whispering and reminding you of where you missed it in the past. If it keeps coming up the Lord may want you healed in this area. Rather than forget it, He may want you to be healed, set free and then forget what lies behind. You may need to go into prayer, study the Word, seek counsel, bibliotherapy, or any other method God may want.
If a regret or shameful thought enters your mind it is wise to identify where it came from. If you did not initiate it, and God has removed it into the sea of forgetfulness, then the last option is the enemy. You can actually be full of joy with thanksgiving because you do not have to dwell on it anymore and you will experience freedom from condemnation. Thank you, Jesus!
In His Covenant Love,
