If, like me, you have lived in the world for a very long time. A life far away from God, completely in darkness, and you later come to faith, you might feel ashamed of your past and the choices you made at the time.
Although God fortunately no longer remembers our sins as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12), we can sometimes want to put things from the past in a closet and never think or talk about them ever again. Safely, and far away from the eyes of other people.
I myself have been quite bothered by the things I have done or said and the choices I have made in the past that damaged others and myself, and I have found it difficult to let go.
But God showed me, through His Word, that I am not that person anymore, and He certainly does not look at me that way! I had to renew my mind (Romans 12:2) about how He sees me. And that was a process that took quite some time!
Hope for the broken
Last year, I was able to take a fantastic mission trip to Brazil with a wonderful ministry that campaigns, evangelizes, distributes food parcels and visits all kinds of addiction clinics to proclaim King Jesus everywhere!
It was a wonderful time, and miracles happened all the time! Everywhere, we told our testimonies and how we were all brought out of darkness by God into the light!
There was enormous encouragement for the people there; these were all people who were deep in the darkness, looking for a way out or a glimmer of hope. And we were allowed to show and tell; we are no different from you; we do not come here from a rich country with an attitude; “let us show how great we are”, and then fly back to our lives in the luxurious west. No, we are just like you. Broken women and men, with some of us from the most traumatic backgrounds. We had experienced loss, brokenness, grief, and trauma ourselves.
But there is Someone!!
“There is Someone who offers you a way out! Come and see! Come and hear from this Man!
His name is Jesus.
Come and hear about Him, what He did for us, He will do for you!” We were allowed to express, the joy, and the Good News of The Gospel. It left a lasting impression.
And that was it! That’s where I had the revelation: I don’t have to be ashamed of my past; with this, I can help and encourage others, and God is honored, and that is what it is ultimately all about. That He gets the honor He deserves.
Every time I was able to share my testimony in various clinics or orphanages, and share what God had done for me, I saw the hope in the eyes of the people there. And God works so beautifully, because my pain and wounds were healed by sharing and seeing that it also gives others hope, and I also saw things happening to them.
When we think we are worth nothing, can’t do anything, or are ashamed of the things we have done. When people are happy to remind us of our past and the mistakes we made, God doesn’t care at all. He will eventually use everything for good!
By simply telling our life stories and testimonies in Brazil, people came to faith, were baptized and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
In the meanwhile, our wounds were also healed. I have often noticed that God works in a way that both are blessed, not only the recipient, and you will receive a word or a blessing next time, but both are built up, helped, and blessed.
Child of the Most High
Dear brother or sister, do not be ashamed of your past. Let God use what you’ve been through, for you’ll see that it’s precisely those things that you’ve been through and through your heartache and sorrow that God can use to win people for His kingdom and to help you get better.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” — Romans 8:28
What has been, has been, it is no longer who you are (2 Corinthians 5:17); start seeing yourself as you are now;
